Made-Over Deep Dish Brownies

I have been absolutely DYING to use my new kitchenaid mixer. Naturally, I am itching to make cupcakes. But I am finally willing to admit that I have been VERY VERY BAD lately. I have been making tons of cupcakes and licking every bowl of batter and frosting clean. Not only that, but I have no self-control when it comes to food and I tend to help myself to multiple helpings. So I am taking a small break from cupcakes this week and decided to make either whole-wheat blueberry muffins or made-over deep dish brownies (they are healthIER than normal brownies). I have been craving a chocolately brownie and have discovered a new appreciation and interest in different kinds of dessert bars so...brownies it is! (the muffins will probably come around shortly as these brownies don't really fix my whole being bad thing, haha)

These brownies were surprisingly moist. They were rich and fudgy but weren't quite as fudgy as I like them, they were a tad bit more cakey but still very satisfying. In fact, I lost self-control and ate about 4 of them...ok 4 and a half. These are my go-to brownies for now...

It is funny because when I was younger I preferred the cake-like brownies and could never make them that way, and now the past couple times I have made brownies they haven't been as fudgy as I like...when I am ready to get back to my full-fat, 100% guilty indulgent baking...I will establish this. Anyway, I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com (I have made a couple of their "made-over" recipes and they have all been good, so I recommend them if you need to tone down the fat and calories in your diet a bit) The only things I changed in this recipe was ucing dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet and dark cocoa (I love me some dark chocolate)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral tasting oil
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs, cold
1 tablespoon cold brewed coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Position rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Use an 8by 8 silicon baking pan or line a similar sized metal or glass baking dish with foil or parchment paper so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch. Spray the prepared pan completely.

Put the butter, oil and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat at 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Stir the brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and coffee and beat vigorously until fully incorporated and the batter is thick and glossy. Add the cocoa, flour and baking soda and stir just until it disappears.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if not using silicon).

Cool the brownies in the pan on the counter. Lift brownies out of the pan by the foil, if needed. Peel off the foil and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve. Store extra brownies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cooks Notes:

These brownies started with our HTBW originals. First we made these healthier by cutting out over half of the butter. To keep their fudgy quality, we added in a little canola oil. Then we reduced both eggs and sugar by half. But we still needed the richness and liquid that they were giving us. So we switched from unsweetened chocolate to a combination of semisweet and cocoa powder. We reduced some flour, and added coffee and more vanilla extract for rich flavor. We were still missing the texture that the eggs had given us, so we added in a little baking soda to get a better rise. Lastly, we switched from a lined and buttered baking pan to a silicon baking pan that didn't require any extra butter or spray. We came up with something that is still rich and fudgy with a gorgeous crackle top, but we feel much better about eating these!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories
154

Total fat
7 grams

Saturated fat
2.9 grams

Carbohydrates
23 grams

Protein
2.1 grams

Fiber
0.7 grams

Sodium
105 mg