Imagine a rich, decadent brownie stuffed with Reese's Zero Sugar - stop me if you've heard this one.
I'm a brownie nut (although I don't like nuts in brownies), so I'm always on the prowl for a better way to indulge my sweet tooth in a gooey, chocolatey manner. And one of the nastiest tricks I've fallen victim to is those "healthy" dessert options that look great in the photo, but the real reason they're "100 Calorie" desserts is because it's they're only 2-3 bites max. These brownies are NOT that. We wouldn't do that to you.
These brownies are big, they're rich, and they're a little underbaked because that's how we like 'em (HINT: if you don't like yours medium-rare, LEAVE THEM IN THE OVEN FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES, THIS IS HOW HEAT WORKS). They're also under 200 calories per serving, so go ahead and grab another'n!
The Ingredients
YIELD: 9 Brownies (this is what we'll base the nutrition on, but feel free to cut them into as many minis as you like)
We prefer to use Allulose (sweetener) instead of Stevia or Splenda, but any zero-calorie sweetener will work. You can also substitute coconut oil for the light butter if you're so inclined.
The Numbers (per serving)
The Batter
The first step in the batter process is heating the butter. You can do this in a saucepan on the stovetop if you're made out of time, but we're using the microwave today because there's no chill when it comes to my brownie cravings. Once the butter is melted, mix in the cocoa first, and then add the eggs, sweetener, and the Carbquik flour.
Whisk until you get a nice smooth texture - some little chunks are fine but try to smash out any big clumps.
Once you've formed a velvety batter, you'll pour about 1/3 of the mixture into a greased 9x9 baking sheet.
The REESE'S
Once you've covered the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of the batter mix, you're ready for the hardest part of the whole process - unwrapping those naughty little cups.
Take the naked Reese's and gently place them on top of the bottom layer of batter. Once you've evenly distributed the candy, pour the rest of the batter mix over the Reese's until all the treasure is buried.
The Happy
Once you've drowned all the Reese's cups in magma, place pan on the center rack and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The finished product may resemble a dimpled turd, but just wait 'til you cut into the peanut butter guts.
As we mentioned earlier, if you like your brownies fully cooked throughout - just up the bake time to 25 minutes (check it after 20 just to prevent burning).
We also prefer our brownies to be a tad on the cakey side (80% brownie, 20% cake-y texture). If you like a richer, more fudgy brownie - up the butter to 1/2 a cup and/or add an extra egg to the mix. If you like a more cakey texture, add a little extra Carbquik (another 1/4 cup or less) when you're mixing everything up.
Look - nobody's going to resolve a health issue by switching to a lower calorie brownie. We're simply trying to provide easy solutions people can use to take small, realistic steps toward healthier lifestyles without root-canaling their sweet tooth. (And you can miss me with that whole "root-canaling isn't a word" nonsense - I'm a personal trainer trying to write about cooking, so I'll use false words and/or end sentences with prepositions at my own bumbling discretion)
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