Better-for-You Deep Chocolate Brownies

You never need an excuse for brownies, and these ones are no exception! Dense, fudgy and perfectly sweet, they are also packed with protein, calcium and whole grains - all for under 150 calories a piece!

One of the many casualties of the pandemic - at least near me - was a low fat brownie mix that was an absolute lifesaver when I was losing weight in my teens and later as a poor college student. It was great - just add water and bake - and was rich enough to kill off a craving without resorting to added frosting or ice cream. Now that my sister (who is a chocoholic like me) is back at work and looking for healthier snack options that would also keep her going, I started looking around to see if there was a way to make brownies that were a bit better nutritionally than the usual bakery kind. After a bit of research and modifications, including adding Naked Collagen and a vegan chocolate protein powder to the dry mixture, I had a working formula.

Needless to say, these were an absolute hit for the fudgy / chewy crowd here. The use of honey keeps these moist and dense for days (and not to negate their health but they make excellent "sandwich cookies" for ice cream) while the Greek yogurt adds just a touch of tang. To top it off, just enough chocolate chips stud the batter and crust of these beauties to accent the rich cocoa flavour and the tiniest hint of coffee. The brownies also happen to be gluten free thanks to the oat flour, but since sis doesn't need to keep GF I'd easily swap in whole wheat pastry flour in the future. The worst part is waiting for them to cool and chill - but I promise the payoff is worth it! 

Low Fat Deep Chocolate Brownies

Serves 12

3/4 cup (90g) oat flour
3/4 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I used black, Dutch process would be fine)

2 scoops Naked Collagen

2 scoops NuZest Lean Clean Protein Chocolate
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup (60g) cold coffee
1/3 cup (80g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup (170g) honey
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 300 F, and lightly coat an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, Naked Collagen, protein powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, egg, vanilla, coffee, Greek yogurt, and honey until no large lumps remain.
4. Add the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated.
5. Fold in 3 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining chopped chocolate into the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan.
7. Chill before slicing for the fudgiest texture.

NI per serving: 137 calories, 4g fat, 22.7g carbohydrates, 3g fibre, 6.1g protein