My dad knows just how much I love chocolate (I’m not too different from my chocolate-obsessed mother & sisters) and in his attempts to stay “hip” he sends my sisters, mom, and me what he thinks is a chocolate-chip emoji frequently. (💩) The text will be something like “Have a great day cooking! 💩💩💩” Or “Want me to bring home a treat for you:💩?”So I group messaged all my sisters a few weeks ago telling them they needed to come try my healthy brownies. I jokingly included the 💩 emoji and scared them all off from trying the brownies even after explaining that it was just a “chocolate-chip.” 😉 And now that I’ve put in a total of 6 💩 emoji’s I hope I haven’t scared anyone else off from these brownies because they are chocolate heaven!! GUILT-FREE chocolate heaven to be exact. Although I have a strict “no guilt” policy when eating chocolate. Because life is short and chocolate is total happiness. I don’t think I go very many days in a row without eating it. Especially dark chocolate. ❤️❤️❤️
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| THE BEST HEALTHIER BROWNIES RECIPE |
Brownies:
- 1 and 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, separated, I use 53% cacao
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, LouAna brand recommended
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (brown sugar can be substituted)
- 3/4 cup oat flour (blended regular oats)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk, or whatever milk you have on hand
- 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt
- 3/4- 1 and 1/4 cup powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil or parchment paper and then spray with nonstick spray (I use a coconut oil based spray that I love.)
- In a bowl place 1 cup of chocolate chips or chopped and measured dark chocolate.
- Microwave the coconut oil and measure the coconut oil in its melted, hot state.
- Pour the hot melted coconut oil over the dark chocolate and stir the chocolate until it is completely melted.
- For best results I suggest using LouAna coconut oil as I've found other coconut oils vary in their baked taste and sometimes result in a bitter-tasting baked good.
- Add in the Greek yogurt. Make sure the Greek yogurt is quite thick (check the notes) and not watery. If needed drab it with a paper towel after stirring and measuring it.
- Stir in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, and coconut sugar.
- In a blender or food processor put in quick oats or old fashioned oats. Blend or process until the oats resemble flour. Measure the oat flour after blending and not before.
- Stir into the mixture. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture (it is very thick) into the prepared 8 x 8 pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-32 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when inserted.
- Do not over-bake. Slightly under-baking is better and will yield a better taste and texture. (More fudge-like)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and milk. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring for 15 seconds in between each burst until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt and then whisk in the powdered sugar.
- Start with 3/4 a cup and add as needed. Note that the frosting thickens up a lot after being refrigerated.
- Refrigerate the frosting (covered in an airtight container) for at least 30 minutes.
- Cover the brownies with the frosting.
- Remove the brownies using the overhang of the parchment paper or foil. Cut into pieces and enjoy.
- These are great warm but they are OUT OF THE WORLD good after being refrigerated overnight or for 6-8 hours (and eaten cold.) I never thought I would say a brownie is good cold but it tastes like brownie fudge after being chilled all night! :) So when I make these now, I automatically just chill them overnight because that's the way we like them the best.
- However, they are also super good warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying! Just be careful warming these as the frosting melts.
- Store brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Frosting doesn't freeze well, but the brownies do freeze well by being individually wrapped.
I've tried this recipe with several different types of yogurt. The best success I've had with lower fat yogurts is with a light Greek yogurt that is 130 calories a serving. Do not use a yogurt with less calories than that as it becomes too watery. I recommend a vanilla flavored yogurt as I believe it adds a lot more flavor than a plain yogurt.
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