Low-Fat Fudgy Brownies

The question of the day is: "Are you an edge person, or are you a center person?" Me, I'm a center person, when it comes to brownies. I know there are a lot of edge lovers out there (case in point), but there's just something about the center cut brownie that's all gooey and chocolately on each side - perfection. Our brownie recipe of choice when I was growing up was the classic Baker's One Bowl Brownies - it's printed on the inside of the Baker's unsweetened chocolate box! And trust me - there's no need to improve on that recipe. But sometimes I want something a bit lighter, something without so much butter or sugar (I'm referring to the one and a half cups of melted butter and the 2 cups of sugar in the Baker's recipe). So recently when I needed a brownie fix, I decided to try these low-fat {almost no fat} fudge brownies from In Sock Monkey Slippers. They satisfy the brownie craving and they're butter-free - but you'd never know it. See that melty chocolate chip in the bottom right of that brownie?! The brownies are studded with warm, melty chocolate chips and have a soft, fudgy center - in other words, pretty incredible for a healthier, lower-fat brownie. 

I didn't have flax meal in the house at the time, so I used an egg instead - but next time I'll definitely be trying these with the flax. If you do have flax in the house, give it a try! 

Low-Fat Fudgy Brownies

adapted from In Sock Monkey Slippers

makes 9 - 2x2" brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup 0% or 2% Fage Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour OR all purpose flour
• 1 egg (or 2 Tbsp flax seed meal)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees. 
2. In a glass or Pyrex bowl, melt 3/4 cup semisweet chips by microwaving in 30 second intervals (and stirring each time) until melted. You can also do this in a double boiler if you don't have a microwave - you just need the chocolate melted. Pour the yogurt, sugar, egg (if using) and vanilla into the melted chocolate, stirring to combine.
3. In another large bowl, whisk the flour, flax meal (if you're not using an egg), baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate yogurt mixture and mix gently with a spatula until just combined. Add water and stir until incorporated, then fold in the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. 
4. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (a few little fudgy crumbs are okay). 
5. Using the parchment paper like a tray, lift the brownies out of the pan and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut into 9 pieces.

I calculated the nutritional info for these guys using 0% yogurt and an egg - they really are a low-fat sweet treat at less than 150 calories each! 

Nutritional Info (per brownie): Calories: 136; Fat: 4.3g; Cholesterol: 12mg; Sodium: 64mg; Carbohydrates: 21g; Fiber: 1g; Sugars: 15g; Protein: 3.6g