These lighter fudge brownies are a great alternative to their full fat counterparts. We use less butter and enhance the flavor with instant coffee powder!
I’ve had a Cooking Light cookbook in my collection for a while now. I think I found it at work one day on one of those bookshelves that is a free-for-all (I’ve donated some books to it as well, so I’m not a moocher… ha!).
Weirdly enough, I have not made many (any?) recipes from it since I’ve had it in my possession. One afternoon, I was flipping through it and found this brownie recipe. It seemed pretty close to a regular fat version, so I decided to try it.
I noticed that it only used about half of the butter of traditional brownies, and it also used some coffee powder to enhance the chocolate flavor. I threw in some chocolate chips because why not?
Although I baked my brownies for less time than the recipe called for, these weren’t as fudgy as I wanted them to be. They felt a bit dry (especially the edge and corner pieces) and the flavor wasn’t as chocolate-y as I expected.
Granted, I knew going in that these weren’t a “normal” brownie so I expected some variation from a classic brownie. However, my family and I would rather eat a regular brownie. If you are on a low(er) fat diet and don’t want all the calories, then these are a potential alternative. I’d recommend making a regular brownie and just eating a smaller piece though.
Husband’s rating: 3 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 2.5 out of 5
My rating: 3 out of 5
Lighter fudge brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon hot water
- 2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Generously grease or line a standard 8"x8" square baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix the sugars and eggs together on medium speed until it gets thick and pale (about 4-5 minutes).
- Combine the hot water and coffee granules together and stir until the coffee granules dissolve.
- Add the coffee mixture, melted butter, and vanilla and mix well.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until a few dry streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips if using and mix until no dry streaks remain. Your batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and smooth out the top. If desired, sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the bars to cool before slicing and serving.