During my high school years, my mom’s coworker gave birth to an angelic blue-eyed boy. Shortly after swaddling him in a blanket and announcing his name, the doctors realized something alarming: he basically lacked an immune system. Similar to the movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” they transported him to a specialized sterile room in an elite hospital in San Francisco while debating over surgical procedures.
His parents moved into a Ronald McDonald House a block away from the medical center, and my mom commuted into the city after work a few days each week to visit them. She rode the elevator up to the baby’s hospital room, chatting with the couple and relieving them of their watchful duty to run errands, shower, and nap. Gradually, once she vigorously scrubbed her hands with soap and donned teal scrubs, they invited her into the boy’s sterile environment too.
After her hour-long trip to and from San Francisco, Mom lost all energy and motivation to cook dinner. She stopped by a few gourmet eateries around the hospital before driving home instead, presenting us with peasant pies to split. (We usually fought over the curried one!) And on particularly horrendous bumper-to-bumper traffic days, Mom bought a brownie from the bakery next door too.
With the texture of fudge, the oversized treat disappeared within seconds after she pulled it from the white paper bag. We attempted to cut the first one she ever purchased into quarters in order to share a bit with Dad after he arrived home from work… But that plan crumbled to pieces after we each nibbled off a bite. Mom always ordered 2 after that incident, but we were barely satisfied with just half of a rich brownie!
However, a boatload of butter contributed to that decadent indulgence, and the treats left large grease stains on the sides of the paper bags. Before the fat took its toll on our bellies (and exercise routines), we tried weaning ourselves off of them one day at a time. Years later, we still fantasize about those heavenly chocolaty squares, so I finally resolved to bake a healthier version.
After a few tries, I successfully created The Ultimate Healthy Fudgy Cocoa Brownies! Packed with intense dark chocolate flavor, the luscious squares practically melt on your tongue, leaving behind sweet luxurious memories—but not a single ounce of guilt. Each regular-sized brownie only contains 99 calories, but these skinny treats don’t taste healthy at all!
These brownies come together faster than a box mix. Just whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another; then stir them together and pour the batter into the pan. So simple! And unlike the prepared packages sold at the grocery store, this recipe contains NO preservatives or artificial ingredients.
Cocoa powder contributes all off the chocolate flavor. It’s true—you don’t actually need melted chocolate to make a rich, decadent brownie! Although I always swoon over my ooey gooey brownie recipe, I rarely enjoy scrubbing the extra dirty bowl from melting chocolate. (I’d much rather lick it clean instead!)
I opted for whole wheat flour in the final rendition of these low-fat brownies. For 100% whole wheat baked goods, I almost exclusively choose Gold Medal; other brands turn my treats dense and dry. Its flavor is difficult to detect, and it adds a little extra healthy fiber. But you could easily substitute all-purpose flour instead if you prefer!
Just like the easy box mixes, I used oil instead of melted butter. Again, it reduces the number of dirty dishes (or pots) to wash—always a benefit in my kitchen! You only need 2 tablespoons of oil; skim milk and Greek yogurt contribute the rest of the moisture while keeping these brownies low in fat and calories. (Bonus: the Greek yogurt bumps up the protein content too!)
These brownies bake at a mere 300°F. This fairly low temperature prevents the edges from crisping and ensures the entire pan stays fudgy. Incredibly fudgy. Leave it in the oven for only 24-28 minutes. Although the center may look wet, it continues to cook as it cools in the warm pan. If you pull out the brownies after too much longer, they’ll dry out and crumble.
Look at those fudgy beauties! They just exude dark chocolaty decadence and smooth luxurious flavor. It can be our little secret that they’re The Ultimate Healthy Fudgy Cocoa Brownies and secretly skinny. Nobody would believe you after they sampled one of these moist, indulgent squares!
Can you blame me for devouring 3 the second I finished the photo shoot?
These rich, luxurious brownies don’t taste skinny at all! They’re packed with decadent dark chocolate flavor and just as moist as a full-fat version. These brownies will stay fudgy for up to a week if stored in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Mix in the milk and yogurt. Add in the cocoa mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 300°F for 24-28 minutes (24 minutes for fudgier brownies, 28 for less fudgy brownies). Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into squares.
P.S. After a bone marrow transplant, the doctors allowed the sweet little boy to head home and recover. I baby-sat him for a few summers as he grew, and he currently lives a normal, active, Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-obsessed life. Thank goodness for modern medicine and miracles! ♥
Dear Amy!
I love you and this Brownie. I am doing a diat since new year, and I really craved something chocolate bomb. I wanted to add some dark chocolate too, but it wasnt necessary. Its delicious. 🙂
P.s. My mom liked your oatmeal cookies so much that she asked me to bake her some. So I did that too. You are gorgious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies and oatmeal cookies Piroska! You’re so sweet to bake for your mother too! 🙂
Oh my, these taste so good! I was craving something chocolatey, gooey and a little guilt free, and i stumble on these! I wasn’t expecting a miracle as healthy versions of recipes don’t often taste like the real thing… but these! they taste just like normal brownies, maybe even better! i baked them for 22 minutes as i love super gooey brownies and they are so good! thanks so much for this recipe 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Sarah, and I’m really touched by your sweet compliments! That means a lot if you think these are better than normal brownies — thank you! 🙂
So far, Amy has not failed me with her recipes (granted I follow it to the t!) So it’s only natural for me to finally try this out. After a couple months of stumbling into this, I finally made them! AND IT WAS AH-MAH-ZIIIING!!! I just chopped a whole chunk off the side of the cooked brownie (21mins) and it was soooo fudgy and chocolatey! I had one adjustment here tho; I used 1/2 c yogurt and used only 1 egg. Where is the rating stars here, btw? I haven’t seen one…
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Austin! Fudgy brownies are my favorite, so that’s quite the compliment. Thank you! 🙂 I’m still working on converting my recipes from the old format to the new one with the rating stars, so that’s why they haven’t appeared on all of my recipes yet. Stay tuned though — it should happen soon!
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled?
Yes, the recipe is easily doubled, although I highly recommend using two 8″-square pans instead of a 9×13″ pan to ensure the brownies bake correctly. I hope you enjoy them Linda!
These are awesome! I didn’t have any yogurt or milk so I substituted 1 cup of half/half. I also used half sugar and half sucralose.
I ate one that night, slightly cooled. I thought it was dry. I chalked it up as another disappointment in my search for a healthy brownie.
However, the next morning, I saw the pan and decided to eat one for breakfast (as one does….LOL) and OMG!
I was floored.
Chewy, gooey, ooey chocolate deliciousness!
This is it!
The Holy Grail of healthy brownie!
Thank you, Amy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Victoria! They definitely turn fudgier the longer that you let them rest. And… I’ve definitely eaten brownies for breakfast too. 😉
Can’t wait to try making these! Just a couple questions first. 1. What do you mean by the correct way of measuring flour? 2. My mom prefers cakelike brownies, is there a way to make these cakey and stay cakey? Thank you so much for creating this recipe!
For information on how to measure flour, click on the link that says “Measured correctly!” next to the flour in the recipe box. I have an entire page dedicated to explaining that. 🙂 These brownies are meant to be fudgy. If you prefer cakey brownies, I have a different recipe here that may be better for your mom. I hope you enjoy whichever recipe you try Alisa!
Back again Amy and you’ve done it again! I never ever eat batter because of my fear of the ra eggs, but your recipe had me eating it straight off my fingers! This is 10x better th box, because not only is the taste an A+ but it’s super healthy and I don’t feel guilty eating 4! Great recipe, will definitely be back again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Vanessa! And thank you for your glowing comment — it made my day! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Saw the recipe the other day and made them. I only had regular yogurt but it all worked out. These are wonderful! Even my husband likes them – said they were ‘awesone’ and he’s very picky. It’s a keeper recipe for us 🙂
I’m really happy to hear that Laura! That’s a huge compliment if your husband called them awesome — thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂
Hi Amy! Do you think this recipe would still turn out fine for me if I subbed the granulated sugar with 1/2 cup honey? Or should I just cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup
If you like really dark chocolaty brownies (think 72% dark chocolate or darker!), then substituting 1/2 cup of honey for the granulated sugar should work. 🙂 I’d love to hear how that turns out Sally!
These look so awesome!. I love the lower fat and sugar, but would love to cut down on carbs and make them gluten free. Do you know if /how coconut flour would work in this recipe?
Thanks so much!
Thanks Missy! Coconut flour behaves very differently compared to any other kind of flour, and it’ll most likely make these brownies dry or crumbly instead of moist and fudgy. However, they still can be made gluten-free! This is my recommended blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, as long as they’re measured like this. I’d love to hear what you think of the brownies if you try them!