Although we’re the proud new owners of a pretty awesome TV, we don’t actually have cable. As a big baseball fan (it’s practically the only thing I watch!), I figured that wouldn’t bother me until April… Until I remembered the Super Bowl.
Instead of missing out on all of the commercials and game plays, I drove down to visit my parents and watch the game with them. Every year, they host a potluck party and invited a few couples to gather around the TV, and when I found out that 12 other people would be attending, I immediately devised a sneaky, ulterior-motive plan.
I’ve been working on a new project for you (stay tuned—the big reveal will come soon!), which means that my countertops are always overflowing with baked goodies and my freezer constantly threatens to burst open for the same reason. Hence my brilliant idea: take all of those treats home so other people would eat them for me!
I set out at least 10 different baked goodies on my parents’ kitchen counter and prayed that nobody else would bring dessert. Thankfully, everyone stuck with savory stuff! At halftime, they began loading their plates with all of the potluck dishes, and as the seconds ticked by in the third quarter, they slowly started trickling back into the kitchen for the sweets.
I watched excitedly as the plates of cookies and cheesecake disappeared, but by the end of the night, everyone agreed: these Clean & Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies were by far their favorite. The treats were rich, fudgy, and extremely decadent, so not a single person guessed just how healthy they actually were!
The recipe starts with one of my favorite brownie bases. It’s clean-eating friendly, meaning it contains nothing processed or overly refined, so we’ll use maple syrup and white whole wheat flour instead of granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. White whole wheat flour contains the extra nutrients of regular whole wheat flour but has a more tender texture, which is ideal for these fudgy brownies. (And no, you can’t taste it or the maple syrup’s flavor—just chocolate!)
All of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder, so these brownies are about as easy to make as a box mix! The key to really dark, rich brownies is to use about as much cocoa powder as flour. This little trick also helps keep them moist and fudgy instead of cakey.
For ultra fudgy brownies, we’ll bake these low and slow at 300°F. This temperature allows the center to set without drying out the edges, but make sure to pull the brownies out of the oven when the center still looks glossy. They’ll continue to cook through in the pan as it cools.
The true star of the brownie show is this dark chocolate frosting. It’s like a cross between ganache and frosting, making it highly tempting to eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon! Three types of chocolate provide its decadent taste, while Greek yogurt makes it creamy and fudgy. I dare you not to lick the bowl!
By the time everyone left after the game, not a single crumb was left… And I’m not surprised at all! 😉 When you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chocolate frosted brownies!
| Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies | | Print |
- for the brownies
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- for the frosting
- ¼ cup (56g) dark chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp (30mL) warm nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tbsp (10g) dark cocoa powder (also called “Dutched”), sifted (measured like this)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the brownies, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add in the maple syrup and Greek yogurt, and stir until no large lumps remain. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 15-19 minutes (15 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 19 minutes yields slightly cakier brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 8 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before frosting.
- To prepare the frosting, add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir for at least 1 minute, or until the chocolate chips are completely melted. (If necessary, return the bowl to the microwave for an additional 5-10 seconds). Add in the milk, Greek yogurt, and two cocoa powders, and stir until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled brownies, and slice into squares.
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE: It's really important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour and cocoa powder in the brownie batter will make your brownies dry and crumbly, rather than chewy and fudgy. Too much cocoa powder will also make your brownies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
IMPORTANT COCOA POWDER NOTES: It's really important to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder (like this) in the brownie batter. I do not recommend substituting dark cocoa powder (like this; also called "Dutched" cocoa powder). This is because unsweetened cocoa powder and dark cocoa powder have different acidity levels, which will affect the taste and texture of your brownies.
However, you may substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the dark ("Dutched") cocoa powder in the frosting. (Because the frosting isn't baked, it won't affect the texture, and the taste will still be nice and rich!)
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS ALTERNATIVE: Regular dark chocolate may be substituted for the dark chocolate chips.
IMPORTANT FROSTING NOTE: It’s important to sift the cocoa powders in the frosted because they tend to clump. Sifting will make it much easier to stir the frosting until it’s smooth.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
we were excited to try these. but didn’t read the reviews. they were not good. we followed the recipe pretty closely; but added sugar to the frosting as it was bitter on tasting. we’d already tasted the brownie batter and found it pretty unsweet as well so we were hoping the frosting would help, esp with some added sugar. however, even the addition of sugar to the frosting didn’t save these brownies. my husband tried one and exclaimed “wow! that’s alarming”. we tossed them. we’ll try something else from your site, as we are pretty healthy eaters…
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lela! How did you measure the cocoa powder? Did you scoop it directly from the container with your measuring cups?
These are AMAZING. I left them for 8 hours then I put the frosting and left them again overnight. The result was the best brownies I’ve ever eaten. I’m a big dark chocolate fan but not everyone is so I put a little more maple syrup. I cannot believe they’re healthy, they’re SO GOOD.
Oh my goodness Riddhi, thank you SO much!! That’s the best compliment ever — I’m so honored that you’d call these the best brownies you’ve ever eaten! Wow!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me! I’m really glad you loved them!
Oh my God, these turned out horribly. I measured everything straight from containers. When I went to the measure this links, could not find anything different so not sure what happened.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lin! I’d love to work together to figure out what happened. When you say you measured everything straight from the containers, do you mean that you scooped the flour and cocoa powder directly from the container with your measuring cups? (I just want to make sure I fully understand how you measured before giving you any advice on how to make sure these turn out really rich and fudgy!) Also, can you describe why they turned out horribly? Taste, texture, something else? We’ll get those issues sorted out so your next batch turns out much better — I promise! 🙂
Amy, yes directly from the store bought containers. the taste was the awful part (sorry), texture I think would have been good.
Thanks for the information, Lin! That’s exactly the problem — flour and cocoa powder aren’t meant to be measured like that! I explain exactly how to measure them on my Baking Basics page, which you can access by clicking on the pink “measured correctly” text right next to the ingredients in the ingredients list. Scroll down on that page until you see “The Measurements” in orange-colored font. (That’s the section you need!) Too much of those ingredients will make your brownies turn out cakier or dry (instead of moist and fudgy), and too much cocoa powder will make them taste bitter.
When measured by scooping directly from the containers like that, you end up with 1.5 times as much flour and cocoa powder as when you lightly spoon and level. If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with rich and fudgy brownies. Does that make sense? 🙂
Thank you!!
My pleasure, Lin! I can’t wait to hear how your next batch turns out if you try making these brownies again! 🙂
I though they were terrible too. I followed the recipe exactly how its written. They were bland with a sour after taste.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Maia! I’d love to work with you to fix those issues. These brownies should taste rich and decadent — not bland or sour! What brand of cocoa powder did you use in the brownies and frosting? Did you use regular unsweetened cocoa powder in the brownie batter and special dark (“Dutched”) in the frosting? How did you measure the ingredients, with a kitchen scale or measuring cups? How old was your flour and cocoa powder? We’ll get this sorted out so your brownies turn out perfectly if you decide to try this recipe again! 🙂
I made these brownies a couple of weeks ago, and tonight I was craving them again. I’m so glad I was able to find this recipe for the second time! Making these was the first time I actually measured my ingredients by weight. They came out SO good! They were especially delicious the next day. I didn’t even make the frosting, partially because I didn’t have actual chocolate on hand, and partially because they were fudgy and delicious as they were.
I’m so glad you loved these brownies Hannah! That truly means a lot to me that you’ve already made them twice. That’s the best kind of compliment — so thank you! 😉 I’m really excited for you too about measuring ingredients by weight for the first time! It makes a big difference in how well baked goods turn out… And I love how it means fewer measuring cups to wash too! 🙂
Just made these and thought that they were really good! It is super hard to make a brownie that is healthy, doesn’t have refined ingredients and tastes good! I like the icing but it is not sweet, and tastes very much like plain Greek yogurt. Maybe for those who want something sweeter they could make it with vanilla Greek yogurt instead.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies Rach! That means a lot to me. I love your idea about using vanilla Greek yogurt — so smart! 🙂
¾ c (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
¾ c (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
Hi…3/4 cup equals 3/4 cup, but 90 grams does not equal 60 grams. Which one is correct? 60 grams is equivalent to 1/2 cup; 90 grams is equivalent to 3/4 cup…these measurements make a big difference in this recipe.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Melissa! The volumes and grams for both ingredients are actually correct. Weight is based off of density, rather than volume. If you measured out 1 cup of cotton balls versus 1 cup of sand, they’d take up the same amount of space (volume)… But the cup cotton balls would definitely weigh less than the cup of sand! Or if you measured out 1 pound of cotton balls versus 1 pound of sand, you’d end up with a small handful of sand… And a pillowcase or two full of cotton balls! Same weight, different volume. Does that make sense? 🙂
The same thing applies to different ingredients. 1 cup of flour weighs 120g, whereas 1 cup of cocoa powder weighs 80g. (Check the nutrition label on the sides of your packages — they should show the grams per serving, which is usually grams per ¼ cup for flour and grams per tablespoon for cocoa powder!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies if you try them!
Thanks so much for the explanation…I understand now. The brownies turned out well…my kids loved them. I did add more maple syrup as the batter tasted a bit bitter.
Overall, pleased with the recipe…thanks so much!
That means a lot to me, Melissa! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me! 🙂
It’s my pleasure, Melissa! I’m so glad you kids enjoyed these brownies!
Hi Amy!
I’m planning to try this recipe over the next weekend.
Btw, I made the orange & peppermint truffles last weekend and they were great!
So, regarding this recipe, I’m planning to use a larger pan. The area of the pan you used is 400 sqare cm, the area of the pan I’m planning to use is 962 sqare cm. That’s 140% more… Question is, should I increase all ingredients qty by 140%? For example, instead of 60g cocoa powder I put 144g?
Will baking time be affected by the ingreadient increase? In my opinion, no, but it doesn’t hurt to ask :).
Hmm, on a second thought, baking time might have to be increased also… Thoughts?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Daniel! I’m so glad you enjoyed the truffles. 🙂 Are you using a rectangular or circular pan?
Made these Brownies today without frosting and with normal yogurt instead of greek and it came out great! I added walnuts and chopped sugar free chocolate (as I can’t have any sugar) and it just made them amazing! Glad to find this recipe
I’m so glad you loved these brownies, Maya! That means a lot to me! 🙂
can I substiture the maple syrup with agave instead? Thank You!
Yes! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies, Candice! 🙂