Although I typically work best in my home office with complete peace and quiet, I decided to try a change of scenery one afternoon a few weeks ago. I drove to Peet’s, a coffee shop chain smaller than Starbucks that first started in a city about half an hour from my hometown, with my laptop and charger in my purse.
Upon opening the glass door, the cozy dark wooden interior greeted me, perfect for holing up in a comfy booth-style seat to type blog posts and emails for an afternoon. I joined the short line of patrons staring at the menu boards and waiting their turn to place an order with the barista at the register.
As I slowly moved up towards the front of the store, I watched as the other customers walked towards the pick-up counter after handing over their credit cards to grab their handcrafted lattes and frappuccinos, and many of them held a small paper bag with a pastry or two inside. The display case offered fresh chocolate chunk cookies, blueberry muffins, lemon scones, almond croissants, black-bottomed cupcakes, and…
Brownies. Thick, fudgy, decadent, oversized, oh-so-perfect-looking brownies. The large stack of at least a half dozen squares practically screamed my name from where it innocently sat behind the glass display, and as a huge chocoholic, it took all of my self-control to simply order an iced decaf coffee and nothing else!
When I arrived home that evening, I still couldn’t shake those decadent treats from my mind, so… I baked these Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Coffee Drizzle to satisfy my cravings! They’re just as rich and decadent as any coffee shop’s, but they’re perfectly portioned and contain no butter, refined flour or sugar.
And with just 76 calories, I definitely wouldn’t feel guilty sneaking a second one!
You’ll start by measuring out equal amounts of white whole wheat flour and cocoa powder. This is my special trick to decadent-tasting yet low-calorie brownies: using the same amounts of both of those dry ingredients! When you add that much cocoa powder to the batter, it creates the same rich flavor as melted chocolate but for far fewer calories. Sneaky, healthy, and delicious… That’s my kind of combo!
Because you’re adding a full ¾ cup of cocoa powder, I highly recommend using regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder. No need for Dutched or special dark… The brownies already taste really rich and dark chocolaty without either of those! And make sure you measure the cocoa powder correctly, using either this method or a kitchen scale, because too much cocoa powder will dry out your brownies and make them taste bitter, rather than decadent. (I highly recommend the latter! I bought this kitchen scale for $20, and I use it every single day!)
For those of you unfamiliar with it, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour (aka perfect for letting these brownies’ extra fudgy texture and rich flavor shine!), but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour is a great substitute, and I’ve included my recommended gluten-free flour option in the Notes section as well.
With only 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or butter, rather than a full cup of oil or butter like in traditional recipes (yikes!!), the rest of these brownies’ fudginess comes from one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking. Do you know what it is? I’m sure you do, especially if you’ve been around my blog for a while… It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra oil or butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked treats a protein boost, too.
You’ll mix instant coffee crystals into the Greek yogurt for that irresistible mocha flavor. This is the kind that I buy. They’re really inexpensive, and they’re also shelf-stable and keep for ages. I don’t recommend using regular coffee grounds or brewed coffee.
Instead of granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten these brownies with pure maple syrup. It isn’t just for pancakes and waffles! Remember to buy the good stuff; the only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” It generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, and I’ve also bought it online here for a discounted price.
I have another special trick to baking extra fudgy brownies… Pull the pan out of the oven when the sides look done but the center still looks glossy and not quite set. The heat from the pan will continue to cook the center as they cool, without turning the edges cakey or overdone. Look for the brownie edges to start pulling away from the sides of the pan within the first 10 minutes of removing the pan from the oven—that means you baked them for the perfect amount of time!
The drizzle is super simple to make, You’ll combine a little coffee with confectioners’ style stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. This is the confectioners’ style stevia that I buy. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. It’s a great replacement for regular powdered sugar!
And there they are… The brownies that any coffee-loving chocoholic would fall head over heels for! ? Trust me—I’d know! ?
And 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 brownies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Coffee Drizzle | | Print |
- for the brownies
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp instant coffee crystals
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour 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) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- for the drizzle
- 5 tsp confectioner’s style stevia
- 1 tsp brewed coffee (or slightly more, for a thinner consistency)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the brownies, stir together the Greek yogurt and instant coffee in a small bowl until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the Greek yogurt mixture into the egg mixture until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated and smearing out any clumps of cocoa powder along the side of the bowl.
- 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 3 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
- To prepare, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the stevia and coffee in a small bowl, and drizzle on top of individual brownies just before serving.
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. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
Agave or honey may be substituted for the maple syrup. Alternatively, ½ cup (106g) of lightly packed light brown sugar plus ¼ cup (60mL) of milk may be substituted instead, but the brownies would no longer be clean eating friendly.
For a plain glaze, any type of milk may be substituted for the brewed coffee.
Regular powdered sugar may be substituted for the confectioner’s style stevia in the drizzle, along the brownies would no longer be clean eating friendly. If using regular powdered sugar, start with ½ teaspoon of brewed coffee, and add more as necessary for a thinner consistency.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Fudgy Peppermint Mocha Brownies
♥ Fudgy Raspberry Mocha Brownies
♥ Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Truffles
♥ Mocha Brownie Protein Bars
♥ Skinny Peppermint Mocha
♥ Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies
♥ Skinny Mocha Muddy Buddies
♥ Peppermint Mocha Cookies
I love doing my work in a coffee shop, there’s something about the smell and atmosphere that makes me focus. I HAVE to, because I’ll get distracted by other things like baking these brownies if I’m home. 😉 But these are happening very soon!!!
I love the coffee shop smells!! But I get easily distracted by people-watching… 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the brownies Marina!
Hello Amy this brownies looks so yummy but I have a question can I use almond flour or oat flour in this recipe thank you .
Yes, either flour will work! The brownies may be slightly denser, but since they’re already very fudgy, I doubt it’ll make too big of a difference. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Ana!
I know what you mean about having to resist the temptation to buy a sweet treat! I often make a mental note and make a healthy version when I get home, too! And I’m so glad you made a healthy version of those brownies you saw in the coffee shop, Amy! They look super delicious, and I haven’t made brownies in a while… I guess there’s only one thing for it: making these brownies!!? As with both of us, we just can’t resist our chocolate treats, haha!!?
Exactly!! Half the fun of going to coffee shops or bakeries is to get recipe inspiration. 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies if you do end up baking them Katie!
These are stunning! Love the pictures! They are making me drool!
Thank you so much Zerrin! 🙂
Amy, the photo of that bowl of brownie batter is perfection! *insert thumbs up emoji here* I would have been right with you, salivating over the pastries in the case!! But I would be happy to wait for some of these instead! You’re making me want chocolate already… and it’s not even 10 am yet!
Wait… Chocolate isn’t a breakfast food?? 😉 Thanks Andrea!
If substituting white all-purpose flour, should the amount be increased (heard a rumor that whole wheat is denser). Thanks in advanced, keep up your awesome blog :D.
No, not for this recipe! (And typically not for my other recipes as well.) I’m excited to hear what you think of the brownies!
Hello Amy, these brownies look so delicious. However, can i substitute cocoa powder with melted dark chocolate?
Thanks Joanne! I don’t recommend that substitution because it will change the texture of the brownies, as well as how they bake in the oven. You’re welcome to add chopped dark chocolate to the batter though — that would taste amazing! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the brownies!
The 3 quarters cup of flour, 90grams is different than the cocoa powder, 60 grams, 3 quarters cup. Which measurement is correct?Ann
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Anna! 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!