During our Michigan food blogger retreat, Liz organized us into small groups to prepare breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Each group took on two meals during the trip, and we cooked recipes from our own blogs to share with everyone else.
Tasked with dinner on the second evening, I partnered with Trevor to bake his wife Jennifer’s one-bowl brownies while the rest of our team whipped up the entrée and sides. As a chocoholic, I loved that “assignment!”
We made a few minor tweaks since the pantry lacked a few ingredients—melted butter instead of vegetable oil, chopped Ghirardelli chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips—and we baked the brownies in the only rectangular pan in the kitchen, which ended up being smaller and deeper than a traditional 9×13” cake pan…
But that resulted in extra fudgy and decadent brownies—always a plus in my book! When Trevor and I set out the pan after dinner, everyone excitedly dug in, and even Jennifer was amazed at how rich and irresistible they turned out!
With the idea of a healthier version of those brownies rolling around in my head since that trip, I finally perfected my recipe. These Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies are just as incredible (and easy!) as the ones Trevor and I made! Supremely fudgy, extremely rich, extra chocolaty… But just 68 calories!
In other words… My chocoholic heart’s dream come true!
You just need a few key pantry ingredients to make these brownies, including white whole wheat flour (like this!) and coconut sugar (like this!). Those are unrefined ingredients, which make these brownies much healthier than traditional or boxed mix recipes. They’re two staples in my pantry, and I highly recommend you add them to your shelves as well!
For the decadent chocolate flavor, you’ll use cocoa powder (like this!). Yup, that’s it! No chocolate to melt (or extra dishes to wash!) in this easy recipe. Can you tell I’m doing a little happy dance about fewer dishes? 🙊 And for the supremely fudgy factor, you’ll mix in Greek yogurt instead of extra butter or oil. It adds the same moisture to your batter, and it gives your brownies a protein boost, too!
One last very important tip… It’s crucial that you follow the instructions precisely, especially with the ingredients’ order of addition. This recipe won’t turn out right if you just dump everything into the mixing bowl and stir. As much as I wish it were otherwise…
So add the ingredients in the order instructed (just like in my recipe video below!), stir with a fork (no mixer required, aka yet another thing you don’t have to wash!), wait for at least 6 hours for the fudgiest brownie texture, and…
Enjoy your supremely fudgy and chocolaty dessert! 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!
| Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies | Print |
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 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 butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Add in the cocoa powder and baking powder, stirring just until incorporated. Stir in the flour until just 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 6 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
For the gluten-free flour, use 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 work as well, if measured like this.
Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!
I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without it! Make sure you measure the cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your brownies and make them taste bitter.
If your cocoa powder is very bumpy and/or clumpy, then sift it into the mixing bowl.
Brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar, but the brownies will no longer be clean eating friendly.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
If you’d prefer, ½ cup (120mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the coconut sugar and ¼ cup of the milk. (You still need to add that 1 final tablespoon of milk!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Small Batch Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
♡ Practically Flourless Extra Fudgy Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Orange Brownies
♡ Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Coffee Drizzle
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s brownie recipes!
These look super indulgent and delicious, Amy! I LOVE 70% or higher dark chocolate! As chocoholics, we both really appreciate fudgy chocolatiness as good as this- I’m sure I’d be able to eat the whole batter from the bowl with a spoon!! x
You’re so sweet Katie — thank you!! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these brownies!
Holy. Delicious. These look absolutely irresistible! Love me a good gooey brownie!
Thanks Karly — you’re so sweet!! 🙂
Hello amy..i would like to ask that in this brownies the milk is 75 ml.In the cookies n cream brownies is 105ml and everything else its the same.Its there any difference?Btw i i am a huge fan of your work and keep up the great work!!
I’m honored that you’re enjoying my recipes Christos! This recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of milk, while the cookies ‘n cream brownies call for 7 tablespoons. They also have different types of flour and sugar. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies — or the cookies ‘n cream ones!
Thank you amy i will let you know for sure!!!
My pleasure Christos! 🙂
hi, how many brownies does it make to have 68 calories each? thanks
The full nutrition information is included underneath the recipe! It includes that info. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies Amy!
Hi Amy,
I just made a batch of these brownies, but on the half way of mixing I saw I have like a tablespoon of coconut sugar only, so i scrolled down to notes to make sure I got it right. You wrote this: If you’d prefer, ½ cup (120mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the coconut sugar and ¼ cup of the milk. (You still need to add that 1 final tablespoon of milk!)
I put 1/2 cup honey and 1 tablespoon of milk, is that correct? I am asking because when I proceeded to mixing the rest of ingredients I have noticed that my dough is pretty hard and sticky. I was wondering if I needed 1/4cup of milk after all. They are in the oven now, so I will what happens. But please confirm for the honey and milk.
Thank you!
Yes, that’s correct Lana! 🙂 How did you measure the cocoa powder? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, did you use the measuring cups to scoop the cocoa powder directly from its container? If you compare the texture of your brownie batter to the texture of my brownie batter in the video above the recipe, is it the same? Or was yours thicker?