Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies {Video Included!}

 
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… And really quick to make. You need 20 minutes (or less!) to get the batter in the oven!

In other words… My chocoholic heart’s dream come true!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST ONE-BOWL BROWNIES

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 adding 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 healthy one-bowl fudgy brownies!

Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 16 brownies

These brownies are a chocoholic’s dream come true! They’re supremely rich and fudgy, with a deep dark chocolate flavor (similar to 72% dark chocolate). They’ll keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5 from 10 votes

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Ingredients 

• 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 (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

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F, and 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. Pour in the flour and cocoa powder, and sprinkle the baking powder evenly over the top (to prevent it from clumping!). Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder 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.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very 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.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Follow the instructions precisely for the best results! The order of addition and order of mixing together ingredients is very important.

 

Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer! Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone! The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the brownies pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!

 

If you’re too impatient to wait for 6 hours once your brownies are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours after they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process. (If you cut into them sooner, they'll be more cakey than fugdy.)

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: 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 because it can be more absorbent than wheat-based flour.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: If your cocoa powder is very bumpy and/or clumpy, then sift it into the mixing bowl.

 

I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownies.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar, but the brownies will no longer be clean eating friendly.

 

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!)

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: 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 (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least five days, if not longer. They freeze and thaw well too!

 

{gluten free, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡   One-Bowl Flourless Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies
♡   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 healthy brownie recipes!