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!
If I were to switch the white whole wheat flour with all-purpose, what would the ratio be?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Andy! I’ve actually covered this already in the Notes section directly underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies!
Thanks for the recipe! Can I used unsweetened almond milk in place of the nonfat milk?
Ah I see the note about any milk can be substituted! Thanks again!
My pleasure, Julia! I’m excited to hear what you think of these brownies! 🙂
Hey Amy! I would like to making these brownies a little sweeter (taste like 50-60% dark chocolate) if I were to increase the sugar amount, how much should I increase it by and what other adjustments should I make? Thanks! ?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Kesh! To make them taste sweeter, increase the coconut sugar to ¾ cup (144g) and decrease the milk to 3 tablespoons (45mL). The baking time may vary slightly, but your brownies will be done when the center still looks glossy/underdone but the edges look firm. If the edges pull away from the side of the pan within about 10 minutes of pulling the pan out of the oven, you’ve baked them long enough! The center will continue to cook through while the brownies cool and rest. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Dear amy, I want to thank you for all the recipes on this website. I enjoy baking, but due to a bowel disorder I can eat little fat. Your style really appeals to me and I find it so inspiring!
A big thank you from the Netherlands!
I truly appreciate your kind words and interest in my recipes Nynke! That means the world to me! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe of mine you decide to try next!
Hi Amy! This recipe looks delicious! I have a potluck party to go to tomorrow and want to make a large batch of brownies. Can I double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan for the same time? Thanks! Liz
I’m so honored that you’d consider making one of my recipes for your potluck Liz! That really means a lot to me! I haven’t personally tried doubling the recipe to bake in a 9×13″ baking pan, so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. I’d love to hear what you think of these brownies if you try them!
Made these today and they were nice!! not too sweet?thanks Amy!!
btw I subbed most coconut sugar for Swerve granulated stevia,and the texture’s fine!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies June! Thanks so much for letting me know about that substitution — I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work! 🙂
Could you tell me how many brownies the recipe should be cut into to have brownies that are “one serving” for nutritional information purposes? Thank you! These look delicious.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Stacey! If you view the nutrition information (located directly underneath the recipe), it includes both the total number of brownies (the servings in the recipe) and the serving size. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these brownies!
Hello!
Can I substitute the yogurt for something else?
Thank you
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ana! Non-dairy yogurt (ie soy-, coconut- or almond-based) would be the best substitute for the Greek yogurt. Plain (non-Greek) yogurt also works just as well! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these brownies!
Not sure if something went wrong with my recipe, but these weren’t exactly up to par. During the mixing process the batter was very dry and hard to scoop out of the bowl. The end result was cakey, not very moist and a bit too bitter for my taste (although I did add canola oil instead of coconut oi, not sure if that did anythingl).
Also, I think its very important not to promote the idea that coconut sugar is not a refined sugar. It absolutely is legally considered to be a refined sugar. Just a small pointer
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Joseph! That doesn’t sound like how these brownies are supposed to turn out at all, both taste- and texture-wise, so I’d love to help figure out what happened. 🙂 How did you measure the flour and cocoa powder? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe how you used them to measure? Also, did you make any other modifications to the recipe, other than canola oil? Once I know the answers to all of those questions, I should have a better idea of what caused those issues and how to fix it for the future!