Last week, I rang my neighbor’s doorbell while holding a plate of baked goodies. As soon as the door opened, I spotted the little girl and her mom, and the daughter immediately asked, “Do you have chocolate?”
I laughed and showed her the sweets. Because I found out she’s as big of a chocoholic as I am, I bring over treats that contain chocolate nearly every week—whether that means chocolate chips or cocoa powder or a combination of both—and she now asks me the exact same question every time she sees me… Even if I’m just out in the street looking in my mailbox!
The girl’s face lit up, and she snatched a treat off the top of the plate, sinking her teeth into it for a bite. As she slowly chewed, her mom asked whether she liked it… And she gave a shy smile as she nodded.
The very next moment, she handed me one of the sweets! I chuckled and replied, “No, that’s okay… I want you to have them all!” She looked puzzled for a few seconds, but then she dashed to their front yard and picked up their engraved “Welcome” rock to hand to me.
Again, I politely refused. “I think that’ll be safer here at your house!” She furrowed her brow, yet her face lit up once more as she ran to the big potted succulents on their front porch. She plucked a few leaves and handed them to me.
“She’s really into sharing,” her mom explained. “Since you shared chocolate with her, she wants to share something with you!”
My heart melted as I accepted the little green leaves. “Thank you so much!” I told her, and she looked extremely pleased as she took a bite of her second treat.
I waved good-bye a few minutes later, and before I had even sat down at my desk inside of my own house, her mom texted me. “I just had one of your brownies. They are so deeeeelicious! Thank you!”
Their sweet responses were the best kind of sharing!
As for the treats I brought over? They were these Healthy Fudgy Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Brownies! They’re supremely rich and decadent, and they practically taste like big squares of fudge. Yet they’re really easy to make and contain no butter, refined flour or sugar—and just 76 calories!
That definitely makes all three of our chocoholic hearts really happy!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy fudgy chocolate chip olive oil brownies!
You’ll start with equal amounts of white whole wheat flour (this kind!) and cocoa powder (this kind!). I’ve discovered that using just as much cocoa powder as flour makes brownies taste incredibly rich and decadent—without using any melted chocolate! (And no melted chocolate = fewer dishes to wash = hooray!)
Because you’re adding so much cocoa powder to the brownie batter, you just need regular unsweetened cocoa powder. No need for Dutched or special dark cocoa powder! I’ve actually found that both of those have a duller, more muted flavor compared to regular unsweetened cocoa powder. And we definitely want the most chocolaty flavor possible in these healthy fudgy chocolate chip olive oil brownies!
I know it sounds a little confusing, but white whole wheat flour actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour! White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same healthy benefits, but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture—and that gives these healthy chocolate chip olive oil brownies the best fudgy texture!
Remember, it’s extremely important to measure the cocoa powder and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your brownies, and too much cocoa powder will make them taste bitter instead of rich and decadent. I promise these healthy fudgy olive oil brownies are worth the few extra seconds of measuring correctly!
As you may have already guessed, these brownies contain no butter… You’ll add olive oil instead! I rarely bake with olive oil, which means I tend to forget just how incredible baked goods turn out when made with olive oil. It creates such a lovely moist and fudgy texture in these healthy olive oil brownies!
But we’re just using a small amount. That ensures your healthy brownies stay low fat and low calorie! Then the rest of their extra fudgy texture comes from one of my favorite baking ingredients. Do you know what it is? If you’ve been to my blog before, you probably do…
It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your healthy fudgy chocolate chip olive oil brownies a protein boost, too!
Extra fudgy + really chocolaty + low calorie + low fat + protein boost = my kind of brownies!
Two more important ingredients! You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your brownies with coconut sugar (this kind!) instead. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts. However, it does not actually taste like coconuts! It has a lovely caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, which makes these healthy olive oil brownies taste even richer.
And finally, you’ll need some mini chocolate chips! These are my current favorite. They taste really rich and turn melty in the oven… And if you remember to save some to press into the tops of your brownies, those pockets of gooey chocolate look oh so tempting!
Who am I kidding… The entire pan of brownies looks tempting, not just the chocolate chips! ? 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 fudgy chocolate chip olive oil brownies!
| Healthy Fudgy Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Brownies | | Print |
- 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
- 1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 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 flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Gently fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the top. 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.
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 and flour 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.
Unsalted butter (14g, melted!), coconut oil (14g, melted!), or any other oil may be substituted for the olive oil.
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 4 tablespoons of the milk. (You still need to add those 2 final tablespoons of milk!)
For the fudgiest texture, you must wait 6+ hours before slicing and serving! If you cut into them while warm, they’ll taste cakey instead of fudgy. The brownies turn fudgier the longer they rest on the counter. I promise it’s worth the wait!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies
♡ Healthy Flourless Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites
♡ Healthy Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy brownie recipes!
Lucky neighbors! And yay for chocolate treats 🙂
Thanks so much Liz!! 🙂
Amy, this is just the sweetest little story! Adorable! Golly, I sure wish I was your neighbor … and not just because I’d love to share chocolate treats with you LOL! 😀 And for real, these brownies look amazing! Just today, I was thinking I needed to make my fall-back recipe again soon (like … really soon … hello chocolate cravings!), but I think I really might have to give yours a try this time instead. I mean, how can I not be totally sucked in by your gorgeous photos?!?! I just want to nibble on my computer screen! Ohhhhh that fudgy wonderfulness ….
Awwww Shelley, your sweet comment totally melted my heart!!! You’re the best!! ♡ I totally wish you were my neighbor too! I’d gladly share any and all chocolate treats with you, especially if I got to come over for dinner every once in a while! 😉 Hope you and your family are doing well!!
Hello Amy,
Instead of using non fat Greek yoghurt can I replace it with non fat plain yoghurt?
Thank you and I love your recipes!
Yes, plain yogurt will be just fine in these brownies! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Ceicei! 🙂
Hi Amy! I tried this recipe last weekend and am thinking of trying this weekend too because it was really good and easy to make. ? As you wrote、it was nice almost a fudge kind that I also like:) Thanks Amy!
I’m so glad you loved these brownies Yoko! That means the world to me that you’d want to bake them again so soon — that’s the best kind of compliment! So thank you!! 🙂
These look great! Can they be frozen? Thanks Debbie
Yes! These brownies freeze really well once they’ve been baked and fully cooled. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Debbie! 🙂
Hello!
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes, I have a few qestions for you!
When measuring our ingredients with a spoon, how do you make it go faster? Just did it for the first time and made a bit of a mess and seemed to go slow.
Also, can you please explain “just incorporated”? At the end of stirring the wet and dry ingredients, the batter became very sticky and difficult to spread. I’m wondering if I accidentally stirred too much – you could still see some flour so I kept stirring…Any suggestions?
Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Katherine! This brownie batter should be fairly thick, sort of like really wet cookie dough, rather than thin like boxed cake mix batter. Does that make sense? Are you using regular measuring cups to measure ingredients, or are you using a kitchen scale? “Just incorporated” means to keep stirring just until all of the cocoa powder and flour has been incorporated. If you’re still seeing some flour, then keep gently stirring until it “disappears.” 🙂 Were you using an electric mixer or stand mixer, by any chance?
I was just using regular measuring cups and just a spoon to stir in the ingredients. It came out pretty thick and although I love dark chocolate – a little bitter. I know it’s probably on my end…so maybe I just added to much powder or something?
Thank you!
Thanks for the information Katherine! Hearing that the batter was so thick and tasted a little bitter, it does make me think that there was too much cocoa powder and flour in the brownies. The bitterness is a big tip-off! 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 and cocoa powder to the batter, so you’ll end up with rich and fudgy (not bitter!) brownies.
Also, I recommend using a fork instead of a spoon! The separated tines of the fork allow the ingredients to incorporate better and that helps prevent over-mixing. Does all of this make sense? 🙂