Healthy Sugar-Free Fudgy Brownies
These simple brownies are perfect for any chocoholic! They taste like a cross between brownies and fudge, with a flavor similar to 75% dark chocolate. They’ll keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and the freeze really well too!
Ingredients
- 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 (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste – and see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
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 flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla, and liquid stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 13-16 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 6 hours after they've reached room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) 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 FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These brownies taste similar to 75% dark chocolate. For slightly sweeter brownies, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ teaspoon. For sweeter brownies, add 2-4 tablespoons of granulated sucralose along with the liquid stevia.
IMPORTANT PAN SIZE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Pan dimensions are measured along their top rims, not their bottom sides. Some square baking dishes have sloped sides, so they’re 9” across the top and closer to 8” across the bottom. If that’s true for your baking dish, it’s actually a 9”-square pan and too big for this recipe. Because it has a larger surface area (81 in2), your brownies would turn out really thin and be prone to overbaking. If you don't have an 8"-square pan, substitute a 9"-round pan (they have very similar surface areas of 64 in2 and 63.6 in2, respectively).
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 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 tends to 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.
EGG WHITES ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. (It's one of my favorite ingredients!)
If you’d rather not use liquid stevia, use this recipe (made with coconut sugar) or this recipe (made with pure maple syrup [or honey or agave]) of mine instead. Both have the same fudgy texture, rich chocolate flavor, and yield the same number of brownies!
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. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option, or substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). Substitute dairy-free yogurt (ie soy- or almond-based) in place of the Greek yogurt. Substitute dairy-free milk in place of the nonfat milk.
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, low calorie, sugar-free, dairy-free option}
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.