By Bianca Tamburello, Dietetics Student, Sargent College

Real butter, sugar, and even chocolate, oh my! “How can fudgy brownies be a Sargent Choice recipe?” This was the most frequently asked question at Karen Jacob’s SC Test Kitchen.

Fudgy brownies and other sweet recipes that call for ingredients such as butter, sugar, and chocolate, remind me of my great passion for food and love for all things Sargent Choice. Personally, I do not believe in banning fats and sugars from your diet and am so glad that the dietitians at SC agree.

Depriving yourself from moments of decadence often leads to overindulgence and overcompensation. Instead, make healthy choices on a daily basis and guiltlessly enjoy your favorite desserts on occasion. Let’s be honest, what fun is life without fudgy brownies?

SC does not want you to miss out on flavor or feel the need to exclude food groups from your diet. Instead of substituting sugar, butter, and chocolate, SC has made some other substitutions to create a sin-lessly delicious recipe. Substituting refined flour for whole grains and oil for low-fat sour cream not only makes these brownies healthier but also makes them fudgier than ever.

First, we preheated the oven to 350 degrees. These oil free brownies tend to stick to the bottom of the baking pan, so we lined the whole pan, including the sides, with aluminum foil. We also sprayed it with vegetable oil to make getting the brownies out easier.

Next, we whisked the dry ingredients of flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and set up our double broiler to start melting the chocolate. If you don’t own an actual double broiler it is quite simple to improvise with cookware in your kitchen.  We boiled a pot of water and placed a pan on top that was just big enough to sit on top of the pot without falling through. The double broiler allows you to easily regulate the temperature of the chocolate to avoid burning and to produce a smooth and consistent buttery chocolate mixture. Although it may seem more convenient and faster, try to avoid melting chocolate in the microwave because it will cause the chocolate to harden too quickly and wont have as smooth of a consistency.

After letting the chocolate and butter mixture cool for about 2 minutes, we added the sour cream, chocolate syrup, vanilla, egg, egg white, and sugar.

Finally, we combined the wet and dry ingredients. I must warn you this recipe should have a warning label that reads “CAUTION: EXTREME FUDGINESS.” The batter became so fudgy and hard to mix that we had to take turns folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Don’t be discouraged, these squares of chocolate heaven are worth the arm workout!

The batter was thick and difficult to pour into the pans, so we spooned the batter into each pan and evenly spread the batter. After a little over 20 minutes of baking, we let the brownies cool for a few minutes to lock in moisture. Serving size is also an important aspect of SC recipes, so we cut the brownies as uniform as possible into 2-inch squares.

Have you ever ordered a brownie at a bakery and wondered how the baker could possibly create such a fudgy brownie? Well, this is one of those recipes. Finally, the secret is out: substitute refined flour for whole-wheat flour, leave out the oil, and keep the butter, chocolate, and sugar.

As usual, Sargent Choice has perfected another dessert recipe by not only making it healthier, but also making it taste incredible. A glass of milk is absolutely necessary to accompany my new fudgy friends.

Many test kitchen attendees happily took home the brownies to share with their roommates and floor mates, but I soon found out that the fudgy squares did not survive the trip back to the dorms.

Fudgy Brownies (16 servings)

Ingredients

¾ cup whole-wheat flour

1/3cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 oz. baking chocolate, unsweetened, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg plus 1 large egg white

1-cup sugar

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Fold two 12-inch pieces foil lengthwise so each measures 7 inches wide.  Fit 1 sheet into 8-inch square baking dish, pushing foil into corners and up sides of pan (overhang will help in removal of brownies).  Repeat with second sheet, placing in pan perpendicular to first sheet.  Spray foil with cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.  Melt baking chocolate and butter in large bowl, and stir until smooth.  Cool 2 to 3 minutes, then whisk in sour cream, chocolate syrup, vanilla, egg, egg white, and sugar.  Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until combined.

3. Pour batter into pan, spread into corners, and level surface with spatula.  Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool brownies completely in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan using foil handles.  Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. To keep brownies moist, do not cut until ready to serve.

Nutrition Notes

Serving=1 square

* Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen