Clean Eating Brownies Recipe (2024)

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Ever wonder if healthy brownies were possible? They are! Here’s how.

Brownies are an amazing dessert. I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person who doesn’t like brownies. But what does differ from person to person, is the type of brownie they like.

Brownies come in so many different variations, and each person has a favorite. There are caky, gooey, chewy, peanut butter, mint, chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, cream cheese, black bean, walnut, and pecan brownies, just to name a few. But no matter how you like your brownies, it’s always a happy treat when you get one, no matter what type or flavor it is.

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How To Make Healthy Brownies

It’s not as hard as you might think. It really all comes down to the ingredients you use. These use all-natural ingredients including whole wheat pastry flour and Sucanat, which you can also substitute with coconut sugar.

These aren’t something to eat for breakfast every morning, but I’ll take these over the processed, sugar-filled brownies at the store, any day! Your choice of chocolate chips will be important here. I use Lily’s chocolate chips because they are stevia sweetened so it cuts down on the sugar. But if sugar isn’t your concern here, then the Enjoy Life brand is a great option and is allergy friendly too.

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How To Make Fudgy, Gooey Brownies

What makes brownies so fudgy, soft, and gooey? Fat. There is no way around it. The more fat and chocolate (from the fat in the chocolate) you use, the gooier your brownies will be. That being said, I didn’t want to make these brownies so high in fat that they would totally dive bomb your entire day’s caloric intake, so I backed off of the fat content slightly. These are on the gooey side with just a hint of cakey-ness to them. A nice middle ground, so to speak. However, if you want them gooier, you can add an extra ½ cup of butter and an additional 1 cup of chocolate chips. Other additions such as walnuts can be added as well. ½ to 1 cup of nuts should be plenty if they are chopped.

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How To Make Cakey Brownies

If you want your healthy brownies to be more cake-like, then you’ll want to reduce the fat a bit and add more flour. For these, you can cut back to 1/4 cup butter and use an additional 1/4 cup of cocoa powder PLUS a ½ cup more of flour PLUS a ½ cup of milk. Use only 1 cup of chocolate chips. Other additions such as nuts can be added at a ½ to 1 cup, as long as they are chopped.

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Healthy Brownie Recipe With Cocoa Powder

Don’t skip the cocoa powder in this recipe, no matter how you make your brownies. While you can certainly melt chocolate chips into the butter to create a solid chocolate flavor, I find that the cocoa powder allows the chocolate chips to just be themselves. Nice little nuggets of chocolate in the middle of a brownie.

How To Line A Brownie Pan

Lining your brownie pan, while not completely necessary, makes life so very much easier when it comes time to remove the brownies from your pan. I highly recommend a square cake pan. It makes cutting the brownies into even pieces easier, as well as making it much simpler to fully line your pan. You’ll want to spray your pan, but under the parchment, and over the parchment, with an oil sprayer of some sort. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1

Frit oil your pan, then cut two strips of parchment paper to the width of the base of your pan. Don’t worry about the length. Place one piece of the parchment down into the pan, pressing into the corners to score your paper so it stays in place.

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Step 2

Place the second piece of cut parchment going in the other direction, and press down in the corners to score your paper so it stays in place.

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Fold the overhang edges over and score them with your fingers so they stay down and out of the way when you pour the batter in. You do not have to score them at the edge of your pan. In fact, it’s easier to score the parchment just above the edge.

Step 3

Now spray the parchment with oil just like you did the pan.

Step 4

Now go ahead and add the batter to the pan, using a spatula to help spread it out as evenly as possible.

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Step 5

Once baked, allow the brownies to cool for a bit. Once cooled down, they should easily lift out of the pan without breaking, by grasping the parchment on opposite corners. Make sure you grasp two pieces of parchment in each hand, then lift the brownies onto a cutting surface.

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About The Ingredients

Whole wheat pastry flour – If you can’t find any of this, look for white whole wheat flour, which is more widely available in mainstream grocery stores.

Sucanat– This is the brand name of an unprocessed sugar. You can use other unprocessed sweeteners too such as monk fruit or coconut sugar.

Unsweetened cocoa powder – You can also use cacao powder if you prefer. It’s the cleanest option.

Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever you normally bake with.

Butter– You can use dairy-free butter if you need it. Either way, melt it.

Largeeggs – These work best at room temperature.

Chocolate chips– I use Lily’s or Enjoy Life brands. 365 also has a great sugar-free chocolate chip at Whole Foods.

How To Make Healthy Brownies

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line your pan as instructed above.

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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

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To the dry ingredients, add the melted butter and eggs, and stir well to combine. This batter should be slightly on the thicker side. Lastly, stir in your chocolate chips.

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Scoop the batter into the parchment-lined pan and smooth with a spatula to spread it as evenly as possible.

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Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.

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Lift the brownies out of the pan onto a flat cutting surface and cut three times in each direction. If the brownies begin to crumble too much, then they need to cool down a bit more before you continue cutting.

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Serve with a glass of milk!

How To Store Healthy Brownies

These are best kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. But they should be brought to room temperature or warmed for serving. If packed well, these will freeze well for up to 4 months.

Recipe Supplies

If you need a brownie pan, there are some pretty creative ones on Amazon these days. Here are a few I found. (Affiliate links)

More Healthy Brownies

  • Flourless Brownies
  • Freedom Brownies (allergy friendly)
  • Slow Cooker Brownies

Healthy Brownies Recipe Card

Clean Eating Brownies Recipe (22)

Healthy Brownies

A delicious, no-grain, homemade brownie everyone will love!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate Add to Collection

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 brownies

Calories: 215kcal

Ingredients

Brownie Ingredients:

  • ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup Sucanat (or coconut sugar)
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¾ cup butter (melted)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I use Lily's or Enjoy Life brands)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line your pan as instructed above.

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  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

    Clean Eating Brownies Recipe (24)

  • To the dry ingredients, add the melted butter and eggs, and stir well to combine. This batter should be slightly on the thicker side. Lastly, stir in your chocolate chips.

    Clean Eating Brownies Recipe (25)

  • Scoop the batter into the parchment lined pan and smooth with a spatula to spread it as evenly as possible.

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  • Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.

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  • Lift the brownies out of the pan onto a flat cutting surface and cut three times each direction. If the brownies begin to crumble too much, then they need to cool down a bit more before you continue cutting.

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  • Serve with a glass of milk!

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Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

This post from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 10/26/10. Recipe has been changed to update and improve.

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Clean Eating Brownies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does the Toothpick test work for brownies? ›

For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer. If the toothpick is totally clean, the brownies may already be over-baked.

Are brownies healthy? ›

Since brownies are not nutritionally dense, they are not usually regarded as a healthy food. However, brownies do have some health benefits that might be surprising due to their chocolate content. Chocolate is a source of antioxidants and has been found to help lower blood pressure and increase good cholesterol levels.

What is the consistency of brownies? ›

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

How to pimp Betty Crocker brownie mix? ›

Six Sneaky Ways To Make Brownie Mix Taste Homemade
  1. Use melted butter instead of oil.
  2. Use milk, flavored creamers, or brewed coffee instead of water.
  3. Add extracts or flavorings.
  4. Add mix-ins like cookies and candies.
  5. Underbake, just slightly.
  6. Toppings.
  7. My Favorite Mix-Ins and Toppings.
Jan 19, 2021

Does the toothpick have to come out completely clean? ›

If the recipe calls for “few moist crumbs attached,” there should be a scattering of wet crumbs on the toothpick. But if the recipe calls for the toothpick to come out “clean,” then there shouldn't be any crumbs adhering to the toothpick. It's OK if the toothpick looks a little moist or greasy.

What is the alternative to toothpick test? ›

Thin bamboo skewers. Wooden skewers you might use for grilling are a little thicker than toothpicks, but they'll work just fine for a cake test.

Are there any benefits to eating brownies? ›

Brownies are a great source of protein and fiber, which helps you feel full longer. Protein also works as an appetite suppressant, so you won't be as tempted to snack on unhealthy foods later on in the day. There are so many reasons why adding brownies to your diet is a great idea. First of all, they're delicious!

Is undercooked brownie bad for you? ›

The main problem with undercooked brownies is the egg. Raw, unpasteurized eggs can carry salmonella which will give you horrible food poisoning.

Do brownies raise your cholesterol? ›

Many desserts, such as brownies, cookies, cake and ice cream, contain saturated fat, sugar and other refined carbs. Too much of any of these in your diet can cause your cholesterol and triglycerides to increase, and both of those can raise your risk of heart disease.

What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Should brownie batter be thick or thin? ›

Brownie batter tends to be thick enough to not want to naturally fill a pan on its own. My favorite tool for spreading it is an offset spatula, but the back of a spoon works as well. Take the few extra seconds to ensure the batter is in an even layer.

What is a brownie fairy? ›

brownie, in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and barns. Rarely seen, he was often heard at night, cleaning and doing housework; he also sometimes mischievously disarranged rooms.

What does adding an extra egg to brownie mix do? ›

If you want to get a little more creative with your brownie mix hacks, add an extra egg to the batter. The extra protein will help thicken up the batter and make it fluffier, creating a more decadent, fudgy texture. You can also add the yolk by itself in addition to the 2 eggs a box brownie mix typically calls for.

Is it better to use milk or water in brownies? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

What is the best oil to make brownies with? ›

Most brownie recipes call for some kind of oil — usually vegetable oil or canola oil. This oil acts as the primary fat in brownie batter, giving it that delicious, fudgy texture we all know and love.

Does the toothpick test work? ›

A common method for testing cake doneness is to insert a toothpick in the center, and if the toothpick comes out clean (a.k.a. with no crumbs), then the cake should be done. But I've found that this method actually leads to overbaking and makes for drier cakes.

How to tell if a brownie is gooey or undercooked? ›

Moist crumbs on the toothpick means the middle of the pan is still gooey. Because the brownies will continue to cook as they cool, pulling them out now is the key to perfectly set centers. A clean toothpick means the brownies are overcooked.

How do you tell if your brownies are done? ›

When you peek in the oven, the brownies should be pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The brownie's top should have a dry-looking sheen. At the edge of the pan, the brownies should be slightly puffed, and in the middle of the pan, the brownies should be set, and not wobbly.

Is a cake tester better than a toothpick? ›

Metal testers are too slippery—they don't reveal as much of what is really going on inside the cake. While the wood encourages crumb-clinging, toothpicks are short and stout, which can become problematic. You should always use a serrated knife to check to see if your cake is done, it will tell you so much.

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