Can't Tell They're Low-fat Brownies
This was my attempt to make my mom's brownie recipe lower in fat. My family loves them!
This was my attempt to make my mom's brownie recipe lower in fat. My family loves them!
I used regular applesauce in place of the prunes and doubled the recipe for a 13 x 9 inch pan. The result was a moist, chewy and slightly cakey brownie! I absolutely loved it and will certainly make it again and again!
Read MoreI'm not sure if it's even possible to cut an 8x8 sized pan into 24 pieces! (chuckle) I didn't even notice until AFTER I made these that the calorie/fat info was for 24 servings...so if you take that into account, I don't really think these are that low fat! I put this recipe into a program that figures fat and calories etc. from ingredients and I cut them into 9 brownies and they were over 6 grams of fat per brownie! To me, the taste--while fine though "weird" according to my husband--was not worth that much fat to me. I would rather have a smaller REAL brownie than this one. It was fun making something new, though. And I used prunes because I like to make the recipe as stated at least the first time. Like I said, the taste was good, but they are not as low fat as they appeared to be at first. 24 servings! Can YOU cut that small of a pan into 24 brownies? That would be more like a bite to me than a serving.
Read MoreI'm not sure if it's even possible to cut an 8x8 sized pan into 24 pieces! (chuckle) I didn't even notice until AFTER I made these that the calorie/fat info was for 24 servings...so if you take that into account, I don't really think these are that low fat! I put this recipe into a program that figures fat and calories etc. from ingredients and I cut them into 9 brownies and they were over 6 grams of fat per brownie! To me, the taste--while fine though "weird" according to my husband--was not worth that much fat to me. I would rather have a smaller REAL brownie than this one. It was fun making something new, though. And I used prunes because I like to make the recipe as stated at least the first time. Like I said, the taste was good, but they are not as low fat as they appeared to be at first. 24 servings! Can YOU cut that small of a pan into 24 brownies? That would be more like a bite to me than a serving.
I used regular applesauce in place of the prunes and doubled the recipe for a 13 x 9 inch pan. The result was a moist, chewy and slightly cakey brownie! I absolutely loved it and will certainly make it again and again!
Scrumptious!!! A fabulous substitution that is so easy to make! I followed other reviewers and did 1 extra tbsp. cocoa, only 3/4 cup sugar, only 1 heaping tbsp. of oil, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup egg substitue, and nearly 1 tsp. salt. I threw in a small handful of mini, semi-sweet chocolate chips. Next time,I'll bake for about 23 minutes, for a fudgier bite. You can dust w/ powdered sugar when serving them for others- that is if you don't eat them all yourself!
The first time I made this recipe I used 7 TB cocoa powder, egg whites and apple sauce instead of prunes (all very good suggestions made by previous reviewers) The resulting brownies were good. The texture was a little rubbery, and you could definitely tell they were low fat. The next time I made them I thought what the heck, I may as well make them with whole wheat flour and let me tell you that fixed the texture and improved the nutrition all in one shot. I will coninue to use this great recipe (with the above mentioned suggestions) many many times.
I was very impressed with this recipe. Not quite like typical brownies made from a standard mix or from scratch, but for low-fat brownies I don't think you could do any better than these! They were fudgey, dense (in a good way), rich, and very satisfying. I baked them the full 30 minutes and found that this way the "edge" pieces have a bit of a crunch to them that some people like. Otherwise, they cooked very evenly and didn't seem at all overdone. I, too, used egg substitute (1/2 cup) in place of the eggs to cut the fat a bit more. I couldn't find baby food prunes so I used plums and apples (Gerber brand). The brownies didn't taste fruity or in any way odd for using the baby food. I don't see how a person could get 24 brownies out of this recipe, though. I used an 8x8 inch pan and cut them into 9 hearty-sized brownies, which makes the nutritional analysis about 3 grams of fat per brownie.
These are soo delicious! I don't understand the other reviews, maybe they are used to oil-soaked brownies because these are really yummy. I used canned plums which I pureed, cut the sugar and oil in half, doubled the vanilla, and still think they are incredible despite the reduced sugar and oil!
You can definitely tell they aren't the real thing! Nothing beats a fattening, fudgy, chewy brownie! With that said though, they are a great substitute. The first time I made as directed, then the 2nd time I used Splenda in place of sugar, added extra cocoa and used no sugar added applesauce in place of the oil and prunes! And how do you get 24 brownies from an 8 x8 pan? You don't, unless the serving size of the brownie is the size of a life saver. :) More like 9-12 servings depending on how cut it.
Yummy! I used an egg substitute, and increased the salt to almost 1 tsp. and the vanilla to 1 tsp. The rest of the ingredients were followed exactly. I cooked it for 30 minutes, and the brownies were very moist and comes out dense and very chocolaty. My husband, who doesn't like low-fat anything, liked them immediately without even knowing what is (and isn't!) in them. Use exactly 4 oz. of baby food prunes and you won't taste the prunes. I tried another variation, adding 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips, and they were fabulous too (but the fat content went up, of course)! You might want to add something into the mix to break up the density (marshmallows? white chocolate chips?) I'm going to making this recipe lots more times!
These were really good. I am a chocoholic with an unforgiving scale. This is a great way to satisfy chocolate cravings without the extra pounds. I ate half of the pan the night I made these. The only thing I did different was I used 4 egg whites to cut down on fat and cholesterol. My boyfriend thought they were too spongy, but other than that we loved them!
I love these brownies - use the darkest cocoa you can get and put a little extra in. chewy, fudgy, yum.
Used applesauce instead of prunes, half whole wheat flower, and half of sugar was Truvia. Used one egg and one egg white. Added a handful of walnut. We topped with sugar free chocolate pudding and they were fantastic! My husband and I both loved them.
First of all, I followed this recipe to the letter. The bottom line is, they are very good for a low fat brownie recipe. And they are low fat, even if you disregard the odd serving size calculation and cut them as you would normally for an 8x8 pan. Of course they aren't going to be as rich and fudgy as a traditional brownie. What they are though, is only slightly less dense, still chewy, and very satisfyingly chocolatey. They produce a chewy crisp crust around the edges. Incidentally, I could not detect the prunes. I added in some walnuts just for fun.
These brownies are DELISH. I never take the time to write reviews but loved these so much I thought I would make the time. Used 1/2 cup applesauce instead of prunes and substituted out the white flour for whole whear flour and used organic sugar. Love the texture and sweetness! Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe! I don't care for prunes so I used no sugar added applesauce instead and it turned out perfect. I also used splenda and egg beaters because I am on a diet and I didn't want to cheat too much & feel guilty. TERRIFIC RECIPE!! :)
Due to a strange series of events, I ended up having pureed prunes in the house. Recipe really needs to be doubled in order to even use the 8x8 pan; it makes such a small amount of batter. Follow Paradiso's review- extra TB of cocoa, only 1 TB of oil, 3/4 c of sugar. handful of choc. chips. I really want to combine the pureed prunes idea with the black bean brownies on this site. Dust with powdered sugar.
Made exactly as directed except I could only find 5 oz jars of baby food prunes, so I added the whole container. I didn't tell the fam what the secret ingredient was, just that they were low fat. Hubby knew something was different, but didn't complain when I told him about the prunes. My 6 year old couldn't stop raving about them even when she found out. In fact, she was asking me to make another batch this week. Hubby and I agreed that there is def a prune-y taste, but that seems to mellow over time. This is a great alternative to the high-fat original, but they do NOT taste exactly like the original. If you keep that in mind, you won't have a prob with these brownies. Thanks for the recipe - I will be making this often.
not a fan. the batter tasted ok but once they were baked I could totally taste the prunes. This may have been my fault as I didn't have baby food on hand so I pureed some apples with about 5 prunes... fresh food is always more flavorful than babyfood (ick). anyway, I will not be making these again. And would recommend to just use applesauce.
Okay, I didn't have prunes, so maybe that makes them better. I used applesauce as I've read it's a good substitute. Man...they were barely edible. As some said, I'd rather just have a butter-laden brownie. Maybe I'll try again with prunes.
MMM. These were so good! I really liked them a lot because they still tasted like a brownie. I did add a tablespoon more of cocoa, added pureed prunes and dates into them (made them more rich) and also poured over some cocoa powder mixed with hot water to give it a gooey texture. LOVE THEM!!
I substituted applesauce for prunes, and I added walnuts. In addition I doubled the recipe and it made a 8x8 pan. The brownies were great! They aren't exactly like regular brownies, but the are a great substitute if your looking to cut calories and fat.
Great recipe! I used 4 ounces of apple sauce vice the prunes and added 1/2 cup of Ghiradelli 60% cacoa bittersweet chocolate chips (only 80 calories per serving of 16 chips), but everything else was the same. The brownies turned out perfectly.
These brownies are so chewy and chocolaty, I could not tell that they had very little fat in them. I actually used egg substitue, which reduced the fat content even more, and they were still delicious. This recipe goes in my recipe collection.
This recipe was pretty disappointing. I never throw out brownies but a few were eaten and the rest tossed out!
Very moist but a bit lacking in flavor. Does however go great with some frozen yogurt!
These were really good! I used apple sauce instead of prunes. Increased the vanilla to 1tsp. And added some mini-chocolate chips on top. It tasted a little more like a cake than a brownie but it was so moist!
These are supposed to be brownies? Could've fooled me; it's more like a chocolate pancake! Too flat to be considered cakey, an odd, indescribable, slightly-off taste, and no glossy, crusted surface as brownies generally have. The serving size is fine, if you don't mind a brownie the size of a Scrabble tile! Would not make again.
The best lowfat brownie I've ever made...I use this recipe a lot and never tell that they're lowfat. I cook only 25 min. for the moistest texture.
Low Fat? R U sure? :) I had a hard time finding plum baby food so I used fresh plums and just sqashed them up. Worked great. Tasted great too.
Wow! I just ate 6 pieces warm. I didn't use the babyfood prunes, but prune butter out of the store. And I added an extra tablespoon of cocoa. Really good brownies for the lunchboxes.
This is the best low fat brownie recipe I have tried in years. Thanks!
What a dissapointment! We followed the directions - nothing was changed. They were soooooo strange! The cutting knife fell on them & they stuck all over the entire knife. They couldn't be cut properly because they stuck to the blade & just bunched up all over the knife in a big ball mess. The flavor was OK. Full fat brownies are still the way to go. Just a normal portion size! The serving size for this recipe doesn't make any sense either. I don't see how you can cut that many brownies out of a 9x9 pan. I don't think these are as low-fat or as low-cal as everyone is made to think due to this tiny portion size. Go for the real thing! This is a dissapointment!
I altered this recipe with Splenda, 1/2 substitute egg with 1 real egg, 1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt and extra cocoa powder. The trick is to avoid overcooking. Cut down on cooking time by 3 minutes. These alterations cut out more carbs and fat, so the brownies are more cake-like.
This has an interesting texture - kinda cakey yet pretty dense. I cut down on the sugar by a third and it was still very sweet. For a chocolate craving that's almost guilt-free, it's good. My family didn't like them at all - commented on a strange "pruney" aftertaste.
These are great for being lower in fat. I used applesauce instead of the prunes because that is what I had on hand. I also added in a small handful of chocolate chips just to give it a little something extra (even though I know it also added more calories!). This is a great, quick recipe to keep on hand and it doesn't make a whole bunch which is great for just my husband and I.
This is a recipe only for a moment of diet desperation. You can tell they're low fat, but if you're trying to cut the fat, these brownies will do.
OK, these were all right. At first I thought they were really good but they got all moldy and watery after only a few days. Very mushy.
LOL 24 servings. Any brownie can be low cal low fat if you cut it small enough!! These were fine and they do reduce the fat because of the applesauce. I will defnintley make them again.
I replaced the sugar with Splenda, the prunes with apple sauce and used whole wheat flour. They were awful ... don't even resemble brownies. Given all of the replacements I made the rating should be taken with a grain of salt, but I am thinking I will be sticking with my good ol' fashioned full fat recipe in the future. Thanks for inspiring me to try, though ... I think I am just a sucker for fat and real sugar when it comes to brownies!
they aren't bad....... but i'd be lying if i said they were delicious... i mean i wish they tasted a little "low-fatish".. i added 1 tsp of vanilla. the only recommindation i have is don't eat them hot, they taste a little better when already cold down.
Yeah, you can tell they're low-fat brownies. They are, however, better that most low-fat brownies.
Best Brownies Ever! I used applesauce instead of prunes, egg whites, and added walnuts. These were better than the regular brownies. My whole family loved them.
BEST BROWNIES with some revisions making it a delicious vegan dessert! I substituted the eggs with soy flour and had to add water to the mix. I also switched the baby food for actual prunes and just boiled and pureed them myself. I also took the sugar down to just 3/4 cup. Love this recipe, thanks for the idea!
Good thing this recipe is low fat because 10 hours later, all that's left is a pan for me to wash! I added an extra 1/2 T of cocoa & substituted whole wheat flour for A/P & melted butter for vegetable oil. The result were chewy, extra moist brownines with less guilt. I've already saved it o my recipe box!
I made this recipe using applesauce and had my family and a friend sample these brownies. We all agreed that yes, you could you tell they were low-fat. Very rubbery.
Very moist and my kids loved them. There's an extra bonus knowing there are prunes in them! Not as rich or chocolately as I like brownies to be but at least they're guilt-free!
Good overall recipe! Modified just a bit with a couple tablespoons of butter instead of vegetable oil and applesauce in place of prunes. And then of course, chocolate chips sprinkled in the batter don't hurt anything. Definitely make again to satisfy a sweet craving!
These were excellent! My husband and I loved them, and I will be making them again. Thanks for the great recipe.
These were pretty good for low fat brownies, but I have a quarrel with the # of brownies the submitter says the recipe makes. 2 DOZEN???? Don't think so. Makes 12 small brownies. I calculated (using MasterCook) the fat content at 3 grams each when making 12. But, I recognize that is pretty good. After all, they ARE brownies! Overall, good but not fabulous. Will keep the recipe for when I am craving chocolate. Hubby did not like them, said he tasted "something weird" in it (?prunes), but he is mistrustful that I might sneak tofu in there or something. Will make a batch for work and see what the gals say.
Didn't have prunes so I used applesauce and splenda in place of sugar. The results were wonderful!
When you are a restricted diet and a brownie this good comes along, you are grateful. Although I made a few changes by necessity, I feel it is a definite 5star. Replaced egg with eggbeater, pureed prune with a banana and cut sugar to 3/4cup. Added a little cayenne for good measure. Although it remains thin, the texture is dense but moist. The secret to that is decreasing the cook time to 20 minutes or so. Thanks so much. Nice desert after a meal. Kamal
I used applesauce like others suggested, and this brownie was very bland, and actually really yucky. I have had better luck taking a recipe I like to use, and subbing fat free sour cream and/or buttermilk with applesauce for the oil, and it makes a much better tasting brownie.
I amended this recipe slighlty and it was great! I can't believe how flavorful these brownies taste - you would never guess they are low fat. My subsitutions even made them lower in fat- I used applesauce instead of prunes, wheat flour instead of white flour and egg whites instead of eggs (1/4 cup egg white per 1 whole egg)
I only baked for 20 minutes because I am not a big fan of cake-like brownies. These were really good. I substituted applesauce for the prunes (what I had on hand) and splenda for the sugar. My husband, youngest son and I really liked. The texture is a little different but still very good. Thank you
I made the brownies as written. They were the worse "brownies" I have even eaten. I have no idea what I did wrong.
This was not to my liking. No flavor, dry and tough! Won't make again
These are good for low fat brownies. They were very chocolately and gooey. When I added the prunes I measured by the the tablespoon--4 of them and leveled them off with a knife. I didn't get the taste of prunes and they were very moist. I underbaked them by about 8 mins. I think that is why they were nice and gooey. They were a little too sweet for my taste and I would cut back on the sugar a bit next time. I am going to also add a little more vanilla, perhaps a scant teaspoon and a dash more salt to bring out the flavor.
I thought that these did taste pretty good to be low fat. They came out moist and my family enjoyed them as well. I used 1/2 cup whole wheat instead of white flour, and as others suggested I used 7T cocoa, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 cup sugar (it may have still tasted good w/more but I try not to use more if I don't have to) and I used applesauce in place of prunes.
For low fat they are good. I used splenda instead of sugar and I followed previous suggestions to reduce the the ammount. I wish I had not. Other than that, the texture was close and the flavor was unique. They passed the kid test. And that is what is ultimately important.
A pretty good low fat recipe. Reading the other reviews i used applesauce instead of the prunes & added an extra tbsp of cocoa. And it did turn out good with the whole wheat flour (of which i was very skeptical). I would use a little less sugar next time, maybe 3/4 of a cup. Adding 1/4 cup of nuts (walnuts) does give it an interesting twist. And i also added egg substitute instead of the eggs. Overall i was very happy with the results. Will definitely make them again. Thanks Roberta.
These are very good for a low-fat brownie. On suggestion I used 7 TBL cocoa powder & applesaunce. Also, I doubled the recipe since I didn't have an 8 X 8" pan, and since I did not have anymore applesauce, I used 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream. Pretty good. Thanks!
We loved them. I did not have any prune baby food so I improvised. We have 3 fig trees and we had dehydrated quite a few figs. So I boiled some of them in water and then pureed them in the blender adding just enough water to make them the consistency of baby food. The results were wonderful! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
These aren't bad for low fat. You can taste the cocoa powder and I will admit they aren't as good as regular fattening brownies, but these are great to get you through your chocolate cravings while watching your weight!
Nothing special. Would rather eat a fatter brownie less often.
YUMMMM....These brownies are SO good.. They are very moist and cakey. I also used applesauce in place of the prunes.I was looking for a brownie with less fat and this fit the bill to a tee... I mixed in some chopped pecans and had with low fat vanilla frozen yougert, yummy.Some peanut butter chips would be good in here also.
I used eggbeaters and splenda . It came out like a fudgey cracker. It still was a nice little taste of chocolate and sweet while dieting.
I thought I'd give these a try since the rating was decent.. I'm not going to lie, these were a disappointment. There was no chewy, moist texture. The taste was very bland as well. I tried this twice, using prunes once and applesauce the other time. Prunes are definitely slightly better, but truthfully, both are disappointing. Stick to real brownies!
Oh you can tell they're lowfat...for being healthy, they taste great. Very moist. However, my husband though they were not to his liking.
These are so moist and chewy. You would never guess they are also low in fat! I used egg substitute with great results. Thanks!
Made these exactly to the recipe and we have enjoyed them very much. Didn't go to the effort of cutting them into 24... sort of defeats the low cal. Plan to be stronger next time. There will be many more 'next time's . Carol
These are the best solution to a chocolate craving - without the guilt. I couldn't find prune baby food, so I pureed some canned prunes and reduced the sugar to just over half a cup (because the prunes contained sweetener). I took the advice of other reviewers and increased the cocoa to seven tablespoons. The recipe resulted in 8 decent brownies, which I served hot with a scoop of low-fat vanilla ice-cream. You can't even taste the prunes. Thanks for a great recipe Roberta!
I joined just to rate this recipe! These are GREAT! The only variation I made to this recipe was to use Hershey's dark cocoa powder, so they were really chocolatey. These are excellant when your trying to maintain a healthy diet yet desperatly need a chocolate fix! Trust me you truly can not tell these are low fat!
Very tasty for a low fat brownie. They came out somewhat flat looking but still tasted VG & were very easy to cut. I used applesauce instead of prunes, & added 1/2 tsp baking powder. I also substituted the 1 c of white sugar with 1/2 c Splenda Sugar Blend For Baking & increased the vanilla to 1 tsp & chocolate to 7 TB. Lastly, I used 1 egg & 1/4 c egg sub & Enova oil. Baked for 24 minutes. Would make again for sure!!
This recipe was simple, and came out exactly as expected the 1st try. You can kinda tell they're low fat, but they're still great.
I didn't care for this recipe...no taste.
These are really yummy! As suggested, I used 1/4 whole wheat flour and 1/4 white flour. I started with 3/4 of a cup of sugar, but the batter wasn't sweet enough for brownies, at least in my opinion, so I added another 1/4 cup of sugar to equal 1 cup. I also used apple sauce, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of salt. I baked them in a glass pan for 33 mins. YUM!
GREAT !! for a "that time of the month" chocolate six without all the guilt. I put in about 13 tbslp of unsweet cocoa powder. I made mine with no sugar strawberry applesauce (its what I had) & it gave it a bit of chocolate covered strawberry goodness. I also added almond extract & I a dash of amaretto once cooled over top mixed in a splenda/10x sugar glaze..... Very yummy,my BF covered it in PB and ate 3 pieces
Don't do what I did and try and make these diabetic friendly too! My Grandfather (he's diabetic) didn't touch them! I used 1 cup of nutrasweet instead of 1 cup of sugar. They came out more cocoa tasting than chocolate tasting - I wasn't a fan. I ended up making an icing for them with instant low fat/ sugar free chocolate pudding. They were a little more bearable this way. I'm sure they would have been great had I not tampered with the recipe. Mind you my cousins loved them because they weren't too sweet!!
I made these yesterday and they are absolutley to die for, everyone in the family didnt quite believe that they were low fat. I used applesauce instead of the prunes and also added the baking powder people suggested. I was gonna throw in a hand full of walnuts but that would kinda defete the purpose, didnt need them anyway. These will be made time and time again in this household....
I really like these! I also followed the recommendations in the reviews... 7T of cocoa powder, 1/4 c. wheat and 1/4 c. white flour, however, I wanted to lower the cholestrol so I removed the yolks of both eggs. I also didn't have the prunes or applesauce on hand so I used canned pumpkin instead. They turned out really nice and moist with a good texture and flavor. The only change I may make next time is to add even more cocoa. Great low fat recipe!!
These are a great low fat version of brownies. I used olive oil in place of veg. oil and also used applesauce in place of prunes. Before I put them in the oven I drizzled them with fat free caramel. They were wonderful.
Yes, you can tell they are low-fat!!! I agree with others and will stick to the regular recipe although my husband loved them. My friends and I found them to be too fruity. When you eat a brownie you want chocolate taste not fruit. If you are looking for a fruity flavor then you will love this but if you want that good old fashioned bad for you brownie taste you will hate this!!!
great brownies..I substituted half the sugar with Splenda and my husband couldn't tell the difference..but it did change the texture a bit. Still I'll bake them again!
I'm thrilled with these brownies. We've always tried to eat healthy & regular brownies (with a cup of butter) don't work for me. These were great with 2 tbls. oil & 1/2 cup of applesauce (instead of baby prunes) were yum.
Pretty good! I used a mashed banana instead of the prunes since I didn't have any and decreased sugar to 2/3 cup. You can certainly tell they're low fat but they're good in their own way, moist and chocolatey. They turn out rather thin, I would make 1.5 times the recipe and maybe then they'll be a better thickness. Also I think adding just a few chocolate chips would make them really good ;)
These are awesome .. I added the extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and I didn't have just plain jarred prunes so I used my son's Healthy Times Orchard Fruit blend of baby food which has prunes and other fruits. They turned out yummy. Kind of cake like rather than crunchy, but when dieting and need a chocolate fix these are awesome!!!
There were great! I followed the advice of others and underbaked them a bit, but I followed the recipe exactly. Very gooey and chocolatey! Thanks.
Really quite tasty especially considering the "healthiness". Not something I would serve to others, but great for when you are craving brownies but don't want to overindulge.
Brownies are good low-fat alternative. For chocolate lovers add another Tbsp of cocoa.
I followed this recipe exactly and they turned out very rubbery and cake like. They satisfy the chocolate craving but are nothing like the real thing, I probably won't make them again.
These are good, for low-fat. But you can tell the difference. I used exactly 4 oz. of the baby food, 1/4 c. whole wheat flour and 1/4 c. white flour, and somewhere between 3/4c and 1c of sugar.
I took the advice of other users and made this with whole wheat flour, 7tbls of cocoa power, 3 egg whites, and one heaping tbls of oil. The consistancy was great but the flavor was cardboardish. I put some hershey syrup on top to add some flavor and sweetness..helped A LOT. I would make this again but not substitute as many things (especially not whole wheat flour) and maybe add some sugar-free hersheys syrup in the batter.
I love these brownies, I will for sure make them again. For a yummy dessert heat a piece in the microwave and scoop vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream on top! No one could tell they were low fat until I told them!
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