Celebrate the beginning of National Chocolate Month without ditching all of your New Year’s resolutions with these deliciously dark brownies from Everyday Food. Instead of lots of oil and butter, these brownies use applesauce and reduced-fat sour cream (yes, that’s sour cream). Add some dark brown sugar and heart-healthy dark chocolate, and you’ve got moist brownies without all the guilt. “These brownies have a triple helping of chocolate: cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the batter, plus chocolate chunks on top” Everyday Food. If bittersweet chocolate is a bit too much for you to take, swap it for semi-sweet or use a 50/50 combination.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (not chunky)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, room temperature
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (2 oz melted, 2 oz coarsely chopped)
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly coat a square baking pan (8×8 or 9×9) with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In a slightly larger bowl, whisk together dark brown sugar, applesauce, sour cream, melted chocolate, eggs, and oil until combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until moistened (do not over mix).
Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle top with chopped chocolate. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 to 35 minutes.
Allow brownies to cool completely. Cut into squares. Share the goodness!
