Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies

If someone told you that you cannot have chocolate and stay healthy at the same time, you have my permission to slap them. Go forth and plant one on their cheek because you really can have chocolate. In fact, there is always room for desserts in a healthy diet. 


I tested these brownies 5 times to get the right amount of texture, consistency, and chocolatey goodness. I've been going on a low-fat yogurt rant in the last few recipes (Grilled Potato Salad with Herbs and Spices  & Almond Cake with Lemon Zest), but the tangy goop  is insanely versatile. This really contributes the moist factor to these brownies. 


Most brownie recipes use an entire stick of butter for just a few servings, but these brownies call for 2 tablespoons in the entire recipe, and this means just a little over 1/2  teaspoon of butter is tucked away into one square of brownie. Your love handles will thank you. 


I used semi-sweet chocolate and 70% bittersweet chocolate here, but if it were up to me I would use 70% cacao chocolate throughout the entire recipe. Unfortunately, my brothers aren't so fond of the less sugary taste. From a healthy point of view, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that fight cancer. Does this mean you can eat it by the tablespoon? No, silly. It's still calorie dense, so as I always say moderation is key. This recipe honors that, and the freshly brewed espresso really makes the chocolate sing.  


To make these brownies even more moist a lot of excess flour has been cut out. So the ratio of  wet ingredients to dry ingredients is greater, and from a food science standpoint these develop gossamer, velvety brownies. 


Any other information about the ingredients is boring. Your time is much better spent whipping up a fresh batch of healthy brownies. ;-)


Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies
Makes 9 squares


Ingredients
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 ounces 70% dark chocolate (I recommend Moser Roth), cut into chunks
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (regular, not Dutch processed)
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 eggs, large
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon fresh espresso, or espresso powder, or really strong coffee
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped


Directions


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray.
1.) If you've purchased dark chocolate that comes in the form of a bar, chop it down to the size of chocolate chips. 
2.) Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl: flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3.) Combine the butter, oil, and sugar in a mixer. Mix on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
4.) Add the yogurt, eggs, canola oil, and espresso.
5.) On a low setting, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet just until combined. Don't over mix, you don't want to whip air into the batter (this is desirable in cakes not brownies).
6.) Turn off the mixer and stir in 1/4 cup of walnuts, semi sweet chocolate, and dark chocolate. Transfer batter to pan.
7.) Sprinkle over remaining 2 tablespoons of walnuts over the the top. 


Bake for 30-35 minutes (can take as long as 45 minutes, depending on how hot your oven 
gets).

Enjoy them while they're warm with a cold glass of low-fat milk, or wait until they have cooled to dig in! :o)

Priyanka