I am always on the lookout to lighten up my favorite desserts without sacrificing texture or taste, because what good is a “healthy” indulgence if it is gross? Exactly. I thought these brownies were great! I made them with wheat flour and balanced out the sugars and fats to be a little less figure unfriendly; I have to say this is the first lightened up brownie I have been satisfied with! I found that they were especially good the next day after sitting over night. I have heard this to be true because when baking with wheat flour, apparently allowing the baked goods to rest lets the flavors mingle a little more and the “wheatness” to not be as noticeable (I didn’t find them to be wheatey at all). The texture of these were great also, they had a crisp top and a dense fudgey inside (if you like cakey brownies, these probably aren’t gonna be your thing). And if healthy isn’t on your mind check out the original recipe here because if they are THIS GOOD light, they have got to be great full fledged. Enjoy 🙂

Fudgey Brownies Lightened Up   (Print Me)

Ingredients:  
1 1/2 cups flour (sifted THEN measured if using white wheat, unsifted if using white)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup applesauce
3/4 cups splenda
3/4 cups sugar
4 tbsp water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325º. In a medium bowl whisk to combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and water. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in the applesauce, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly blend in the flour mixture. Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool at least 2 hours (preferably over night) before serving.

Adapted From: Rainy Day Gal

Nutrition* (1 brownie, 1/24th of 9×13 pan)
Original Recipe – Calories 233, fat 12.5 g, sat fat 7.5 g, carbs 22g, fiber .25g, sugar 15g
Light Recipe – Calories 137, fat 7g, sat fat 4g, carbs 12g, fiber 1g, sugar 6g, protein 2g

*All nutrition information is approximate