I’m happy to report these brownies have not been sat upon. They are not squished, rather squashed!
It’s DETOX week in the world of starting over and breathing the word diet. I dare say these chocolaty, fudge brownies can be part of DETOX week!
The trend of treats filled with hidden vegetables came about mostly to feed veggies to picky children. But these brownies probably won’t make it to the kids…in fact you may want to publicize the fact that there are vegetables in them. You will want them all to yourself!
The secret ingredient, squash, adds fiber and gives the brownies a fudgy texture without added fat. Whole wheat flour and olive oil increase the health factor, while dark chocolate chips keep your tongue perfectly happy.
I typically use frozen pureed squash, but you can use canned pumpkin or squash, and even mashed sweet potatoes!
It's a challenge to come up with a nutritious and delicious brownie. Each square has nearly 3 grams of fiber (thanks to whole-wheat flour) and just 2 grams of saturated fat (thanks to olive oil). The magic ingredient? Squash, to make it moist and rich. Done and done!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1¼ cups dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup frozen cooked winter squash, thawed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together egg, egg white brown sugar, winter squash, olive oil and vanilla extract. Add cocoa powder, whole-wheat flour, salt and chocolate chips and mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into an 8-inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350ºF until brownies spring back to the touch, 23 to 25 minutes.
- Cool, then dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Notes
I use frozen pureed squash in this recipe, but you can swap that for canned pumpkin puree or squash, or mashed sweet potatoes!
Recipe & Foodstyling by Khalil Hymore
For Ladies’ Home Journal
Originally published February 2011
Photography Peter Ardito
