Healthy Brownies?

Agave brownies posing next to the birthday card my mom made for Gilligan's 4th birthday!

Baked goods don't have to be naughty. In fact, with a few small tweaks you can health-ify (it's a word) most yummy things. Brownies, quick breads, and bar cookies are the most adaptable as they are the most forgiving. Cookies and cakes need more adjustments.

My favorite way to increase nutrition is to use whole wheat flour. This is a one to one substitute in most recipes.

Another easy substitution is applesauce for butter. A little richness is sacrificed, but overall it's hardly noticeable.

And the latest craze in my kitchen is agave nectar. It's like honey, but better for you. It's really low on the glycemic index, which means it doesn't cause your blood sugar to spike thus making you crave junk all day. Agave nectar is actually sweeter than sugar so you can use less and still achieve the same sweetness.

Agave Brownies
from Elle's New England Kitchen

1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (I usually omit this)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped, toasted nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish. In a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the baking dish and bake 25-30 minutes.

These are dusted with powdered sugar- LIGHTLY- only because the box was still on the counter. Don't judge me.

Toasted Coconut Brownies

You must make these NOW.

I don't know why brownie mixes exist- brownies are SO easy and they require minimal ingredients. As long as you keep some cocoa powder on hand, you are probably ready to make these right now. And you should.

Buttery, crunchy, gooey...they've got it all.

You need the following ingredients to make some magic....

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 7 oz. bag flaked coconut
1/4 cup Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (oh the memories...this is like mother's milk if you're from Texas)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 x 8 square baking dish. I always bake with Pyrex.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on low heat so it doesn't get too hot.
















In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.

















You should also use this time to make the coconut topping. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut and the Eagle Brand milk- mix with a fork until it is thoroughly moistened. You also may want to eat some of the sweetened condensed milk with a spoon....or maybe that's just me.

Remove the melted butter from the heat and stir in the sugar. Wait a minute or two to make sure the butter is cool. Then gently mix in the eggs.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Top the brownie batter with the coconut mixture taking care to evenly distribute.

















Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 until brownie is mostly set and coconut is toasty.


















Unless you are planning to eat these out of the pan with a spoon, you'll need to wait until these are completely cooled to cut. Cut them using a serrated knife- helps slice through the crunchy topping without ripping it off.

Take a bite...moan in delight...repeat as needed or until you are out of brownies.