My dessert “war” with Susan at Organized 31 continues…
For newcomers to this drama, it all began with Susan’s Oreo Surprise Cookies. I liked her idea so I came up with Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cookies. We went back and forth with a few more cookie recipes and recently moved onto brownies.
Since Susan’s first brownie recipe was a healthy version, I decided to embrace this added element to the challenge and created Healthy Peanut Butter Brownies. This week, I’m keeping them healthy and also eliminating the other things that make you feel guilty about indulging in dessert (like sugar, fat, and calories).
NuNaturals Is A Great Sugar Substitute
I recently received free samples of several NuNaturals products. NuNaturals is an eco-minded company that makes nutritional supplements. I got a large sampling of their natural sweeteners and this brownie challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them out. I used their PreSweet Tagatose in place of sugar in this recipe since it is 92% as sweet as sugar, tastes and looks similar, and bakes the same way as sugar (unlike other sugar substitutes). A pleasant side benefit is that it also includes prebiotics. It’s a natural sweetener found in milk, fruits, and vegetables.
My bff and favorite taste tester gave this recipe a big “thumbs-up” which was to be expected since she loves dessert as much as I do but also likes her clothes to fit. More surprisingly, all of my kids plus my nieces and nephew wolfed down these brownies completely unaware that they weren’t bad for them. This was bad news for me, since there weren’t any extras for me to snack on later, but it did give me great confidence in sharing the recipe with you.
These Brownies Have Added Protein And Low Carbs
Interesting side note, thanks to the greek yogurt, milk, and cream cheese, each one of these brownies boasts 9 grams of protein and just 9 grams of carbs! Yes, all of that goodness for well under 100 calories. I don’t want to oversell it, but this might just be the perfect dessert.
📋 Recipe
Guilt-Free Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
- For brownie layer:
- 3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 c fat free milk
- 1/2 c cocoa powder
- 1/2 c rolled oats ground in food processor or blender
- 1/2 c tagatose or stevia
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For cheesecake layer:
- 8 oz fat free cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup tagatose or stevia
- Topping:
- 1 1/2 T mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Spray bottom of 9x9 brownie pan with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, combine Greek yogurt, milk, cocoa powder, ground oats, 1/2 cup tagatose, one egg, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
- In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, and 1/3 cup tagatose and beat until smooth.
- Pour cheesecake layer over brownie mixture.
- Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over cheesecake mixture.
- Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely. Store in refrigerator.
Nutrition
I made this for the whole family and it is super delicious!! I am all about fitness and being healthy and literally I ate 5 pieces of this brownie!
So delicious thank you for the recipie !!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Good tasting and low in calories? I think I need to get in the kitchen and start baking! These look delicious!
Under 100 calories and 9 grams of protein?! How did you managed to come up with this recipet? Will try it out for sure.
We love us the brownies! We will have to try this recipe, maybe you’d like another type of brownie without chocolate Corinne? http://mykitcheninthemiddleofthedesert.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/haole-brownies-in-the-desert/
ALOHA, Auntie Doni (I’m Liz’s hubby’s Aunt 😉 )
Hey, with 9 grams of protein, if they taste as good as they look, I declare you the dessert war winner! (until next week 😉
These sound amazing. I really wonder if my husband would notice that they were made with yogurt. 😉
giving it a “thumbs up” is an understatement!!! This was freakin’ amazing. So moist and yummy chocolaty flavors, I’m also sad that the kids loved it, because I only got one piece! I did just print off this recipe and will be making it for the next PTO get together so I can show up everyone that is bringing in their calorie laden snacks.
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