Cooking For Two

Brownies

4 1oz. squares unsweetened baking chocolate

¾ c heart-healthy margarine

1 c sugar

1 tsp powdered Stevia extract (equivalent to about 1 c sugar)

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

½ c whole wheat naturally white flour

½ c toasted wheat germ

¼ c flax seed meal

1 ½ c coarsely chopped pecans

Melt margarine and chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Mix in sugar and Stevia. Add eggs and extracts and mix well. Add flour, germ, meal and pecans, mix well. Pour batter into greased 9×13 baking pan.

Bake in preheated 350F oven for approximately 30 minutes. Be careful not to over bake, brownies are done when knife or pick inserted in center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs or clean. Cool brownies in pan until pan is still warm, but not too hot to hold from the bottom. Prick with fork all over and spread frosting recipe below over top. Let sit until completely cool, cut into 24 squares and enjoy healthy chocolate bliss that tastes absolutely decadent!

Frosting

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1 lb powdered sugar

½ c melted heart healthy margarine

2 tsp vanilla

1 c unsweetened shredded coconut

½ c low fat or fat free milk

Melt margarine and chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, mix well, slowly adding milk. Blend on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended, stir in coconut and spread over warm brownies.

Notes:
The brownies themselves are lightly sweet, but the flax seed and Stevia can be over-powering for some. The sugary frosting balances out the healthy flavors in the brownies and makes them taste unbelievably good.

Most of the fats and carbs contained in these brownies is good for you, so although the numbers may seem high, keep in mind it’s largely due to the healthy fats and complex carbs contained in this recipe. Even so, there’s also a lot of sugar in the recipe as well, 4 cups worth, so keep that in mind in the midst of your fudgy, chewy nirvana.

Nutrition Information per frosted brownie:

Calories: 336

Fat: 23g

Carbs: 33g

Fiber: 4g

Protein: 4g