Lightened Brownies

I love cookbooks. I tend to read them like a novel, browsing through the recipes and beautiful pictures, making mental notes of the recipes that I just can't wait to make!  I recently bought a copy of The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  I was thrilled with all the recipes, pictures, and kitchen tips in the book.  One aspect I really appreciated was the tips, telling what they did to lighten up the recipes.  I got a lot of good ideas for lightening up everyday recipes. 

One of the first things I made was the brownie recipe.  Now, I wouldn't say this is the best brownie I've ever had, but for a "lighter" brownie, it was pretty delicious!  They were pretty dense, not really fudgy but not cake-like either.  I will definitely make these again!

You will need:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lowfat sour cream
1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 egg
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla

1.  Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

2.  Microwave the chocolate and butter together in a large bowl until melted and smooth.  Let it cool.

3.  Whisk the sugar, sour cream, chocolate syrup, egg, egg white, and vanilla into the melted chocolate.

4.  Fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

5.  Pour the batter into a greased 8x8 pan and smooth the top.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with just a few crumbs.

6.  Cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

Per brownie: 110 calories, 4 grams fat (1.5 saturated), 15 mg cholesterol, 20 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, 65 mg sodium.

Source: The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

I thought it would be fun to "spruce" up my Berry Trifle recipe, so I added a layer of brownies on the bottom. I made this for a potluck when we were camping a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit!