Is there such thing as a healthy Chocolate Brownie?

I'm not sure there is, but sometimes you need to spoil yourself. Here are two recipes for chocolate brownies that could possible considered "healthier" than some other recipes in that they have little fat in them.

Ingredients:

150-200g Demerara sugar

120g organic wholemeal self-raising flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

100g quality dark chocolate (at least 70%)

5g baking powder

5ml vanilla extract

Method: I make this with my 3.5yo, so I do a lot of pre-preparation before hand.

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/160°C (fan)
2. Line the bottom of a square 20cm tin with greaseproof paper and spray all over with a tasteless oil such as rape seed oil.
3. Over a saucepan of simmering water, melt half the chocolate in a heat proof bowl until melted.
4. Chop the remaining chocolate into chunks, reserve the chunks for later and scrape the dust in with the rest of the melting chocolate (no, we're not wasting a crumb). Stir occasionally until all melted.
5. Into a clean mixing bowl, combine the sugar and eggs until neither ingredient is discernible.
6. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix.
7. Add the baking powder and vanilla extract.
8. Once all the chocolate is melted, add to the mix and stir in.
9. Pour half the batter into the tin and sprinkle the chocolate chunks evenly across the mixture. Pour the remaining batter over the top.
10. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Test with a skewer. If it comes out clean - just - they're done.
11. Remove tin from the oven and leave it alone for at least 10 minutes. This is important because the brownies will continue to cook for a little time and this allows them to form their signature gooeyness.
12. Once the tin is cool enough to touch, turn the cake slab out onto a board and leave to cool completely. Cut into 16 pieces. They seem small but they're packed full of flavour.

Calories per slice: 202

Now, the observant amongst you will note that 200g of Demerara sugar might not be considered by some as "healthy". Particularly if you're diabetic. Yeah, I know, chocolate in itself isn't exactly great for diabetics, but read my first sentence about spoiling yourself. The sugar version is what I give my family as sugar is better for growing brains than artificial sweeteners. My artificial sweetener of choice is Stevia, sold as Truvia. I use the granulated version designed for adding to your tea or coffee rather than the "for baking" stuff which is half sugar/half stevia. However, I add a small amount of Demerara sugar because Truvia has a slightly bitter aftertaste.

25g Demerara sugar

60g Truvia (see notes above)

120g organic wholemeal self-raising flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

100g quality dark chocolate (at least 70%)

5g baking powder

5ml vanilla extract

Small quantity of water

Method:

Follow the method as for the sugar version above. But, you'll find the batter is quite a lot stiffer than the sugar version. So, just before pouring into the tin, add tiny amounts of water until the batter is pourable.

Cook for between 15-20 minutes. This mixture goes from sloppy to over cooked very quickly, so test frequently after the 15 minute mark. Cool as above and cut into 16 squares.

Calories per slice: 80