Brownies - Double-Post Thursday

Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's also Double-Post Thursday. Today's double post deals with brownies. Yum!

Here are today's six brownie recipes, including Double Chocolate Brownies and Flourless Black Bean Brownies. Enjoy!

MARBLED PUMPKIN BROWNIES

I'm really not sure where I found this recipe, but it's yummy. Makes 10 servings.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

vanilla ice cream, optional

caramel sauce, warmed, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat to blend. Add flour, baking powder, spices and salt and beat until well mixed.

Beat in pumpkin. Stir in nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan (batter will be thick).

Mix cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolk, whipping cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in bowl to blend. Drop cream cheese mixture by heaping tablespoons on top of the pumpkin batter.

Using small knife, gently swirl cream cheese mixture into batter, creating marbled pattern. Bake about 35 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is firm.

Cool. Cover with foil and let stand at room temperature. Reheat covered in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes before serving. Cut warm brownies into squares and serve topped with a scoop of ice cream, drizzled with caramel sauce if desired.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

This recipe begins, “Applesauce replaces part of the fat, Equal all of the sugar, plus you get double the chocolate flavor with both cocoa and chocolate chips – so who can resist these delicious brownies?”

Recipe Yield: 16 brownies

View online with photo: https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/double-chocolate-brownies

Print version: https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/double-chocolate-brownies/print/

Ingredients

6 tablespoons stick butter, softened

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup Equal Spoonful*

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: Chopped Walnuts

* May substitute 24 packets Equal sweetener

Directions

Beat butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla until blended.

Stir in combined flour, Equal, chocolate chips, cocoa, baking powder, nuts (optional) and salt until blended.

Spread batter in sprayed 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven 18 to 20 minutes or until top springs back when gently touched.

Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 105; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 77 mg; Cholesterol: 38 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat

SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “The salted caramel brownie is an ingenious combination of blond, bittersweet caramel and dark, bittersweet chocolate. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of New York's Baked bakeries are not the first to note the affinity of caramel and chocolate, but by emphasizing the bitter, sweet and salty notes in both, they’ve made that rare thing — a perfectly balanced bite. The bittersweetness of the caramel can be easily adjusted by cooking it less (for a milder, Kraft-like taste) or more (edgier, stronger).” Yield: About 2 dozen brownies; Time: 1 1/4 hours.

To view this online, go to http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018161-salted-caramel-brownies.

Ingredients

For the Caramel:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 cup sour cream

For the Brownies:

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, more for greasing pan

1 1/4 cups/150 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cacao), coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coarse sugar (such as raw or turbinado) and flaky salt, for sprinkling

Preparation

Make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat, stirring gently, until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees or until the mixture is dark amber in color, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, slowly pour in heavy cream and salt (it will foam up) and whisk. Whisk in sour cream (it may look lumpy at first) and set aside to cool. Taste and add salt if needed to give the caramel a good balance of salty and sweet.

Make the brownies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter (or baking spray) to lightly grease a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter or spray the parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cocoa powder.

Melt chocolate and butter together, either in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in a microwave at low heat, working in 30-second bursts. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and combined. Whisk in sugars. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Using a sturdy whisk, add eggs one by one, whisking just until combined. Stir in vanilla.

Gently pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold together just until few streaks of flour are visible; do not overmix.

Pour batter into the pan and let settle. Drizzle caramel sauce over batter until batter is almost covered. (You may not use all the caramel.) On the surface, use the tip of a butter knife or icing spatula to swirl the batter and caramel together. Don’t worry if it looks messy.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. At the 30-minute mark, shake the pan gently to test for doneness. When done, the brownies will be barely set in the center and puffed, but not dry, around the edges. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar and salt.

Let cool to room temperature before cutting. After cutting, if desired, drizzle any remaining caramel over the top. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

SUPERNATURAL BROWNIES

This also comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “This recipe is an accidental creation by Nick Malgieri, who (in a rare human moment for a pastry chef) once forgot to double the flour when baking his own fudge brownie recipe. He also adds a measure of brown sugar to the basic formula. The experts are divided as to whether the brown sugar actually contributes flavor or simply makes the brownie moister (molasses, which makes brown sugar brown, is powerfully hydrophilic). It’s my belief that the slightly bitter taste of molasses acts as an invisible enhancer to the chocolate. The result is as complex and sophisticated as any terrine or truffle I have ever produced.”

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies; Time: About 1 hour

This was featured in “Simple Pleasure, American Style”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado

1 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional

Preparation

Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter, chocolate and sugars together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt and vanilla.

Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Tip

For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

FLOURLESS BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

This recipe comes from Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, who, besides running her own site (Lively Table), writes on VeryWellFit.

For this recipe, Kaleigh wrote, “If you have a sweet tooth, you may be used to eating dessert most days. Sometimes fruit or a fruit salad will do for a light dessert. Other days, you just need a brownie.

“Baked goods like brownies are often high in sodium, even though they don’t taste salty. Between leaveners like baking soda and baking powder, salted butter, and added salt, brownies and other baked goods can be sneaky sources of sodium! If you bake your own brownies at home, you can control the amount of sodium-containing ingredients for a better alternative.

“The secret to these flourless brownies is a can of low sodium black beans.Before you write them off, give them a try! Blending up black beans in a high-powered blender or food processor makes them nice and smooth, and when baked into brownies, gives them a nice chewy texture without any flour. They also add in extra fiber, iron, and folate.”

Total Time: 35 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Servings: 16 (2-inch square each).

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Preparation

Heat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment or spray with oil.

Blend all ingredients except for unmelted chocolate in a high powered blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in chocolate and pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredient Variations and Substitutions

Use all chocolate chips if you don’t have a dark chocolate bar.

Cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, and chocolate chips gives these brownies lots of rich chocolate flavor with a little boost from coffee granules.

If you don’t have the coffee granules don’t worry—you can leave them out and you’ll still have delicious chocolatey brownies!

Cooking and Serving Tips

Avoid over-cooking—the designated time should be just about enough, but you can check before removing from the oven. Brownies shouldn't be overly dry.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator and heat for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

CHOCOLATE-HONEY BROWNIE BARS

This is from Kraft Recipes, and begins, “These brownies not only have honey in the batter, but are also drizzled with a luscious chocolate-honey topping for an extra-special touch.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 24 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

2 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. honey, divided

2 eggs

1 cup flour

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Microwave butter and 6 oz. chocolate in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Add sugar and 1/2 cup honey; mix well. Blend in eggs. Add flour; stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely.

Microwave remaining chocolate and honey in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Drizzle over brownie.

Refrigerate 5 min. or until chocolate is firm. Use foil handles to remove brownie from pan before cutting into bars.