Skinny Double Chocolate Brownies is the BEST healthy brownie recipe you’ll try. Packed full of good-for-you ingredients, and can be made gluten and dairy free!
I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to share a recipe with you. This is honestly some kind of magic, and I’ve definitely pinched myself a couple of times to make sure it’s real.
There are many reasons why I’m this happy. First, chocolate is my favorite sweet treat, and brownies are probably my favorite dessert ever. So much so that I really can’t be trusted with an entire pan of brownies in front of me.
I’ve tried multiple “healthy” brownies recipes, some made with some pretty weird ingredients. Black beans. Avocados. None of those recipes were awful, but they definitely didn’t taste like REAL brownies.
Well, move over. There’s a new healthy brownies in town she she’s on fire!
I’m also over-the-moon about this recipe because I’ve tried for years to perfect my own version that was on the healthier side but just as delicious as a full-fat version. I’ve failed *so many* times.
It’s really hard to lighten up chocolate recipes. Cocoa powder is so bitter that it needs tons of sweetness, and chocolate chunks are packed full of sugar.
I’ve tried using all apple sauce to lighten, but it never has enough sweetness. I used brown sugar and greek yogurt, but the texture just wasn’t right.
The secret ingredient…
… dates! They are naturally sweet, moist, and sticky, so they lend themselves nicely to a fudge-like brownie consistency. I’ve used them before as a crust in my No-Bake Cheesecake Cups, so I always have some around in my refrigerator.
Dates are full of fiber and heart-healthy ingredients. They so much sweetness that you don’t need to add ANY sugar to the batter!
You’ll just soak them a bit in hot water to make them softer, then blend them until they form a thick paste.
The rest of the batter comes together in the same food processor, so it’s easy clean up, too
How to store skinny double chocolate brownies
These last for up to a week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them for up to a month. As I mentioned before, I can’t be trusted with an entire pan of brownies. I freeze them individually, then set out on the counter to thaw (about 20 minutes).
With the holidays around the corner, I know I’ll be making this recipe quite often. There will be plenty of deserts around to tempt me, but as long as I have these close by, I know I’ll make the right choice.
I promise you that no one will be able to tell these are healthy!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.
Skinny Double Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 9) + 1 tbsp hot water
- 4 tbsp light butter (I use Earth Balance Whipped to keep it dairy free)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup flour of choice (I use Bob's Red Mill AP Gluten-Free flour)
- 1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use vegan for dairy-free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, cover dates with hot water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Drain dates, reserving 1 tbsp of the hot water. Add dates and water to a food processor and blend until a thick paste forms (see blog pics). You may need to stop blending and scrape down the sides a couple of times to get the paste to come together.
- Add light butter, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla to the processor. Puree for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is pale and creamy.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until mixture is just combined, scraping down then sides once or twice if needed.
- Add in chocolate chips. Pulse a couple of times to slightly break up the chips into the matter but still maintain some chunks.
- Pour into prepare pan and spread batter evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I like my brownies ultra fudgey, so I take them out after 20 minutes, when they are slightly under baked.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Cut into twelve brownies.
Made these tonight and the taste is absolutely amazing! I’m not sure what I did wrong, but mine were a quarter as thick as yours. I was expecting these big fudgy brownies and mine are very thin! Like I said, the taste is amazing but I wish they came out as thick as yours!
Hello, your recipe looks really good. Do you have any idea about how many calories each brownie is? Any nutrition information would be helpful. I cannot seem to figure out the weight watchers points
All points and nutritional info is included in the recipe card.
These were so good! I think maybe even better the next day. Bonus points that it was all made in my food processor. Will be making them on the regular. Thank you!!
My batter was super thick. But these were amazing. Definitely making these again in the future!
It definitely makes a thick batter. Glad you liked them!
Thanks Geri! Big hit with the family – only comment was add more chocolate chips but I hear that about everything I make! LOL! I used the mini chips and they disappeared while baking so will use bigger chips next time!
Haha yeah I like those added just for extra chocolate flavor, not so much to taste the texture of the chips. But you can never go wrong with more chocolate!
Just made these, they are amazing! I followed the recipe exactly except I used different dates, so I needed more than 9 to make 1 cup. Would 100% make it again, so delicious and simple.
yay!!
Absolutely amazing! My hubs had five today! Mine were done at 13 min (toothpick came out clean and they were pulling away from the sides). Should I still cook them the 20 min? Does that change the flavor or just the texture?
So good to hear that! Definitely cook until just done, otherwise they’ll be too dry. I think my oven is just not as hot as others!
Fudgey taste with a cake like texture, these brownies are delicious! One would never guess there’s no sugar in them😊
Glad you liked the recipe, Brenda! Thanks for the review.
So happy to hear this, Brenda!