I have been constantly on the hunt for healthier alternatives to my full fat and calorie baking favourites, but I often find that the reduced fat/calorie versions suffer in flavour too much to be bothered with. But this was until I found this recipe, I know swear by it! Gorgeous moist, soft, gooey chocolatey brownies for only.....wait for it.....77 calories a piece!!!(based on 12 brownies). They taste just as brownies should without all the added fat!

The recipe is ever so simple and only takes minutes to whip up, don't be put off by the apple sauce, trust me..you can't taste it! It just provides the lovely brownie texture instead of the butter! It's also very cheap compared to the full fat variety as you only need seven basic ingredients!

Makes: 12 brownies

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
25g mixed nuts (optional but very yummy)


Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Spray an 8Ã--8 inch non-stick cake pan with spray or line it with baking paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, using a sturdy whisk, spoon or electric hand whisk, mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites and sugar until they are well combined. (Should look frothy on the surface)

3.Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Stir the mixture until it is just combined and no lumps remain.

5. Add your nuts or whatever else you have chosen to add and fold lightly into the mixture.

6. Pour it into the prepared pan, make sure the mixture is spread evenly. Bang your pan on your worktop to destroy any trapped air bubbles in the mixture, which can cause uneven baking.

7. Bake the brownies for 12-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs and moisture is fine).

(You may prefer to leave your brownies in for longer it depends how you like them, for a fudgier brownie give them less time, for a denser brownie give them more)

8.Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before removing. Once cool cut into 12 equal portions (77 calories in one serving) or 16 equal portions (58 calories per serving).

& finally enjoy your brownies! If you think you may have trouble stopping at one or two (at 77 calories two is ok :D) you might want to freeze half of the batch as trust me these are very moreish!

Tips: You can leave out the nuts and try some dried fruit perhaps or marshmallows but the calorie content will need to be altered slightly. They are nice served warm or cold and go nicely with ice cream, custard, fruit, whipped cream and pouring cream. (obviously if your having them with something that alters the calorie count).

Now, go turn the oven on and enjoy your brownies without any guilt! I dare you!

If anybody is interested in making anymore low fat/calorie dessert recipes just send me a message and I'll be happy to share some more with you as I am baking low fat/calorie desserts all of the time and have found some gorgeous ones! I am also happy to work out any calorie contents of recipes for anybody, again just send me a message and I'll get onto it :)