Recipe of the Day: Low Calorie Paleo Chocolate Chip Brownies

Low Calorie Paleo Chocolate Chip Brownies

Picture courtesy of gluten free goddess

I adapted a recipe from the gluten free goddess archives to make it more paleo friendly and lower in carbs in an attempt to make a healthy, yet tasty, brownie modeled after one of my personal faves: the Betty Crocker version.

I was amazed to read over the Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie nutrition info...130 calories per serving? Only 2 g of fat? I had spend hours trying to perfect a low fat, low calorie, low sugar version of my favorite dessert, and I was coming up short. Then I realized that sly Betty Crocker had pulled two tricks...the nutrition value was for the mix itself (not counting oil and eggs)..AND the servings were for 1/16 of the package. I always use a 9 X 9 pan to make brownies, so I consider 1/9 of that mix to be one serving. Well, I calculated the actual comparative nutrition values for both my recipe and Betty's, and here are the results: 

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Cal 300; Fat 12g; Carbs 46g; Sugar 32g; Protein 1.7g; Fiber 1.7g; 

Sayd's Paleo Chocolate Chip Brownies

Cal 119; Fat 9g; Carbs 19g; Sugar 2.4g; Protein 3.8g; Fiber 2.4g;

Enjoy these brownies with a glass of almond or silk coconut milk, and no sense of guilt. Mmmmm. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Truvia, or other no calorie, natural sweetener
• 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Tapioca Starch
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 c  Smart Balance Light Spread, melted  (replace with ghee for 100% Paleo)
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (no milk)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan with fat free cooking spray; set aside. Combine the melted buttery spread, oil, and cocoa, stirring to combine. Add truvia, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add flour, tapioka starch, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Spread into the baking pan, top with chocolate chips and bake 22-25 minutes.