Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein!) Brownies

 I have yet to meet anyone who dislikes brownies.  Chocolate and butter barely held together with flour; what on earth is there to dislike? In the course of my brownie research, I read a quote that there were as many brownie recipes as daisies in the field.  So true; there is infinite variety, from the amount of chocolate and butter, to the number of eggs and the amount of flour, to the size of the pan.

There are those who like them cake-y, and those who like them fudge-y.  I'm a fudge-y person, myself.  If I want cake, I'll make a cake!  Back in the day when I used to use brownie mixes (which really aren't bad) I used to half-bake them to get them the way I like them; downright goopy in the middle!

When I am inventing a new sugar-free recipe, sometimes it takes a few tries to get the recipe right.  You know, one where nobody knows it's sugar-free but the baker.  This one is spot-on.  Fudge-y, dense, rich goodness.  Oh yeah.  You're going to like this one!

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

5 oz sugar-free, sweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz unsweetened (bakers') chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces

1/2 cup erythritol
1/3 cup xylitol
7 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs
2 TB unsweetened applesauce

2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
2 TB soy protein
2 TB unsweetened, plain whey powder
1 TB almond meal


1 cup walnut meats - optional


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and put rack in the lower third of the oven.


2. Line a 9" square baking pan with foil, letting the ends of the foil run up the sides and hang over the edges of the pan.  Do not butter or flour the pan.

3. If using walnuts, spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, 7-10 minutes.  Cool them and chop coarsely.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the chocolates and butter and melt over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

5. When melted, remove mixture from the heat, and stir in the sweeteners, vanilla, and salt, until well-combined.

6. Stir in the applesauce, then stir in one egg at a time until well-combined.

7. In a small bowl, combine the flours and whisk to combine.  Stir them into the chocolate mixture until well-combined.

8. Add the walnuts, (if desired) and stir well.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, on top of the foil, using a spatula to scrape all of it out of the pot and into the pan.  Spread evenly in the pan.

10. Put pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven and bake until the surface is glossy and smooth, and a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center, about 40 minutes.  (A few crumbs may stick to it; that's okay.)

11. Cool brownies in the pan, on a rack.  Use the foil to remove the whole batch from the pan when cool.  Cut into squares of the size you desire (keeping in mind that these are rich.)

Brownies will keep in an air-tight container for several days.  Well, theoretically.  

Notes:  You can get pretty darned good sugar-free dark chocolate at Trader Joe's, sweetened with maltitol.  This has become my go-to baking bar, because the price is very good for decent chocolate.  Bob's Red Mill makes all of the other flours, and you can buy them in a well-stocked health food store.  (We can buy them in bulk at Berkeley Bowl or Berkeley Natural Grocer.)  If you want to, you can substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour instead.

Sweeteners:  Erythritol and xylitol are sugar alcohols; low-glycemic, low-calorie, sweeteners suitable for use by diabetics or those with metabolic disorders.  You can easily buy xylitol  at a well-stocked grocery or health-food store.  Erythritol is more readily available on-line.  Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the stevia leaf.  It is readily available at grocery stores, including at Trader Joe's.