[WolfyOne]

Better For You Brownies
Dates, the secret ingredient in these lower fat brownies, replaces butter and have a remarkable affinity with chocolate. Ground walnuts give these brownies a rich background flavor

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup walnuts toasted *
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 semi sweet chocolate chips

1) Heat oven to 350 F. Coat 8x11 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine cocoa, dates and coffee.Add boiling water; stir until cocoa has dissolved. Let stand about 10 minutes or until completely cooled.

2) In food processor, flour, baking powder, salt and walnuts; process until walnuts are ground. Transfer to large bowl.

3) Scrape cooled cocoa mixture into food processor. Add egg, egg white, 1 cup of the sugar, canola oil and vanilla; process until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides of bowl.

4) Add cocoa mixture to reserved flour mixture; mix with rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into baking dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top.

5) Bake brownies 22 to 25 minutes or until top is firm around edges and just set in center. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars**

12 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ready to serve: 1 hour 15 minutes

Per serving: 185 calories
6.5 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat) 3 g protein, 32 g carbs, 18 mg cholesterol, 77 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

TIP * To toast walnuts, place in a dry skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

TIP ** To prevent brownies from sticking to the knife, spary it with nonstick cooking spray before cutting into the bars.

Nutrition Note: The added bonus of this brownie recipe is fiber. It provides 3 grams of fiber per serving, while a traditional brownie recipe has just 1 gram.