Healthy Snack of the Day: Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

For Mother's Day, I wanted to make a dessert that I knew would be a big hit, but be sure that I kept the ingredients nice and healthy. The answer: Cheesecake Swirl Brownies. I based my brownies on an Eating Well recipe, so they started out on the "good for you" side, but I took it to the next level. It comes down to substitutions, and easy ones, so that way you're using ingredients that are readily available to you and not spending a lot of money. The brownies were extra moist and had a rich taste so no one even guessed that they were good for you!!



Recipe:

For the cheesecake topping:
4 oz and 1 tblspn of Greek yogurt (I used Chobani's nonfat vanilla)
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 tblspn flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Brownie:
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/8 cup applesauce
1/4 cup strong coffee (you can use black tea instead, if you'd like)
2 tsps vanilla extract

Preparation:

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used an 8x8 metal pan which I sprayed with olive oil and then patted down with flour.

2-For the topping: place Greek yogurt in a small mixing bowl, add sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Set aside.

3-For the brownie layer: Whisk the whole-wheat flour and cocoa in a bowl. In a large separate bowl, beat the egg, egg whites, and sugar until smooth. To the egg and sugar mix, add the applesauce, coffee, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to this mixture, 1/3 at a time, until the first moment that the ingredients are well-blended.

4-Pour 1/2 the brownie mixture into the 8x8 pan. Next, pour the topping evenly on top. Pour the remaining brownie mixture on top of the topping layer. Using the tip of a knife or a toothpick, swirl the mixture.

5-Bake the brownies until the top is firm to the touch. For me, with my type of pan and oven, this took about 30 minutes.


ENJOY!!!!