I got a cavity just watching Paula Deen make these brownies. Paula called them decadent, and for someone who put 7 cups of sugar and 5 sticks of butter in her son’s birthday cake, that’s saying something! But it looked so gosh darn good! For me, this recipe was a real challenge, but I think I came up with a winner!
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CREME DE MENTHE BROWNIES – Anthony J. Caruso
INGREDIENTS
1 cup light butter spread, softened (recommended: Smart Balance Light)
2 cups sugar substitute with fiber (recommended: Splenda)
1 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp mint extract
1 ¼ cup white whole wheat flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup Crème de Menthe baking chips, for garnish (recommended: Andes)
Frosting:
¼ cup light butter spread, melted (recommended: Smart Balance Light)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
¼ cup skim milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mint extract, mixing well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually mix into butter mixture. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 32-35 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack.
While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, butter extract and milk in a large mixing bowl. Start with 2 tablespoons of milk and slowly add milk until a spreading consistency is reached.
Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with mint chips.
Here’s the skinny:
First, I used light butter spread instead of actual butter. Paula calls for 2 sticks of butter, which totals almost 600% of your daily allowance of saturated fat – in the brownies alone. That doesn’t include the frosting. Light butter spread has almost 80% less saturated fat, as well as many heart healthy oils. I do add a little butter extract into the frosting to add a little more of a butter taste, but you don’t need it in the brownies. You’ll never know it’s not there.
Also, I used sugar substitute with fiber instead of suger. You cut out the sugar and calories and add fiber. Win win!
Next, I swapped out the eggs for egg substitute. Again, you’re looking for a binder, which is the egg white (which is all egg substitute really is). They add the flavor of the yolk so you’re getting the flavor and the binder without all the fat and cholesterol which lives in the yolk. There’s another 32% of your daily intake of saturated fat eliminated.
Instead of all-purpose flour, I used white whole wheat flour. All-purpose flour is made from a refined grain, meaning everything healthy from it has been stripped. This is done to give it a more tender texture. White whole wheat flour is made of whole grains, but is tenderized to mimic all-purpose flour. Now you are getting your healthy grains instead of refined grains, which, to your system, is just like eating sugar.
Paula called for a 10 oz bag of creme de menthe baking chips to get folded in. There is an enormous amount of fat in those. Three tablespoons has 70% of your daily allowance of saturated fat. In one bag, you’re looking at almost 500% of your daily allowance of saturated fat. Add that to the over 500% in the butter, and you’re already looking at a heart attack. I cut it out and added mint extract instead, so you get the mint flavor without clogging an artery.
For the frosting, again, I swapped out the butter for the butter spread and added the butter extract.
Also, I cut the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cups. It’s extremely sweet – you don’t need all that sugar in order to have a great frosting.
Lastly, I used skim milk to make the frosting instead of whole milk. You’re looking to thin out the frosting to make it spreadable. Why do you need something creamy to make something thin? You just use less skim milk and you’re fine. Trust me – with all that’s going on, you’ll never think it was made with skim milk.
Enjoy!
Thindulge 