Lowcalorie Marble Chocolate Brownies

A lighter brownie that actually tastes like a brownie. Unsweetened applesauce replaces most of the fat, keeping the crumb moist without loading up on butter or oil. Artificial sweetener stands in for sugar, and cocoa powder delivers real chocolate flavor without the added calories of melted chocolate.

The marble effect is simple and looks impressive. You drop spoonfuls of plain vanilla batter into the pan first, then spoon the chocolate-cocoa batter over top. No fancy swirling needed. The layering itself creates a natural marbled pattern as it bakes.

Fifteen minutes in the oven and you’re done. These bake fast because the pan is small and the batter is thin.

Chef Tips

• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the brownies tough instead of tender.
• The applesauce must be unsweetened. Sweetened applesauce combined with the artificial sweetener will make these taste cloying.
• Test with a toothpick at 15 minutes exactly. These go from done to dry very quickly because there’s less fat to keep them moist.
• Let them cool completely in the pan before cutting. They’re fragile when warm.

Variations

• Use a sugar-free chocolate pudding powder instead of cocoa for a fudgier chocolate layer.
• Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the chocolate batter to deepen the cocoa flavor.
• Swirl in a tablespoon of peanut butter before baking for a chocolate-peanut butter marble.