Healthy Blondie Brownie Recipe

Chewy, rich blondies are hard to resist when you are in the mood for something sweet. One of our readers would like a little help with her blondie recipe to transform one of her favorite treats into something healthier. Large amounts of sugar and butter give these treats a lot of flavor, but also make them calorie-dense. Nutritionally, however, they are not so dense, consisting of mostly empty calories without a lot of vitamins or minerals.

Since blondies are often described as brownies without the chocolate I thought I would use one of my favorite substitutions for brownie recipes in this rehab: beans! In brownies, I will often replace the fat with black bean puree, but in order to keep the pale color of the blondies, I will use a white bean such as cannellini beans (although any white bean would work). Beans are an excellent source of fiber and help to add a little more protein to this recipe as well. Instead of the traditional flour base, I will use white whole wheat flour and wheat germ to boost the nutrition a bit further and to include more folic acid and vitamin E. As for the sweetener, I will reduce the amount of sugar, but add some extra molasses to maintain the rich flavor.

These treats are so tasty; you will never believe how healthy they are.

Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup Splenda blend
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white beans, rinsed, drained and pureed in a food processor
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Grease the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Whisk together the oil, molasses and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined. With a spoon, mix in the bean puree.
3. Add the flour, wheat germ and salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour into prepared baking pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan completely before cutting into squares.

Serves: 16 (2 inch squares)

Nutrition Content (per serving):
183 calories, 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 15 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein, 88 mg sodium
Note: Using Splenda reduces the calories to 158, carbohydrates to 21 g, and sugars to 9 g.


More Healthy Dessert Recipes:
Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blackberry Champagne Cupcakes

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your favorite fattening recipes that need a RECIPE REHAB! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach, Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com and www.theskinnyondietitians.com has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Send us your recipe!