No campfire needed for s'more brownies
| • | The great barbecue debate |
By Elaine Magee
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Q. One of our favorite foods to have at the neighborhood Memorial Day party is s'more brownies. It's a recipe from the Food Network. Can you please do your thing and give it a makeover?
A. S'more brownies. What a wonderful concept. I could smell the browned and caramelizing marshmallows just reading this reader's e-mail. Of the three layers that make up this fun dessert, I'll lighten two of them (the graham cracker crust and the brownie). There's not much I can do about the ooey, gooey, toasted marshmallow topping, nor would I want to.
The graham cracker crust calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, and instead I used 4 tablespoons of a less-fat margarine blended with 1 tablespoon of lite pancake syrup. The original crust also called for 2 tablespoons of sugar, but I deleted this altogether.
For the brownie, instead of 1 stick of butter, I used 4 tablespoons of canola oil and 4 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream. I substituted 1/2 cup of egg substitute for two of the four eggs called for and used higher omega-3 eggs for the remaining two. And to bump up the fiber and phytonutrients, I used 2/3 cup of whole-wheat flour and 1/3 cup unbleached white flour for the cup of white flour in the original recipe. And if that wasn't enough, I also trimmed the brown sugar and the white sugar back 1/4 cup each. It turns out having a barely sweet brownie was nicely complemented by a supremely sweet toasted marshmallow topping.
Original recipe contains 335 calories, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams saturated fat, and 80 milligrams cholesterol per serving (if 16 per recipe).
S'MORE BROWNIES (LIGHTER AND HIGHER IN FIBER)
For the crust:
For the brownie:
Topping:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with foil (so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch). Coat the foil with canola cooking spray.
Pour the graham cracker crumbs in a medium-sized bowl. Place margarine and pancake syrup in a small, microwave-safe cup and cook on LOW in microwave, watching carefully, until margarine is nicely melted. Drizzle mixture over the graham cracker crumbs and stir until graham cracker crumbs are completely moistened. Press the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes).
While that's baking, start the brownie batter by placing canola oil and chopped chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50 percent power until chocolate is nicely melted once stirred (about 2 minutes). Spoon mixture into a large mixing bowl and on low speed, beat in the sour cream, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and salt. Now add the eggs and egg substitute, beating well after each. Add the whole-wheat and white flour and beat on low just until incorporated.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (with a few crumbs), about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and position the rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Start preheating the broiler now. Layer marshmallows across the top of the brownies. Set the pan under the broiler and toast the marshmallows, watching constantly, until golden. Cool the pan on a rack. Use the flaps of the foil to lift the brownies from the pan. Pull the sides of foil away so they are flat on the counter and cut the brownies into 4 columns in each direction (making 16 brownies). Store in the refrigerator if desired.
Makes 16 squares (cut the pan into 4 columns each direction).
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian; learn more at www.recipedoctor.com.
