I don’t know about you, but I love a good brownie.
The delicious little hunks of fudge make for a delectable dessert or even a standalone snack. The downside, however, is the sugar.
Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It is by no means the most serious case, however, I do have to be more careful and watch what I eat.
This revelation led to me cutting back even further on my already limited sweets intake.
I’ve always held that not being allowed to have something just makes you want it more. Before my diagnosis, I didn’t eat a whole lot of sweet food. I mostly stuck to salty and savory flavors.
But when I was told I didn’t need them, it became the main thing I craved. Life is funny that way.
Now that all of the rambling is out of the way, let’s get to the reason we are here.
Since there was a limit now hanging over my head, I had to look for alternative ways to fill those cravings.
The logical step, sugar free.
Now, growing up, I was not really a fan of the sugar free alternatives of desserts. They always tasted bland, almost like cardboard. Let me just say, we have come a long way.
Nowadays, sugar free is sometimes hard to distinguish from the real deal.
This is in large part due to the rise of artificial sweeteners. Now I know these are not generally heralded as an all-healthy substance, but to that I say, “One step at a time.”
When I want something sweet, I would rather chance it than go without.
That said, the sugar free brownies I had last week were a game changer.
See, I had to have oral surgery last week. This meant a diet of soft (mostly liquid) foods. These brownies, however, were soft enough for me to enjoy.
They were a welcome shift from the popsicles and chicken broth I had grown accustomed to.
These fluffy little treats seemed to melt in my mouth.
I finished nearly an entire pan by myself over the course of a couple of days.
Now that my mouth is healing, however, I do not see myself steering away from them. I will continue to eat these treats.
I used to not care all that much for brownies, but something (namely my tastes) changed. Now, I can’t resist them.
So, if you too would like to cut back on your sugar intake without cutting out sweets all together, I would suggest giving these brownies a try!
SUGAR FREE BROWNIES
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ cup Splenda
17 tablespoons of butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar free chocolate chips
■ Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
■ Prepare a 9-inch-by-9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
■ In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add the unsweetened cocoa powder and mix.
■ In a large bowl, mix the Splenda with the melted butter until well combined.
■ Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add half at a time, stirring between each addition.
■ Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each.
■ Add the vanilla extract.
■ Fold in the chocolate chips and evenly distribute the batter into the pan.
■ Bake for 20-25 minutes.
■ Allow the brownies to cool before cutting into squares.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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