Chocolate Brownies, Low Cal

These low-calorie brownies hit the sweet spot between a dietetic baked good and a real, satisfying chocolate bite. The trick is in what gets left out: no butter, no oil, no egg yolks. Just melted semi-sweet chocolate, hot water, four egg whites, and just enough flour to hold everything together.

The melted chocolate is doing all the heavy work here. Six ounces of real semi-sweet, melted gently in a double boiler with hot water, gives the batter its rich, fudgy backbone without needing the fat from butter. Egg whites bring the lift and structure that yolks would normally provide, while keeping the bake nearly fat-free.

The batter is thinner than a typical brownie batter, almost pourable. That is exactly right. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan, bake until the edges pull away (the visual cue from the directions, more reliable than a toothpick test for these), and dust with powdered sugar once cooled.

Pro Tips

• Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before whisking in the egg whites. Hot chocolate cooks the egg whites on contact, leaving you with chocolate-streaked scrambled bits in the batter.
• Do not overmix once the dry ingredients go in. Stirring just until combined keeps the brownies tender. Overmixing develops gluten and turns these tough.
• Pull at the 20-minute mark and check edges. The edges-pulling-away cue from the directions is your true doneness signal. A toothpick will always come out gummy with a brownie this fudgy.
• Add fresh pitted cherries (the optional addition mentioned in the recipe) for a black-forest twist that adds bursts of fruit through the bake.

Variations

• Stir a teaspoon of espresso powder into the melted chocolate to deepen the chocolate flavor without adding coffee taste.
• Add a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cayenne for a Mexican chocolate brownie.
• Top each square with a fresh raspberry and a tiny mint leaf for an elegant dinner-party presentation.