I had the honor of meeting Marlene Koch, author of the cookbook: Eat More of What You Love, at the Book Expo America event held this June at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Marlene was all smiles as I told her how much I appreciate the publishing of this cookbook because not only does it reduce the length of time in the kitchen but substitutes the unnecessary calories from our daily diet. As she autographed my personal copy, I promised her that my next blog recipe would be from her book. So Marlene, this one is for you!

One Bowl Three-Bite Brownies

Serves 6-12 people

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup (or 3.5 ounce container) prune puree
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated no-calorie sweetener
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

* For cakier brownies, add one additional egg.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick baking spray.
2. Place chocolate chips and butter in a bowl, whisk until completely melted. 
3. Add prune puree, instant coffee, vanilla and brown sugar; blend until smooth.
4. Stir in beaten egg, along with cocoa powder, baking powder and flour, whisk until lump free.
5. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly touched.
6. Cool pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes before removing brownies from tin.

MY OVERALL REVIEW

I must confess, I am not a fan of baking and if I have to bake, I certainly prefer to not do it during summer. I think it was just plain ole luck that I happened to have the ingredients at home for this recipe (minus the prune puree, which I later picked up in the baby food section at my local grocery store.)

As you can see from the photo below, theses brownies were very moist on the inside and I assure you, tasted just as delicious as they look. I added a touch of colored sprinkles as celebration for the 4th of July.

According to the book, 1 brownie counts as 100 calories; not a bad number since I had 3 of them the same day.

The process of mixing the ingredients took about 20 minutes, I stuck with the book recommendation of 12 minutes for baking and 10 minutes for cooling. If you don't have a sweet tooth like me, you might find the brownie a bit rich in taste. A glass of cold milk will fix that problem. I think these brownies will be more fun to make during the cold months, simply because oven use during the summer is just harsh to the human body.

The brownies make a great dessert option for parties and/or social gatherings and a quick bake item when you need a snack.

I would rate these brownies an A- grade in taste, quality and process.