Healthy Chocolate Brownie Recipes - Indulge Without Expanding Your Waistline!

While we seem to be slowly moving out of the low-fat craze that has gripped the nation over the past couple of decades, the notion that all foods must be low-fat for them to be healthy still persists. I do my best to educate people that the far greater concern is the amount of sugar and refined flour that we consume. The reason is simple - highly refined carbohydrates, like white sugar and white flour, raise blood sugar levels very quickly. The body's response is to release insulin which signals cells to get this excess sugar out of the bloodstream. Another downside of this is that insulin also signals the body to store fat. So you can see that a diet high in sugar and refined carbs can add to major weight gain over time.

So what can a person do to cut down on the refined sugar in dessert recipes? You will see that the recipes below are sweetened using a paste made from medjool dates. Unlike white sugar, which is nutritionally bankrupt, medjool dates are high in fiber and loaded in potassium. Dates also contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, and a variety of B vitamins.

To use medjool dates as a sweetener in recipes, you will want to start with 12 dates and remove the pits. You can do this by making a cut lengthwise through the date and opening it up. The pit is easily removed with your hands. It's an easy job, even if it is a bit sticky!



Then you want to soften the dates by soaking them in hot water. I place the dates in a glass measuring cup and then add hot water until it reaches the 1 1/2 cups line. No need to heat the water, just use it as hot as you can get it from your faucet. Allow this to sit for 10 minutes.

Next you want to pour off 1/4 cup of the liquid. Place the remaining water and dates in a food processor. Process until the mixture is a smooth paste. Your dates are ready to be used to sweeten the Healthy Chocolate Brownie Recipes featured below. It makes 1 cup of date puree. One of the recipes below only calls for 3/4 cup. The rest of the puree can be frozen or used to sweeten a smoothie.

Using medjool dates as a sweetener is a trick works best in dark recipes that are strong-flavored. So it is perfect to use in healthy chocolate brownie recipes.

high in fiber which helps keep you fuller longer and can help control blood sugar levels

flavonoids in cocoa can help keep fats from clogging your arteries

Coconut oil can help boost your immunity

No refined sugar

They are low in calories, yet you still get a nice size piece that will satisfy.

They are fairly high in fiber for a dessert, which helps keep you full

You get the added benefit of the calcium from the yogurt