It’s that time of year again. You know, that whole workout more, eat less, get fit time of year. I usually don’t set any lofty goals that have a high likelihood of failure. I’m a realist, and I know that if I say “I will never eat sugar again”, I will most likely end up consuming 28,649 calories worth of raw cookie dough by the end of the week. I just don’t do well with deprivation. I do better with things like, well, brownies.
While I’m certain that having no desserts at all would be a super healthy choice, I know that’s not realistic for me. Hey, at least I’m honest, and I own it. I do believe that there is a happy medium and whenever I can I like to try and “make over” some of our favorite dessert recipes.
The dessert that disappears fastest in our house is brownies. If a pan of brownies lasts 36 hours around here, it’s probably because someone hid them, and hid them really well. If I’m making brownies just for us to have (versus to take to a get together), I often make No Pudge Brownies or the Trader Joe equivalent, Reduced Guilt Brownies. These are both delicious fat free brownie mixes that you simply add a container of yogurt to, pop in the oven and voila – a lighter brownie. I’m not going to lie to you and say that they taste like some triple chocolate warm and gooey brownie a la mode at a gourmet bakery. Those brownies likely have a stick of butter per serving in them, which is why they taste like little bites of heaven. What I will say about the No Pudge/Reduced Guilt Brownies is that my extraordinarily picky daughter, and brownie (of the stick of butter variety) loving husband both really like them. So basically they don’t suck and are pretty darn delicious given the fact they are fat free.
As much as I love both of these mixes, I’ve been wanting to find a way to make them myself. Turns out it wasn’t all that hard. And by making them from scratch I was able to switch the all purpose flour to whole wheat flour, making these fat free whole wheat brownies. That’s practically health food – move over brussels sprouts! Well, maybe not quite, but it’s a family pleasing dessert that is probably a much better option than regular brownies. Want to make some? Here’s what you need…
More Fudge Less Pudge Brownie Recipe (No Pudge Brownie Copycat Recipe)
Adapted from Food.com No Pudge Brownie Clone Recipe
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (all purpose flour can be used)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark cocoa (regular cocoa can be used in place of dark cocoa, I just prefer dark cocoa/chocolate in everything)
2 teaspoons cornstartch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg white (optional – the egg white creates a more cake like brownie)
1 tsp vanilla
2 containers of fat free vanilla yogurt (I like the Dannon Greek Vanilla Yogurt)
Nonstick Cooking Spray
You can always get creative and add in things like nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter or chocolate chips to the mix.
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F
Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add in yogurt, vanilla and optional egg white. Stir well to combine. The mixture is fairly dry and thick, and will take a bit of work to fully combine.
Spread into a 8×8 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for approx 25 minutes. Allow to cool if that’s your thing, otherwise grab a fork and dig in.
These won’t be the most decadent and rich brownies you have ever had, but they make a pretty darn yummy fat free chocolate dessert that you won’t have to feel totally guilty about, and that counts for something.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
A friend of mine uses that mix and swears by it. I need to check it out!
Kasey says
I am really excited to try this. My husband and I have been dieting for quite a while now, and I am totally missing desserts. When I do eat them I feel super guilty, so I’d love to try this one! Thanks!
Taylor says
I don’t do well with deprivation either – everything in moderation, right?! Definitely making a pan of these for my weeknight treats!
Haley says
I LOOVEE No Pudge Brownies!! I will have to try these!! I may sub in a different sweetener for the sugar though! (:
Cookbook Queen says
My husband is currently on his annual resolution diet (none for me thankyouverymuch) so he will appreciate these!! And since they taste good, I guess I can handle a bit of “diet dessert” too… 😉
Michelle says
Thank you, thank you!! I really liked the “No Pudge” but always hated the price. Now I have a recipe using ingredients I have for much less. I can’t wait to try it out.
Kathryn says
I made some low fat brownies using low fat mayo rather than eggs/butter and they were amazing, some of the best brownies I’ve ever had. I love the idea of using a low fat yogurt though and especially one with a hint of vanilla – your brownies have turned out wonderful!
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
We usually buy tubs of yogurt, how many ounces of yogurt would I need to sneak out of the hubby’s tub o’ yogurt for this recipe? I was thinking 8 oz but I don’t want to guess and be wrong. 🙂
Christi says
The Mrs… it looks like the containers are 5.3 oz each. I did measure them (loosely) when I was adding them, and I am guessing that if you added one cup of yogurt, that would be about perfect. 🙂
RavieNomNoms says
Oh wow look at these! I am sure they just taste amazing…they look like something I definitely should try. My dad has been trying to lose some weight and the LOVES sweet things so i will have to make for him, thanks!
Caitlin says
I have tried those no pudge fudge brownies – I was surprised by how good they tasted. I bet the homemade version is even better!
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says
Mmmm….these look incredible!! And they are no pudge?! Score! Can’t wait to try these! 🙂
Erin says
I love that no pudge brownie mix. But they stopped selling it around here. So glad to see a copycat recipe!
Jenny says
I just tried a brownie recipe that replaced part of the fat with pureed black beans. It was so yummy and very moist and rich. I’ve read you can replace all the fat with beans and plan to try it soon.
Cookingmimi says
Here’s my secret to making the brownies taste like you RUINED your diet…
I made the recipe using the “cake like” directions except I added a bit more than 2/3 cups of yogurt. I added one whole egg instead of one egg white like they says and
THE IMPORTANT PART: One tablespoon of coffee. It brings the chocolate flavor to a whole other level.
Trust me, my boyfriend’s grandma was RAVING about them and she won’t touch anything that says fat free. She actually sucked her teeth and sighed when she first saw the box..
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
These look amazing! I’ve never had those mixes before but I’m sure these are better! I think I’ll try them at some point using some honey instead of sugar. 🙂
Shannon says
I just made the no pudge brownie and they were perfect. I used 2/3 Greek plain yogurt and added dark chocolate ghiradelli morsels. MMmm. Oh and also did not have any cornstarch so used 4 tsps of white flour. And oops also used a whole egg. (eggs are from my chickens hate to waste a yolk) Worked like a charm.
Kris - Caterer says
I’m going to try an adaptation of our normal brownies next time and see how that goes.
Sheryl says
Look forward to trying your homemade version of no pudge.. I buy the guilt free mix from Trader Joe frequently. We thought the mix ends up with a too sticky brownie. So I tried this : I substitute canned pumpkin for the yogurt and love the results. First I also add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Then I use about 1 cup pumpkin and add 1/4 cup water. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. This makes a cakier finished dessert but we like it better.
Deanna says
OMG! These are the BEST fat free brownies AROUND! Seriously! Thank you for this recipe! I’ve made these several times already & keep coming back for more. Super duper easy to make and delish! These don’t survive past 24 hours in my place…and it’s just me! 🙂
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Belinda says
Hi, I have just come across this recipe and need to make these brownies. I am in Australia and we do not have this yoghurt so was just hoping you could please tell what size the containers are.
Many thanks 🙂
Christi @ Love From The Oven says
Belinda – each container is 5.3 oz, I believe they measure about 1/3-1/2 a cup per container. Hope that helps!