Chocolate Brownie with Raspberries and White Chocolate Chips and…Butternut Squash!

I was sitting on the couch, sipping on some green tea while watching the Food Network (my usual Saturday morning routine), when I saw the best dessert idea ever: Brownies made with Veggies!? The ladies from the show Cooking Yourself Thin were trying to help some adorable chubby girl lose weight for her wedding, by taking her fave foods and giving her healthier options. This one really caught my eye, as I am HUGE brownie fan (duh!) and was literally praying for any solution to this addiction. Seriously gang, if I had a Juliette et Chocolat behind my house I would be eating their Salty Caramel Brownie every day. They have the most deliciously moist brownie I have ever tasted…until now.

I know it sounds weird, but I am telling you this brownie is finger lickin’ good! Picture a guilt-free brownie….that actually tastes good. It has every flavor a brownie should have: a strong cocoa flavor, sweet and tart raspberry taste, and moist squishy texture from the squash= PERFECTION. I want you all to know that I am not in fact biased as I had a number of people try them and they all freaked out on how amazing these were, not believing , and not wanting to hear that these chocolate delights are made with a vegetable. Bake up a batch of these bad boys and eat not only one slice, but two or three! We can finally afford the calories ladies, and if your men are squeamish about the idea….what they don’t know, won’t hurt them ;)

xo Dom Appetit!

PS. This was my first time making these, but next time I will try them with Blueberries and dark chocolate chips! Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Et Voila! The ideal Guilt-Free Brownie!

Chocolate Brownie with Raspberries and White Chocolate Chips

(taken from: Cooking Yourself Thin Recipes)

TOOLS NEEDED: a square brownie tin (9 x 9), hand held electric mixer, measuring spoons, measuring cups, spatula, parchment paper, big mixing bowl.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes: 9

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of Raspberries (or any berry of your choice!)

2 cups of cooked mashed Butternut Squash

2 handfuls of White Chocolate Chips

1 cup of ground Almonds (powder)

1 ¼ cups of white sugar

3 medium eggs

¼ cup of self-rising flour (to make this, we experimented by taking a bit less of ¼ cup of flour and adding ¼ teaspoon of baking powder and a dash of salt! Worked for us…)

½ cup of Dutch Processes Cocoa Powder

1 teaspoon of baking powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder to top off the brownies (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Line backing tin with parchment paper, putting a bit of oil in the corners
3. Beat the eggs and sugar in the big bowl until they have quadrupled in size and are pale and fluffy
4. Beat in the squash, flour, almond powder, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Make sure well mixed and no clumps!
5. Pour half of the batter in the tin and add the raspberries and white chocolate all over the mixture. Cover with remaining mixture. Place in oven and cook for 30 mins. Check with toothpick, if comes out a bit crumbly, then your brownies are ready! Leave to cool for 20 mins, sprinkle with cocoa and serve! J