Let’s face it. The holiday season is fattening. Between the cookies, the big meals, the lack of time to exercise…it’s very easy to gain weight unless you’re careful.
I’m careful by getting whatever I make out of the house as soon as possible. Luckily, The Carpenter thinks I’m a great baker and is willing to eat pretty much anything. And, as always, I work with very hungry residents who get excited over day-old donuts, let alone homemade goodies.
I also try to cook lighter dishes and eat healthy throughout the week since I know that I’ll eat the cookie dough or that cookie that I “accidentally” broke. But it never hurts to have a light(ish) dessert around to indulge in. That’s where these brownies come in. They have way less butter and eggs than what I usually make, yet are still rich enough that you really only need/want one square.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies
Print this recipe!
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg + 2 egg whites
Cream Cheese layer:
1/3 cup sugar
3 oz cream cheese (low fat is fine), softened
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white
3 tablespoons raspberry preserves
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk sugar, cocoa, butter, water, vanilla, egg, and egg whites together. Add in flour mixture and stir just to combine. Pour 2/3 of the batter into prepared pan. Set the remaining batter aside.
Cream together sugar and softened cream cheese. Beat in flour, vanilla, and the egg white until combined. Spread over the brownie batter, covering it completely.
Dollop remaining brownie batter and raspberry preserves over the cream cheese layer. Swirl the two together with a knife. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a wire rack.
-Adapted from Cooking Light
Do you worry about gaining weight during the holidays? What do you do to try and avoid it?
One year ago: Oatmeal Thumbprints
Two years ago: Chocolate Bon-Bon Drops
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