So my brother-in-law complained about the switch from decadent brownie batter cookie dough to healthy turkey pasta.
As Peter is coming to stay with us soon, David felt the need to warn his brother that we were on a refined-sugar free kick and there would probably not be blog goodies. As my dear husband mentioned this to me while walking away, he also quietly muttered that he may have mentioned something about our household being in less cheerful moods due to said lack of goodies.
First. WUT. I am always cheerful. Freaking cheerful. Second. DOES MY HUSBAND NOT KNOW ME AT ALL?!?!?! “No refined sugar” does not mean no treats! It just means healthier, naturally sweetened, and chemical free treats! Guilt-free treats!
Don’t worry, Peter. Eat your healthy turkey pasta and zucchini and you can have some lightened up dark chocolate cheesecake brownies. And be cheerful. Apparently. -_-
Lightened Up Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
These cheesecake brownies are everything they should be. They are rich and decadent and have a creamy quality similar to cheesecake.
But they also have more structure and density, like a brownie. And these cheesecake brownies come with even more perks . . .
- gluten-free
- oil and butter-free
- refined sugar-free (depending on the dark chocolate you use, but still very low sugar)
- primal (aka paleo with allowance for dairy)
- so so so rich and chocolatey
I used my favorite 88% dark chocolate again. It makes me happy that a portion of profits go to endangered species protection and it’s seriously the very best dark chocolate I’ve found for when I need a little hit of sweetness. Now, I should note that if you use this dark chocolate, it won’t be 100% refined sugar free… but 5 grams of chocolate for half the bar is pretty negligible. As another option, there is always Enjoy Life or Davis chocolate chips.
But enjoy the cheesecake brownies, regardless!
Cheers!
mikaela | wyldflour
9 extra-large or 16 medium brownies
15 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Save Recipe4.3 based on 3 review(s)
Ingredients
- 4 oz dark chocolate, divided
- 1 cup 4% milk fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grade A dark maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
- Measure cottage cheese into a food processor and blend until the consistency of ricotta cheese--i.e., not large curds. Set aside.
- Melt 2 ounces of dark chocolate in a large mixing bowl by heating in the microwave at 50% power. (About 1 1/2 minutes.) When completely melted, stir in cottage cheese. Then stir in maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir in cocoa, almond flour, and salt. Chop the other 2 ounces of dark chocolate and stir into brownie batter.
- Spread the brownie batter in the greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the Ganache! Chop 4 ounces of chocolate and set aside in a bowl. Heat cream in the microwave until just about to boil. (Do NOT boil it.) Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir until smooth. (If you still have chunks, then heat in the microwave at 50% power for as little time as necessary to melt the chunks.)
- Spread the ganache over the brownies and let set. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. Slice and serve! Store these brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
NUTRITION/MACROS:
If cut into 9 brownies: Calories: 212 Protein: 7g Carbs: 20g Fat: 15g
If cut into 16 brownies: Calories: 119 Protein: 4g Carbs: 11g Fat: 8.5g
Looking for non-lightened up brownies? Check out my fudgey chocolate brownies, slutty brownies, or mayan chocolate brownies!
Tip: I use the darkest chocolate I can find to reduce the amount of refined sugar in the recipe. I love this 88% dark chocolate. You can sub in semi-sweet chocolate if you want a sweeter brownie.
Note: I adapted these cheesecake brownies from the fabulous Half Baked Harvest's fudgy ricotta brownies.
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