Low-fat Brownies

Isn't it nice to whip up a little dessert after a long day? I'm talking about 5 or 10 minutes on your feet in the kitchen, max. I found this recipe on Joy of Baking's site, a low-fat wonder before adding a layer of crunchy peanut butter for my dear husband Matt. He and my mom (and other members of the family) are nutz-o about chocolate peanut butter in combination, so I imagine that--even if I had burned these brownies--they still would've been gobbled up.

You know, I just realized that I should explain all of these "Joy's" that I've been referring to in the posts these last few weeks.

• Joy of Cooking--the classic, 80 year old cookbook with the white cover and red lettering; I refer to this often in cooking, and a little less on this blog
• Joy the Baker--a hip, Californian young baker who is creative with her flavor combos and baking techniques; I refer to her regularly
• Joy of Baking--a middle-aged, established blogger with many traditional baking recipes (think comfort food) that she and her contributors offer; I refer to her seldomly

So today's brownies are from Joy #3, the last on the list. So much Joy! The brownies are low fat and, if you add the peanut butter topping, well, it adds a little more fat. Just warning you. But they are tasty!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Makes one 8X8 pan

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup soft butter spread (margarine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup light sour cream or plain low fat yogurt

Topping (not so low fat)

3 TB crunchy peanut butter, melted in the microwave (1 minute)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Step one: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in the center of the oven. Spray an 8X8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and margarine until smooth. Then, mix in the vanilla and egg.

Step two: In a second bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Combine the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients. Then mix in the yogurt/sour cream. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 15--20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Topping: Once the brownies are out of the oven, cool for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, add the peanut butter and microwave for 45 seconds, or until warm and melted. Add the powdered sugar and stir until dissolved. Spread carefully on top of the brownies. Let cool. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar to finish.

Happy eating!
Laurel