February is heart month for a reason! Who doesn’t need a dose of chocolate and love during this Valentine’s Day and late winter month? Indulge in some “better-for-you” but still fudgy, dark chocolate brownies that are “kissed” with raspberry preserves as a way to support heart health and boost your mood! For a perfectly portioned sweet treat with good fats from avocado oil, bake these in(heart shaped) muffin cups. Each brownie is only 165 calories with healthful swaps that include avocado oil in place of butter and coconut sugar in place of white sugar.
Active Prep Time: 15 mins ∙ Cook Time: 18 mins ∙ Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup avocado oil, plus more to grease pan
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg, beaten
1 large egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup low-sugar raspberry preserves
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with avocado oil.
Place avocado oil, chocolate chips, and applesauce in a large mixing bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring each time, just until chocolate has melted.
Stir coconut sugar and cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture, then stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
Slowly fold in flour and salt, until all is combined into a smooth batter. Divide the batter equally between the greased muffin cups.
In a small mixing bowl, stir raspberry preserves to break up their pectin. This will make them a little more fluid and easier to work with.
Spoon a rounded teaspoon of the preserves atop the batter in each muffin cup. Use a toothpick to lightly swirl it over top and spread it out.
Bake 16–18 minutes, just until the edges are puffed up and coming away from the pan but centers are still not fully set. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Calories per brownie: 165 ∙ Fat: 9g ∙ Net Carbs: 19g ∙ Fiber: 1g ∙ Sugars: 14g ∙ Protein: 2g