Slender Blondie Brownies with Figs

Three of my sorority sisters just moved into the building last week and it also happened to be Batman's 2nd birthday, so we had plenty of excuses to bake some sweets. Original recipe came from the Secrets of a Skinny Chef cookbook by Jennifer Iserloh.

The recipe called for white whole wheat flour which I did not have so I used a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. A whole wheat to AP combo of 2 to 1 yielded a heartier consistency almost that of corn bread and 50/50 mix created a much softer texture. Both were good & it depends on your preference but I think I liked the 50/50 better.

I later discovered the rule of thumb substitution for all purpose flour in baking is:

...Would have been nice if I had seen that first!

Our preferred, sweeter adaptation of the recipe (without the nuts) follows.

Slender Blondie Brownies with Figs

Yields: 12

• 3/8 cup all purpose flour (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
• 3/8 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup dried figs, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk oil and sugar together until smooth. Stir in  egg whites and extracts. Stir into flour mixture until combined.
4. Stir in the chocolate and figs.
5. Spread batter evenly in a 9-inch square pan coated with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes & then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 12 pieces. (do not cut or move the brownies until completely cooled or you could cause them to crack or break apart)

Nutrition facts per serving (makes 12): 141 calories, 25g carbs, 6g fat, 2g protein.