With half the sugar, this healthy brownie delivers a big chocolate punch

The new year begins in just a few days. One New Year's resolution: create the best tasting, low-fat and low-sugar desserts that I can. My ultimate goal: those new desserts should equal or exceed the high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar goodies from which they sprung.

In the last the last two years you've probably noticed the evolution of many of my recipes as they focused less on reducing fat and more on lowering sugar; sometimes becoming sugar-free.

Why?

Recent studies show that trans fats are the fats that seem to trigger serious dietary health issues and are the fats about which we were all sold a bill of goods. Today, trans fats have come closer than this to being banished from all commercially produced American foods.

These days I use what are currently considered healthy fats, such as organic butter from grass-fed cows and coconut oil (organic, extra-virgin, unrefined).

If I want to stay away from butter's cholesterol, I use lightly flavored organic olive oil. Olive oil's buttery flavor profile is more than a satisfactory healthy substitute.

We've all recently learned: sugars seem to be at the core of many health issues; such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

My continuing healthy ways means cutting sugars and using healthy fats, while reducing some fats to keep calories in check. All good.

A flurry of brownie recipes showcased online got me thinking about how much I love good brownies; not too fudgy, not too caky. Most important: any brownie I make must deliver a big chocolate punch.

Those thoughts led me to my no-added-fat Double Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies. Over the years I've gotten more positive feedback on those brownies than any other brownie I've created.

And, for New Year's Eve this year I wanted to create something devilishly decadent for a dessert, yet also definitely healthy. I used my Double Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies to which I already given the boot to a stick of butter, as the foundation for my new brownies.

Cutting the sugar is a must, because an 7-by-11-inch pan of my brownies called for two cups. Artificial sweeteners were out; too many potential health issues.

Organic stevia, a natural sugar substitute, had worked well for me in other desserts. I used stevia to cut one of the two cups of sugar by exchanging 24 stevia packets.

Instead of using a no-sugar-added chocolate chip, I went with 4-ounces of fair trade certified, organic, soy-free, 85-percent cocoa dark chocolate for baking (Theo brand) that I chopped into chips for my brownies. The reason: it's the real deal, more cocoa content; less sugar.

I used my usual drained unsweetened applesauce (it reduces the apple juice; leaving mostly apple fiber) for the stick of butter that is usually used. A heady chocolate aroma filled my kitchen as my new brownies baked.

Once cooled, I cut them up and took a first bite. Wow! The super-dark chocolate bits delivered a BIG chocolate flavor and a slightly bitter edge that was the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the brownie. This was an absolute winner.

With butter and sugar each brownie would have delivered 233 calories. My new brownies had just 143 calories per 2-by-2-inch brownie. Amazing! You must give them a try.

Happy New Year!

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@theleanwizard.com.