A friend posted this on Facebook so I instantly saved it to my wall. It linked back to a Facebook page and I’m not totally sure how to do that on here so I’m linking to a link I found on Pinterest here.
I was more than a little skeptical when I first saw this recipe for 37 Calorie Brownies. I mean really… 37 calories? In a brownie? But, you never know until you try, right? I’ll be totally honest with you all and tell you that I normally (like ever) make super healthy desserts. To me, a dessert is a treat, so I want it to taste good. So even the ingredients scared me a little. Not separately, but in a brownie???
The “batter” was very thin. But I still had hope.
Hmmmmm….. brownies don’t normally look like this after baking…
They kind of reminded me of flourless cake. They look dense and chocolatey. Hope came back.
Holy heck! I don’t want to totally diss the recipe. It could have been user error. I could have misread something. But they were horrible! Horrible! But maybe it’s just me. Maybe my sweet tooth is too big and these just aren’t for me.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup Truvia or any other stevia/natural based sweetener that pours like sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400 degrees.
- Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with no stick cooking spray.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix for about 1 minute, until smooth.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into 9 big squares.
The best part of this whole thing? I took them to work. You know, to see if it was just me or not. I even warned people and they still wanted to try them. They either said “oh come on, everything you bake is delicious”, or “you are so critical of what you bake”. Okay people. Eat.
It was hysterical. I almost cried on more than one occasion! I think only 2 people were actually able to swallow the first bite. Most people, including me, couldn’t spit it out fast enough. And then came the faces. The after taste is indescribable. I’m thinking the 1/2 cup of artificial sweetener must have been a typo. That’s pretty much all you can taste and that taste lasts in your mouth for a long time! Like an hour if you don’t eat or drink something (or soak your tongue in something!)
What do you think? Is it an acquired taste? Is it just me? Help me out, people! I tried. But failed miserably on this one.
Hahaha… I tried these too. They look fabulous, taste like crap! This gave me a giggle..
I’m so glad it wasn’t just me. Well, besides all my co-workers =o) I thought maybe I goofed on the recipe but I went over it a couple of times. Yikes!
I loved them!! I made them with half the cocoa as I dont like rich desserts and half the stevia… forgot to add the apple sauce.. but I reallylove them… a bit sweet for my taste.. very fudgy though… Afraid to ask my family what they think as all your comments are so bad… Maybe I have really odd taste buds…
You didn’t like them so you TOOK THEM TO WORK??? What were you thinking??? If they were that bad you should have deep 6’d the batch and toss out the recipe. Trust your taste buds; they won’t let you down!
I love that you took them to work, haha! I tried a fried plantain recipe one time and thought they were terrible but made my friends eat them just to see if it was me or the recipe. 1 out of 10 thought they were amazing. I might give these a try without using a 1/2 cup of artificial sweetener.
There is no other word for these than “horrible.” I can just see your coworkers faces when they tried these brownies…so funny! I haven’t tasted anything this awful in a very long time.
Such a funny story! I would have taken them to work too. Trust me, my co workers will eat anything. ANY.THING. Mostly guys here in my office…they would of chomped them down and went back for seconds. LOL
HAHAHHA…so funny I’m thinking April fools!
I’m so glad you posted a fail! Seriously, I’ m so tired of trying bad pinterest post! Go you!
What a waste of time and ingredients! They tasted horrible!
Totally agree with you, Beverly! They were the worst things I’ve ever tasted!
Tried these with really high hopes – like you i thought i had done something wrong – i used stevia instead of truvia. But then i found your post and it made me feel better – it’s not me it’s the recipe – Just plain Awfull!!! this is NOT a brownie – no where close – i don’t even know why they called it that!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad to hear it wasn’t just me! YUCK!!!!
I make these all the time. However I double the recipe and add chopped nuts and a tsp of good vanilla. You could also add dried cherries or cranberries although I haven’t tried that yet. My son loves them for a good chocolate fix.
I read this warning, so I tried them using about 1/2 cup of sugar free fat free chocolate pudding mix instead of the cocoa and they honesty came out delicious. They puffed up hilariously and I had to poke holes to deflate them but after cooking in the fridge, they had a puddingy-brownie taste and passed the family taste test with great reviews as well 🙂
Greek yogurt instead of apple sauce, too!
I absolutely loved these brownies. I know some things are an aquired taste but with a little whip cream on top they are one of my favorite, healthy desserts! Maybe try subbing out the sweetner for sugar. It takes away part of the healthy but it might just taste better for others. 🙂
Also! I used the source normal yogurt instead of greek yogurt. It made them more fluffy and I used almond/coconut milk instead of the skim…maybe that will help?
I just tried these today. I wish I would have found your comment on these ones before I tried them. They’re horrible! Just like you I thought maybe I did something wrong so I searched the net and found your post. Even your picture looks just like my brownies. I feel much better now knowing it’s the recipe not me who screwed up.
I know! They were terrible! So sorry you had to find out the hard way. And so glad it wasn’t just me who hated them.
I want to warn ANYONE that is even consider trying these to please, for the love of all things holy, just don’t. I had to wipe off my tongue with a napkin.
I know! Right! Worst things EVER!!!!
These smelled wonderful while they were cooking. I couldn’t wait to taste them. I was so disappointed. They were absolutely horrible. Don’t waste your time or money.
I know! YUCK!!!
I wish I had read the reviews before I made these awful things! Because my boyfriend HATES sugar substitutes, I used 1/2 cup sugar. I baked for 15 minutes and it was still soupy. So I baked additional 10 minutes. Still not firm, but figured, “hey, maybe they’ll firm up when cool” That became, “maybe they’ll firm up in the fridge.” Now I think they may firm up in the garbage. I actually came back to this recipe to see if I missed something important — like flour — or another page of GOOD ingredients. What a waste. The flavor is bad and the texture of the oatmeal is gross.
It was in the post as well. These are totally horrible. Sorry you didn’t read it first and you had to waste your time.
OMG!! Mine are in the oven now. I was just checking because the 15 minutes they claim to be done they were watery, so I set the timer for 10 more minutes. I came online to recheck other sites for times and I have never read so many horrible reviews. Well timer is going off. I think I may go from oven to garbage without tasting!!!!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought these were DISGUSTING! I was on another blog that had people giving them all kinds of compliments. The after taste is terrible. I was so good sticking to my diet today and was all excited to try these. Now I feel the need to go eat a blizzard to cleanse my mouth.
Ha! Thanks for making me smile. A Blizzard just might do it.
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!
Totally agree!!!!
Made em twice. The first time they were terrible. Way too much artificial sweetener and, like you said, long lasting after taste. The second time I cut the sweetener in half and mixed the brownies into Breyer’s Vanilla Bean ice cream. Much better!
I know this is old, but skip the applesauce and throw in a handful of nuts or choc bits. Then they’re great.
What a fabulous name BTW 😉
Always mix artificial sweeteners. They taste better together than alone. And NEVER use stevia with vinegar or lemon juice unless you like bitter!
Well I eat clean for the most part and have been away from it for a while and getting back to no sugar but in fruits and was going to try this as I am not big sweet person but chocolate I love it. Made some brownies one time with zucchini as the main ingredient and use the stevia and I have to say I loved them. Hit my chocolate craving. But now I am not so sure about these but all those ingredients I am use to eating.
Has anyone tried using half sweetner and half sugar?
You did not fail miserably, it’s just a very bad recipe. I’m so angry at the person who concocted it and made me waste my time and energy on something so gross. Also, my calculation of the calorie count come out to 52 per brownie. Ugh! I don’t even like calling them brownies! AND I have to laugh at the description of it yielding 9 BIG brownies….Come on, when you cut an 8 x 8 dish recipe into 9 they are just average, not BIG.
Hello, I tried these and liked them. I then begin to change the ingredients. I changed the Greek yogurt to the low carb Kroger non Greek. I replaced the skim milk with almond milk no sugar which is 30 calories a cup and used the dark cocoa power. I wasn’t to crazy about the Greek yogurt it was more sour than the Kroger low carb yogurt..
I also did not enjoy them. Plus using my calorie calculator on Myfitnesspal each brownie came out to 75 calories, not 37.
Not even worth the calories as a SNACK, much less a nice Sunday desert which is the trap that I fell in. My sister also baked regular good old 5 billion calorie brownies because she’s always copying me… haha. After I was done they looked sort of weird and I was having second thoughts so I gave them to my mom to taste first- more or less like when you took them to work. She literally spit the whole thing out in the sink, and ran to the aid of my sister’s brownies. She told me honestly and truly they were the worst things she had ever put in her mouth… and when I actually tasted them, I had to agree!
what a waste then