Amazing Wholesome Brownies
Submitted by weezer
Wholesome oat brownies with rolled oats, wheat germ, and walnuts swapped in for most of the flour. A flourless-style brownie with extra protein, fiber, and chew alongside the chocolate.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1½ hrsThese wholesome brownies are not your typical fudgy slab. Rolled oats and wheat germ stand in for almost all the flour, dry milk powder pumps up the protein, and the result is a brownie with serious chew, real fiber, and a deeper, almost malted chocolate flavor.
Melting the chocolate chips and butter together is the foundation. Use a double boiler or the lowest heat you have, because chocolate scorches on a dime and grainy chocolate ruins the whole batter. Pull it the moment it’s smooth.
Folding the oat mixture in gently is key. Overmixing develops the small amount of binding and turns the brownies tough. Just barely combined, then into the pan, then straight into the oven before the baking powder loses its lift.
The doneness test matters more here than with regular brownies. You want the top crisp but a toothpick coming out slightly moist from the center. Bake them all the way dry and you’ve got dense oatmeal bars; pull them too early and they collapse.
Pro Tips
- Use quick-cooking rolled oats as the recipe calls for. Old-fashioned oats stay too chewy and steel-cut won’t soften at all in the bake time.
- Toast the walnuts on a dry sheet pan for 5 minutes before chopping. The flavor difference is dramatic.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting. Warm brownies tear; fully cooled ones cut clean.
- Store in an airtight container at room temp for 3 days, or freeze individual squares for grab-and-go snacks.
Variations
- Swap walnuts for pecans or chopped almonds, or skip the nuts entirely.
- Stir in ½ cup dried cherries or raisins for a chewy fruit-and-chocolate twist.
- Add 1 tablespoon of espresso powder to the chocolate mixture to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
In the top of a double boiler or in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, melt the chocolate chips and the butter or margarine. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir the mixture until it is smooth. Set it aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, dry milk, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Set the mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, and mix in the brown and white sugars and the vanilla until the mixture is thick. Stir in the melted-chocolate mixture. Fold in the oats mixture until it is just blended. Pour the batter in a greased 8-inch square baking pan.
Bake the brownies in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is crisp but a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out slightly moist.
Set the pan on a rack to cool completely before cutting the cake into 5 strips in each direction.
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