Celebratory Chewy Cocoa Brownies
Celebratory Chewy Cocoa Brownies Congratulations on participating in the Fed Up Challenge! Sweet treats can be part of a healthy diet, but it’s important to know just how much sugar they contain and choose healthy options. Baking your own treats at home is a great way to control the sugar content. This recipe uses all-natural pitted dates and unsweetened applesauce to create the perfect low-sugar treat to cook as a family in celebration of healthy eating. Of course, these brownies are still a dessert, so practice moderation! We encourage you to bake this recipe with your family and complete the attached worksheet to explore how much naturally occurring sugar these brownies contain compared to the added sugar in a regular boxed brownie mix. This recipe was developed for The Kids Cook Monday by our Blogger on Board Jory of the blog teeny tiny foodie. Chewy Cocoa Brownies Yields 16 servings Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled 22 pitted dates 2 large eggs 2 additional large egg yolks 1 ounce pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup unsweetened, all-natural applesauce (homemade or store-bought) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon Just less than 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
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Preparation: Adult: Heat your oven to 350° and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Together: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled butter and pitted dates. Process until thoroughly combined, about one minute. Pause halfway through mixing to scrape down sides of bowl. Kid: Transfer the butter and date mixture to a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and then the whole eggs, whisking vigorously after each addition. Continue to whisk for around 30 seconds. Together: Next, add all of the ingredients in order up until the flour and whisk vigorously after each ingredient. Kid: Lastly, mix in the flour using a rubber spatula. Together: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread out the mixture into an even layer. Adult: Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove brownies from oven and let sit in the pan for 30 seconds before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow brownies to cool for at least one hour before slicing into small squares.
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Compare the Nutrition Facts Compare the nutrition information of the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe to the nutrition from a boxed brownie mix: Chewy Cocoa Brownies
Boxed Brownie Mix
Questions: 1. These are the ingredients in the boxed brownie mix: Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour, Powdered Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil). Contains less than 2% of: Wheat Starch, Dextrose, Salt, Cornstarch, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan, Sodium Bicarbonate. (Eggs, vegetable oil and water added during cooking).
Do you see any ingredients that you’re avoiding during the Fed Up Challenge? Name them: _________________________________________________ 2. According to the Nutrition Facts, how many grams of sugar does the boxed brownie mix have per serving? _____
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3. One teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams of sugar. How many teaspoons of sugar are in one serving of the boxed brownies?
_____ grams of sugar per serving (your answer from question 2) ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = _____ teaspoons of sugar per serving Since the boxed brownie mix doesn’t contain any fruit, vegetables, dairy, or other ingredient that contains naturally occurring sugar, we can be sure that all of the sugar in the boxed brownie mix is added sugar. 4. Take a look at the ingredients listed in the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe. Do any of them contain added sugar? Which ingredients contain naturally occurring sugar from fruit? __________________________________________________ 5. According to the Nutrition Facts, how many grams of sugar do the Chewy Cocoa Brownies have per serving? _____ 6. How many teaspoons of sugar are in each serving of the Chewy Cocoa brownies?
_____ grams of sugar per serving (your answer from question 5) ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = _____ teaspoons of sugar per serving Since the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe does not contain any added sugar, we can be sure that all of the sugar in this recipe is naturally occurring from the fruit in the recipe, which means the recipe also contains healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. 7. How did you like the Chewy Cocoa Brownies? (circle one)
I liked it a lot
I liked it a little
I didn’t like it
Would you like to cook this recipe with your family again? ________________ Answer Key 1. Sugar, powdered sugar, dextrose. 2. 16 grams of sugar per serving. 3. 16 grams ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = 4 teaspoons of sugar per serving. 4. None of the ingredients contain added sugar. The dates and applesauce contain naturally occurring sugar. 5. 8 grams of sugar per serving. 6. 8 grams ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving.
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1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled 22 pitted dates 2 large eggs 2 additional large egg yolks 1 ounce pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup unsweetened, all-natural applesauce (homemade or store-bought) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon Just less than 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
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Preparation: Adult: Heat your oven to 350° and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Together: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled butter and pitted dates. Process until thoroughly combined, about one minute. Pause halfway through mixing to scrape down sides of bowl. Kid: Transfer the butter and date mixture to a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and then the whole eggs, whisking vigorously after each addition. Continue to whisk for around 30 seconds. Together: Next, add all of the ingredients in order up until the flour and whisk vigorously after each ingredient. Kid: Lastly, mix in the flour using a rubber spatula. Together: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread out the mixture into an even layer. Adult: Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove brownies from oven and let sit in the pan for 30 seconds before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow brownies to cool for at least one hour before slicing into small squares.
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Compare the Nutrition Facts Compare the nutrition information of the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe to the nutrition from a boxed brownie mix: Chewy Cocoa Brownies
Boxed Brownie Mix
Questions: 1. These are the ingredients in the boxed brownie mix: Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour, Powdered Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil). Contains less than 2% of: Wheat Starch, Dextrose, Salt, Cornstarch, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan, Sodium Bicarbonate. (Eggs, vegetable oil and water added during cooking).
Do you see any ingredients that you’re avoiding during the Fed Up Challenge? Name them: _________________________________________________ 2. According to the Nutrition Facts, how many grams of sugar does the boxed brownie mix have per serving? _____
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3. One teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams of sugar. How many teaspoons of sugar are in one serving of the boxed brownies?
_____ grams of sugar per serving (your answer from question 2) ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = _____ teaspoons of sugar per serving Since the boxed brownie mix doesn’t contain any fruit, vegetables, dairy, or other ingredient that contains naturally occurring sugar, we can be sure that all of the sugar in the boxed brownie mix is added sugar. 4. Take a look at the ingredients listed in the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe. Do any of them contain added sugar? Which ingredients contain naturally occurring sugar from fruit? __________________________________________________ 5. According to the Nutrition Facts, how many grams of sugar do the Chewy Cocoa Brownies have per serving? _____ 6. How many teaspoons of sugar are in each serving of the Chewy Cocoa brownies?
_____ grams of sugar per serving (your answer from question 5) ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = _____ teaspoons of sugar per serving Since the Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe does not contain any added sugar, we can be sure that all of the sugar in this recipe is naturally occurring from the fruit in the recipe, which means the recipe also contains healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. 7. How did you like the Chewy Cocoa Brownies? (circle one)
I liked it a lot
I liked it a little
I didn’t like it
Would you like to cook this recipe with your family again? ________________ Answer Key 1. Sugar, powdered sugar, dextrose. 2. 16 grams of sugar per serving. 3. 16 grams ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = 4 teaspoons of sugar per serving. 4. None of the ingredients contain added sugar. The dates and applesauce contain naturally occurring sugar. 5. 8 grams of sugar per serving. 6. 8 grams ÷ 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon = 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving.
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