Healthy Brownie Cake Bites

Hmmmm. Is that a brownie? A cake? My son Luke described these as "floofy" - fudgy and fluffy. He said they look like brownies, taste like brownies, and have the texture of cake. So now you can enjoy the fudgy-goodness of a brownie, and the fluffy texture of a cake, with a fraction of the calories and fat. And, you start with a boxed brownie mix, so these warm gems couldn’t be easier to make and they're ready to devour in less than 30 minutes.

I dodged ALL the fat in the mix: Most brownie mixes contain little more than flour, sugar and cocoa. That's it. Some add a little oil, so if you want the healthiest option, read the labels and pick a variety without oil (and try to avoid artificial flavors and colors). Of course, you can prepare the brownies as instructed (with 1/2 to 2/3 cup oil) OR, you can do what I did and replace ALL of the oil with buttermilk. I also replaced the water with buttermilk (my recipe called for 1/4 cup water). That means, you need just two extra ingredients - buttermilk and eggs. Note that brownie mixes still contain sugar, but when you eliminate the fat, you drastically reduce the calories and fat. The best part? You can't tell the difference!

About the boxed mix directions: Most mixes typically call for 1/2 to 2/3 cup oil, 3 to 4 tablespoons of water and 2 eggs (some packages suggest 3 egg whites for "cake like" brownies). To make the version below, replace all of the oil and water with buttermilk and use two eggs.

About the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis: I pressed a little piece of candy into each square as soon as the cake came out of the oven. Why? Because there was wiggle room to splurge AND because I wanted a hint of peanut butter in the center. That said, you can nestle any mini candy piece in that square - Kit Kat, Peppermint Patty, M & M's (regular and peanut), and more. You can also leave the candy out and insert whole almonds or peanuts instead. The possibilities are endless.

Healthy Brownie Cake Bites

Cooking spray
1 package brownie mix of choice (18-19 ounce package)
Buttermilk to replace oil and water (read the label to determine how much you need)
2 large eggs
24 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minis

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brownie mix, buttermilk and eggs. Whisk until blended and smooth (my recipe called for 50 "strokes", so that's what I did!).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out with little moist crumbs clinging to it.
As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, press the peanut butter cups into the top (6 across the long side and 4 down the short side of the pan).
Cool for a few minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Makes 24 cake bites