Healthy Rocky Road Brownies

My first Brownie; after baking

This recipe first appeared in Mind Your Body; the Straits Times and i had kept the newspaper cutting for its simple steps - almost fool proof; given my altering the recipe around. Cut down the sugar though. And yes, i would do this again.

INGREDIENTS:

(Fills a 16cm square baking tray)

1 cup white sugar  (reduce to ½ cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract  (substitute with almond syrup)
¾ cup sunflower oil
2 egg whites, beaten  (2 whole eggs, i have no use for the yolk ;)
1 cup all-purpose flour  (220g)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder  (110g unsweetened Milo powder ;)
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup mini-marshmallows

The batter before baking

STEPS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the sugar and vanilla to the sunflower oil. Keep mixing them together using a spoon until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Add the beaten egg whites to the mixture. Add spoonfuls of the flour, cocoa and salt to the mixture, stirring well each time after each addition.

4. Using a canola oil spray, spray the inside of the baking tray with oil (I just buttered the baking tray with low fat margarine).

5. Pour the batter, which should be quite thick, into the tray.

6. Bake the batter for 20 minutes in the oven.

7. Meanwhile, mix the walnuts, chocolate chips and the marshmallows in another bowl.

8. Scatter this mixture on top of the batter at the end of 20 minutes.

9. Bake the batter for another 10 minutes in the oven to brown the topping.

10. To check, use a toothpick to poke into the centre of the cake. If it comes out cleanly, the brownie is ready. If it comes out with bits of batter stuck to it, bake for a while longer. But if you prefer the centre soft, remove the brownie anyway.

You should be able to slice the brownie cleanly once it has cooled down.