I can't help but express my amazement over how a recipe using a cake mix and canned pumpkin is good news. Canned pumpkin? Why not use fresh? I haven't used a cake mix since I was in high school - who wants all those chemicals? I am all for a good piece of butter-free dessert, but I choose from scratch over this concoction any day.

I am appalled that Calorie Count would post a recipe that has 20 grams of sugar per serving.  Eating sugar makes you crave more sugar and makes your body burn sugar for energy, instead of fat.  I expect most people using Calorie Count need to burn fat.   To do that, you need to cut out the sugar. 

Wow. Lighten up, people. Not everyone makes all their food from scratch and not everyone is willing to cut sugar completely from their diet. It's great that you do, but you don't have to be elitist. I'll never give up my dessert foods like brownies, and I'll definitely be trying this recipe if it can make my brownies *somewhat* more healthy while satisfying my sweet tooth.

If an article isn't relevant to your particular diet, don't bash it. Just leave it for those who do find it helpful.

Original Post by: wallowflower

Wow. Lighten up, people. Not everyone makes all their food from scratch and not everyone is willing to cut sugar completely from their diet. It's great that you do, but you don't have to be elitist. I'll never give up my dessert foods like brownies, and I'll definitely be trying this recipe if it can make my brownies *somewhat* more healthy while satisfying my sweet tooth.

If an article isn't relevant to your particular diet, don't bash it. Just leave it for those who do find it helpful.

Spot on

Leave negative comments to yourself

There are better "healthier" brownie recipes out there than this one. I agree about the boxed cake mix. It also would not be good for people trying to loose weight and restrict calories to make an entire batch of brownies. That sounds like a recipe for over-indulgence. Making things from scratch can be easy and quick. This recipe from Lindsay Nixon, "The Happy Herbivore is delicious and enough to make just one brownies. It is very easy to scale up if you were making for multiple people, but in those moments when you want a brownie, but don't want all of the bad  stuff... this is great. You can easily sub out the refined sugar with maple syrup or home made date syrup. http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/single-serving-vegan-browni e/

Agree with wallowflower! Also, this recipe isn't full of "chemicals". Canned pumpkin is just pumpkin and boxed cake mixes are mostly just your dry cake ingredients all in one place.

Quick question on sugar intake, does sugar that comes from eating fruits count as regular sugar then? my daily sugar is always 3x to 4x over my intake goal mainly due to the sugar from fruits.

I've made this recipe before... if you make it in a 8x8 pan and cut into 1 inch squares the calories are under 100 per piece.  It is awesome and cures that chocolate craving!

I've made this recipe before... if you make it in a 8x8 pan and cut into 1 inch squares the calories are under 100 per piece.  It is awesome and cures that chocolate craving!

Wallowflower is SOOO RIGHT!  Calorie Count has too often become an antagonistic, boxing match site between opinions, and too many of them are from negative, holier-than-thou know-it-alls.  If they're so darn smart, they wouldn't need to be looking for answers on how to lose weight.  If they have "all the answers", they needn't waste time pontificating here -- they can just go out and make millions with their own published books.

Lighten up, indeed!  I've seen mud-slingers on this site having the crudest gall to correct people's spelling and grammar, put other people's opinions down, and generally bring a really sad note to what could -- AND SHOULD -- be a friendly exchange of ideas.

The thrust of Calorie Count is a simple premise -- counting calories!  And if someone wishes to enjoy a delightful recipe such as the one presented here -- WHICH I FULLY INTEND TO ENJOY, by the way -- then, allow us the happy vibe that comes with a little chocolate and sugar, once in a while!

Cook from scratch, if you wish! But when you eventually die, no one's going to stand over your coffin saying, "Wow, that's the healthiest, cook-from-scratch corpse I ever did see!"  I've known so many folks who lived to a VERY ripe old age who broke all the "health-food" rules it just makes no sense to be such a stick-in-the-mud purist!

THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!  It brightened my day to add it to my recipes file!

Totally agree with the post above.  There is such a thing as balance in life.  If you're a health nut, and you have the time to make everything from scratch, and the money to keep your cupboard stocked with ingredients I've never even heard of... more power to you. 

I have neither of those things. I work all day, and I shop at the tiny local grocery store.  There is nothing wrong with a recipe that helps people eat healthier, and despite what you say, this recipe is much better than just a plain old box mix with oil and eggs.

Chill out people. :)

It's a "treat", not a daily food requirement!  I've made them and they are soooo yummy!  Have one and freeze the rest!

I think I may try this recipe out on the family without telling them what's in it. I may eventually try to make a cake from scratch using this idea, but I don't always have the time to put the ingredients together (or the desire to put the effort into it. Sometimes I just want my cookies or cakes quick with no effort. (And I bake from scratch a lot, so ))

But, this sounds like a reasonable recipe.

As for the sugar comment... really? This is a recipe for BROWNIES! Of course there's going to be sugar, I wouldn't have it any other way!!

hchiang: I also go way over on sugar each day, and the majority comes from fruit. I *believe* (I don't know if it's scientifically true, or pretend to care) that it is better. I mean, if all of my sugar came from Reese's peanut butter cups, that's not too healthy (yummy, not healthy ) where as if MOST of it comes from fruit and a bit from other yummy delectables, then I'm happy! Plus don't forget all of the wonderful nutrients you're getting from different fruits: fiber, protein, vitamins such as c, a, iron and so on. And it's all natural and not from a pill.

I have a quick question for those who made it:

Can you taste the pumpkin? Hubby is NOT a fan of pumpkin and won't eat it if the knows it is in there.

Thanks!

@

tdirpincess

No you cant taste the pumpkin at all.

I found a box of Sugar Free Devil's Cake Mix at Walmart this week, I haven't made them yet (waiting for this weekend) but I did the calorie count on them and it lowers it to 130 each!  Hopefully they will be very tasty.

My sister who is on Weight Watchers shared this recipe with me, and I made it without telling my daughters what was in it - they love them!  Of course I then told them the ingredients and they could hardly believe it.  You don't taste the pumpkin at all.  They actually prefer these over regular chocolate cake.  Sometimes they are a little dense, so I add a little water, which doesn't affect the calorie count. 

Life is too short to live without any treats at all - enjoy in moderation and live life to its fullest!  

danirn- thank you!

alirosie- You have an awesome point about self-discipline and self-control. We need to learn to stop ourselves. The nice thing is that this helps us in other areas of life as well! :D

Sounds like the perfect treat!!

It would have been nice if there was a recipe from scratch as well, simply because I am in Europe and devil's food cake mix does not exist here.  Well, I can get it from specialty stores, but it will cost me well over $10 a box! Neither does canned pumpkin exist, but that's no problem since I only get fresh pumpkin anyway.

Have to say that while there's a place for 'instant' ingredients on occasion I don't call this baking. I've noticed that these Hungry Girl recipes rarely (if at all) cook with ingredients; they all seem to be about throwing together processed product. Hope it doesn't offend any one because I do recognise that we all live busy lives it's just that to make cake is so easy and cheap with out resorting to a processed cake mix. 

I agree....  Making small changes slowly leads to success.  Thanks for the post. 

Haven't used cake mixes in decades, but I think it would be interesting to play around with a choc cake recipe as described above. Fat & eggs are one thing, but sugar is another ... hmm. For myself, it would be workable to make a batch of "treats" and tuck them in the chest freezer, where I'd have to make more of an effort to get to them. Also, the idea of swapping the pumpkin with applesauce (I only get the natural, unsweetened) is worth exploring (I've used applesauce in baked goods for ages).

Original Post by: alirosie

sugarsinger i entirely agree with you people can get quite rude and  hostile and for a while i quit CC.

anyhow.....my only problem with the recipe is it uses pumpkin (in my part of the UK we only get this at Halloween lol) so could i use apple puree?

apart from that it looks really yum.

as for the criticism that cooking a whole batch is a recipe (pardon the pun) for overindulgence and cannot be justified - could i respectfully point out that my opinion is somewhat different.  firstly part of the whole learning curve for me is about self discipline - having one of something and then moving on to do other things so i don't eat more than i should.  at times that is not so easy so on those days i just freeze those little naughties where i can lol.  secondly, a batch is a real good idea if you - like me -  have a family who love treats but are looking for something more healthy.  i've been pleasantly surprised how many times i have cooked a batch of healthier things to find my family have tucked in and requested them later!

so thanks for the recipe and hope i haven't offended anyone with my opinions.

No, you can't taste the pumpkin. These brownies are thick and very "rich" tasting. Soem cake mixes are better to usse, the make the brownie taste "thicker". They are yummy and no one in my office could tell they were made with pumpkin until I told them, they thought they were just very thick and chocolately!!!

I have made this frequently.  It's actually really good with a yellow cake mix.  It's very good for people with egg allergies (my godson), too.  I make cupcakes and the kids love them!  I also made my brothers 50th birthday cake and my whole non-diet family loved it.  It's a nice treat. 

YOu can sub cooked  sweet potato(yams) in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. I have heard you can also use butternut squash.

I think it would be helpful to those using Calorie Count if when they included a recipe in the newsletter, they also put the nutrition information into the Calorie Count database.

I searched "Yum Yum Brownie Muffin" and got nothing.

Just a suggestion for improvement. 

amen!!  This cakey brown is for those of us!!  who enjoys a little sweetness every once in a while!!  Lighten up!!

I am heartened to see that there are in fact some real cooks here with the ability to offer solutions to small problems of taste or the use of "pre-mixed" or processed anything.  The point is that a "real cook" will look at this concept and in spite of the recipe, work out the substitutions they would prefer and carry on as if it were just healthy cooking.  The authors of the recipe have two factors to keep in mind.  The first is to produce a recipe that even the most negligent cooks might be able to comprehend.  The second is a duty to serve the people who make this blog and this chance to share base recipes.

We eat gluten free so we sub constantly.  I haven't tried to adapt the recipe yet but the possibilities are pregnant to say the least.  Carrot, works wonders for carrot cake.  Some soft cooked carrots would seem to me to be another substitute for pumpkin.  I suppose analysis of ingredients and relative nutritive values would help to make the decision easier.  Open your mind and you can cook anything you can imagine!

I like the idea of using canned pumpkin. You can use it in other recipes too - like soup. I my location, if we didn't use canned pumpkin, we would only have pumpkin for about two weeks during the year when the big stores bring them up to make Halloween jack-o-lanterns.

Original Post by: alirosie

sugarsinger i entirely agree with you people can get quite rude and  hostile and for a while i quit CC.

anyhow.....my only problem with the recipe is it uses pumpkin (in my part of the UK we only get this at Halloween lol) so could i use apple puree?

apart from that it looks really yum.

as for the criticism that cooking a whole batch is a recipe (pardon the pun) for overindulgence and cannot be justified - could i respectfully point out that my opinion is somewhat different.  firstly part of the whole learning curve for me is about self discipline - having one of something and then moving on to do other things so i don't eat more than i should.  at times that is not so easy so on those days i just freeze those little naughties where i can lol.  secondly, a batch is a real good idea if you - like me -  have a family who love treats but are looking for something more healthy.  i've been pleasantly surprised how many times i have cooked a batch of healthier things to find my family have tucked in and requested them later!

so thanks for the recipe and hope i haven't offended anyone with my opinions.

I think apple puree should work...  I haven't tried it but have seen a number of recipes that substitute out fruit purees for oil.  I have a ton of sweet potato, yam and butternut squash puree that I put up in the freezer last year and think I'll try some of those to see if they work.  

Now about that self restraint part...LOL!  Actually, I've got a pretty good bunch of people who are willing to take my 'experiments' and I enjoy giving them out. Some who haven't ever had anyone make them a treat, ever. 

I cook from both scratch and boxed stuff.  Depends on how much time and energy I have at the moment.  I just enjoy cooking and trying all sorts of things. 

Yikes, rough crowd today.  I suppose if my worst vice in life is a boxed mixed or refined sugar/flour on occasion I'm doing okay.  I used to take a stand, but have found I would rather be happy then 'right'.  :D

This recipe is fantastic, and there are other wonderful alternatives too!  My family's favorite is substituting the chocolate cake mix with a spice cake mix.  This combination with the pumpkin is DELICIOUS!!!  (No, you can't taste the pumpkin.) 

I have also used the sugar free cake mixes as my mother-in-law is diabetic and it to was very, very good. 

calorie count feels everything in moderation. personally i eat low carb so most of the stuff here is bad or me. i take it all into consideration and play with the recipes to suite my plan and make it all into seperate portions.

Original Post by: sugarsinger

Wallowflower is SOOO RIGHT!  Calorie Count has too often become an antagonistic, boxing match site between opinions, and too many of them are from negative, holier-than-thou know-it-alls.  If they're so darn smart, they wouldn't need to be looking for answers on how to lose weight.  If they have "all the answers", they needn't waste time pontificating here -- they can just go out and make millions with their own published books.

Lighten up, indeed!  I've seen mud-slingers on this site having the crudest gall to correct people's spelling and grammar, put other people's opinions down, and generally bring a really sad note to what could -- AND SHOULD -- be a friendly exchange of ideas.

The thrust of Calorie Count is a simple premise -- counting calories!  And if someone wishes to enjoy a delightful recipe such as the one presented here -- WHICH I FULLY INTEND TO ENJOY, by the way -- then, allow us the happy vibe that comes with a little chocolate and sugar, once in a while!

Cook from scratch, if you wish! But when you eventually die, no one's going to stand over your coffin saying, "Wow, that's the healthiest, cook-from-scratch corpse I ever did see!"  I've known so many folks who lived to a VERY ripe old age who broke all the "health-food" rules it just makes no sense to be such a stick-in-the-mud purist!

THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!  It brightened my day to add it to my recipes file!

I have been making this for my husband for many years (I was told it came from Weight Watchers). I use a 9x13x pan, follow instructions on cake box for times and temps and mixing instructions, and then cut into brownie-shaped rectangles. I wrap and freeze the pieces individually, then they can be served one at a time after warming in a microwave and plain or topped with diet ice cream and/or Cool Whip. He calls them "cake brownies" and loves them. For him it is a better alternative than other baked goods he would eat.  I am a Calorie Counter and I personally prefer to spend my meager calories on "real" food rather than desserts, but for people who are desolate without something sweet, I think this is one good idea.

For those that are very worried about sugar - change your sugar out with Xylitol or Stevia - you use MUCH LESS of either of these then you do of the conventional sugar.  We should all be concerned at the # of Carbs that are in the recipe in my opinion.

The only flour I use is either Almond Flour or Coconut Flour.  You use about 20% LESS of either of these flours (just check out the ratios on the web) and the same with Xylitol and/or Stevia.  Stevia you can find all kinds of flavours (Chocolate Raspberry, English Toffee, Rootbeer, etc etc).  As for Oils DON'T USE hydrogenated oils (canola, margarine etc) - these fats are the worst kind for you.  Instead move to Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, REAL butter. 

If you question the fact about Coconut Oil - go to YouTube and see what coconut oil does for you.  It is AMAZING ... #1 it boosts your metabolism, #2 is amazing for your good cholesterol and there are other factors that are just awesome for you :).

You can get Xylitol & coconut oil in a health food store.

Original Post by: ellektra

Original Post by: wallowflower

Wow. Lighten up, people. Not everyone makes all their food from scratch and not everyone is willing to cut sugar completely from their diet. It's great that you do, but you don't have to be elitist. I'll never give up my dessert foods like brownies, and I'll definitely be trying this recipe if it can make my brownies *somewhat* more healthy while satisfying my sweet tooth.

If an article isn't relevant to your particular diet, don't bash it. Just leave it for those who do find it helpful.

Spot on

Leave negative comments to yourself

I'm with you!

PS  Now I'm looking forward to making another recipe I found:  @ EatingWell Magazine:  Chewy Molasses Cookies.  (similar concept)  I also made bit of apple butter last year and it should be great in this recipe.  

@jimavichouser-->agree

@jeannettelydia-->just saw your post.  Glad to see it's a proven concept.  Thanks!

@ who ever mentioned the cooked carrots...brilliant idea.  Got to try that.

@ For those of you wondering about nutritional info:  I've found some sites that are designed to 'create' your own recipe and provide the nutritional analysis, Calorie Counter has this feature and another I like to use is SparkRecipes. I plug in the info and it will gives me all the nutritional information. 

Pillsbury makes a reduced sugar cake mix that I think I'll try with this.  Can also see using it with other flavors of cake mix to get a spice cake version - maybe using the apple puree suggestion mentioned above?

To Calorie Count: thank you for a wonderful, free website.  I use what I can from your offerings and pass on those that don't fit me. Most of all, keep posting things like this - there are many of us who can use them!

20g sugar/serving O.o sub with sugar free cake mix, then maybe.

Really folks!  This recipe is intended for people that want that sort of thing (like me).  We're not all at the same place in our health journey.  Geez!

Really folks!  This recipe is intended for people that want that sort of thing (like me).  We're not all at the same place in our health journey.  Geez!

It's the sugar and flour that would be detrimental to my weight loss efforts-NOT the oil and eggs. What a STUPID recipe!

OMGosh...I can't wait to make this recipe. I haven't had something good in so long without so much guilt. We have to live a little. I'm going to try this out with the sugar free devil's food cake mix..sounds yummy and only 100 calories...OH YEA..I will enjoy every bite even if I have to workout extra to have it...lol

Original Post by: lkbr

I can't help but express my amazement over how a recipe using a cake mix and canned pumpkin is good news. Canned pumpkin? Why not use fresh? I haven't used a cake mix since I was in high school - who wants all those chemicals? I am all for a good piece of butter-free dessert, but I choose from scratch over this concoction any day.

Don't get too carried away here. People who know food and are trustworthy say that canned pumpkin is usually better than any that you could prepare "fresh" at home since the squash in canned pumpkin is harvested and prepared more quickly than would be the case if you take squash sent to your grocery store and then cook it at home. If you have a garden with squash I guess you could boast that your pumpkin is fresher; otherwise, no.

Although I prefer scratch cakes, I realize that not everyone feels comfortable with their baking abilities and therefore many turn to boxed mixes, which have come a long way in replicating "from-scratch" quality and offer a sense of accomplishment to them without the angst.

In other words, as several others have already posted, you may be doing yourself and a lot of others a favor if you can lighten up a bit.

Original Post by: wendyjoy57

Really folks!  This recipe is intended for people that want that sort of thing (like me).  We're not all at the same place in our health journey.  Geez!

I like how the title of the article "A brownie you won't regret" kinda clearly tells us it's a diet food, but in reality it's like eating a cadbury egg.

An opinion is just that... an opinion. I hope we are here to learn something new and another person's view point may be just what I need to question something that I previously thought was true but in fact was not. As long as it is done in a respectful way then what is the harm in disagreeing? With that being said... I think the pumpkin or a "like" substitute probably makes these "brownies" moist, more nutritious and yummy. I normally wouldn't use a cake mix but don't think it is the end of the world if someone else does. My thought... why take out the eggs? Eggs are nutritious and adds a bit of protein to help (somewhat) counteract all the flour and sugar. Come to think of it a bit of healthy oil releases a hormone that suppresses your appetite, slows digestion (helping to keep us feeling full longer) and helps in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Cut back doesn't always mean cut out. The next time I have time to play in the kitchen I think I will develop a new recipe not using a cake mix, add an egg, cut back on oil and add pumpkin. Sounds yummy. And all thanks to calorie count and this recipe.

Original Post by: lkbr

I can't help but express my amazement over how a recipe using a cake mix and canned pumpkin is good news. Canned pumpkin? Why not use fresh? I haven't used a cake mix since I was in high school - who wants all those chemicals? I am all for a good piece of butter-free dessert, but I choose from scratch over this concoction any day.

Some of us simply do not have time to cook down fresh pumpkin.  Canned pumpkin is simply canned pumpkin.  Libby's brand has nothing added.

As for the cake mix, it is pretty quick to mix one up, if you have a go-to recipe.

Original Post by: hchiang

Quick question on sugar intake, does sugar that comes from eating fruits count as regular sugar then? my daily sugar is always 3x to 4x over my intake goal mainly due to the sugar from fruits.

Sugar from fruits takes longer for your body to process into sucralose, whereas refined sugar is an instant jolt ... and instant crash. 

I'm not sure how Calorie Count arrives at "added sugar" but it seems to be non-fruit sugars. 

Original Post by: piotr

Original Post by: wendyjoy57

Really folks!  This recipe is intended for people that want that sort of thing (like me).  We're not all at the same place in our health journey.  Geez!

I like how the title of the article "A brownie you won't regret" kinda clearly tells us it's a diet food, but in reality it's like eating a cadbury egg.

Oooh.  Do they have Cadbury eggs now without all the saturated fat??

That would be dreamy.