Published: · Updated: by Laura Fuentes · This post may contain affiliate links
4.96 from 21 votes
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This post is sponsored by Sunsweet. Thank you for supporting the companies that encourage my creativity and work.
For days where you want to pack a healthy treat inside the lunchbox or want a 3 pm snack that packs more nutrition per bite than a handful of crackers, these three-ingredient healthy fudgy brownies do the trick!
I know, the words brownie and healthy don’t usually go together but this recipe is the exception. With my family’s recent participation in MOMables’ Family KickStart Program, where I’ve removed processed foods and sugars for 30 days, my kids and I have been turning to real foods for the nutrition our bodies need throughout the day.
Of course, my kids still ask for a snack and treats and we continue to turn to our favorite natural candy: The Amaz!n Prunes from Sunsweet. If you’ve been a long-time reader (or you just stumbled upon this recipe), you should know that I’ve not only partnered with Sunsweet for a few years now, but my family and I are big fans of this delicious dried fruit.
As you can see from the video below, I practically have to ask my kids to leave enough prunes in the bag for us to make this fun and easy recipe –plus, I’m never short on volunteers to help make these.
My kids typically eat a couple of these sweet, juicy morsels every day. They are the Feel-Good Fruit and offer a good 3 grams of fiber and only 100 calories per serving, making them the right idea for a snack. I also use them quite often to make smoothies like my High Fiber and Protein Smoothie Bowl or an incredibly easy, yet impressive dinner, Chicken with Prunes and Sage. Prunes are very versatile for cooking although often we enjoy them right out of the bag!
The best part is that this recipe is great for both kids and adults. With just three ingredients we are able to provide our bodies with healthy fats, fiber and lots of vitamins and antioxidants. Knowing what we put into our bodies is essential, especially when it comes to taking care of our family. Compared to other dried fruits, Prunes are lower in sugar and have a low glycemic index. In other words, they are digested and absorbed slowly, by the body, which helps to sustain energy over a longer period.
This is one of the main reasons I love packing a couple of healthy fudgy brownies inside my kids’ lunchboxes. While their lunchbox is typically filled with a variety of foods, these add nutrition and provide that sweet treat my kids love to enjoy. Most importantly, I know they are made with real, whole, ingredients that we can all feel good about eating.
They look like a brownie, they taste like a brownie, so it must be a brownie… but better-for-you than traditional brownie recipes.
Plus, making them is so easy! Did you watch the video and noticed how I made them with my 5-year-old? Easy peasy. One thing to consider, however, is making these with nut-free butter if your child goes to a nut-free school. The recipe works great, and it will be safe to eat around kids with nut allergies as well.
Whether you pack these in a lunch box or enjoy with a cup of afternoon coffee, you can feel good about eating these chocolaty, fudgy brownies!
What are some of your favorite healthy treats?
Three Ingredient Healthy Fudgy Brownies
Laura Fuentes
4.96 from 21 votes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups prunes, about 8oz bag
- 1 cup smooth nut butter, or nut-free alternative
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons liquid stevia, optional*
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease or spray a mini muffin pan.
In a food processor, add prunes, nut butter, and cocoa powder and puree until smooth.
With a cookie scooper, fill each mini muffin cavity with brownie mixture.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow brownie bites to cool down completely prior to serving.
Notes
Some cocoa powders (organic, raw) might have a bitter taste without any sweetener and almond butter isn’t as sweet as peanut butter. I suggest you taste your batter prior to baking to check if stevia might need to be added or adjusted.
Equipment
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownie biteCalories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 13.2gProtein: 3.1gFat: 5.8gSaturated Fat: 1.3gSodium: 2.7mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 1.2g
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Ashley R
I made this recipe and measured 2 packed cups of prunes. I did the recipe according to the instructions and my processor motor burned and broke. 8 oz of prunes equals 1 packed cup of prunes not 2. I believe there is an error in the recipe and I think that’s why so many people are having mixed results. The people that use 1 8 oz bag of prunes and the people that use two packed cups are making two different recipes. I’m still baking these and hope they turn out ok.Reply
Laura Fuentes
The measurement is 8 ounces of prunes (225g), which is about 2 cups loosely measured or about 1 1/2 cups packed. The recipe is very forgiving, I hope you enjoyed them.
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Anna
Came out great, surprisingly cakey! I may try adding a little maple syrup or honey for sweetener to balance the cocoa!Reply
Tiff
Hello! Can you freeze these? Just made ‘em!Reply
Laura Fuentes
Absolutely!
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Natalie
I don’t want to leave rating yet because as I was mixing these in food processor the mixture was too thick and my processor stopped working. I put all the ingredients in and started to pulse mixture slowly. I noticed it was thick so I added some applesauce but the same thing happened. I used sunflower butter. Please help with this…..
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Laura Fuentes
Hi Natalie, I am not sure what your issue might be here.
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Laura Fuentes
Hi Natalie, try adding a tablespoon of water at a time until you get a smooth texture that holds together when you shape it. Sorry for the trouble!
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Steffo
Hi Laura, First I want to say that I love your site and your recipes! I made this recipe tonight and I doubled it , I added two bags of the prunes and 2 cups of peanut butter it’s called better than peanut butter its from Trader Joe’s its like a lower fat peanut butter and I added one cup of cocoa powder my food processor almost broke trying to mix this recipe up! Lol the recipe was very very thick wondering if I did anything wrong ? Do you have any suggestions?! also my food processor was very tough to clean afterward ! I am baking them now! I used the mini muffin tin that you showed in your video and doubling the recipe it made 24 mini ones, dose your recipe make 12 then right? Thank you SteffoReply
Laura Fuentes
Thank you for trying my recipes! The only thing I can think of is that lower fat peanut butter tends to not be as runny but I can’t speak for TJ’s version. The batter is thick. They should bake fine and be fudgy…I hope you enjoyed them.
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Mary
Hi! Can carob powder be substituted for cocoa?Reply
Laura Fuentes
It could, but I would definitely add stevia with carob powder.
Reply
Alessandra
My kids watch your YouTube videos all the time and begged me to make these (we love prunes) and they came out awesome! Easy way to get them to eat fiber without those sugary gummies. Thanks Laura!Reply
Katie
I made these today and they were so crumbly. Not fudgy at all and they were very bitter. I’m a regular baker and followed the recipe carefully but these did not turn out. Any suggestions? I used a natural peanut butter.
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Laura Fuentes
Katie, did you press them to “make them stick”? The batter isn’t crumbly at all. Very sticky.
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Sarah
I made them with natural almond butter (similar to natural peanut butter) and they were sticky. I shaped them into balls and were great.Reply
Marni
Could dates be substituted for prunes?Reply
Laura Fuentes
I have not tried this recipe with dates Marni.
Reply
Brooke
Hi:) just wondering are they 3G fiber per serving as mentioned in blog or 1.1g as stated in nutritional facts?Reply
Laura Fuentes
the blog post refers to prunes having 3g of fiber per serving. Each bite has 1.1g normally I send 2-3 in the lunchbox.
Reply
Alison patterson
These sound great! What is a nut butter alternative?Reply
Laura Fuentes
Nut-free butters are easy to find at most groceries. They include sunflower seed butter and soy butter.
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Amanda
Do you have nutrition info for these?Reply
Laura Fuentes
The post has been updated to reflect nutritional information. Enjoy
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