I’m a sucker for promises of guiltless, fast desserts When I saw the box of Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Fat Free Brownies, I wasn’t in the least bit interested until I saw they had directions for making one brownie. Two tablespoons of mix and one tablespoon of yogurt and you’re off! I’m also wary of microwaved baked goods, but I stuck my little dish in for 45 seconds and was rewarded with some chocolatey and vaguely satisfying.
It’s more cakey than brownie-like, but it’s not chewy like some microwaved breads can get. I wouldn’t recommend using Greek yogurt, like I did, since you’ll have to add milk to make up for the consistency and then you’ll have too much batter to cook in 45 seconds. I’m wondering if you could just use milk, since we always have that on hand, which means this really could be a last-minute dessert fix.
For me. I would never serve microwaved fat-free brownies to people, but to whip one up for just me, I think TJ did a decent job.
Three Dog Kitchen 
The mix reminds me of those recipes for microwaveable cake in a mug. How many calories is one brownie?
As for serving it to people, I guess you won’t be throwing a themed party where all you serve is food from a microwave.
No, no microwave-only parties… if I tried that we’d probably end up eating pizza. One brownie is 120 calories. It’s not so much about the “guiltless” component as it is about the instant-chocolate-fix qualities. And, for something “baked” in the microwave, it’s not that bad.
hehe, my first reaction to the post title was, “Wha?? No!!” hehe. My guilt (not fat) free brownie instructions: bake full box of brownies and take it into work for all the vultures to eat. Then save one piece for myself before they are all gone.
I think those TJ brownies are 130 calories per serving, so asuming 1 brownie = 1 serving, that’s pretty good for a brownie!
Oh, I’m well aware of the send-baked-goods-to-the-office trick! Although, I usually send them with Travis so I’m not tempted with them at my office!
Microwave fat-free brownies are not going to become the standard dessert treat around here, but it works really well as a dessert that gets to your mouth in 1 minute!
I wish Betty Crocker would come out with a guilt free brownie mix that you put in the microwave.. since they already have one that is “guilty” they need a “guilt free” place. I would be so thankful! Those are the best!
-Sylvia
If you are a baker and have meringue powder on hand, you can make any brownie mix into a guiltless microwave brownie. I prefer Ghirardelli’s. Add 1/4 teaspoon of meringue powder to 3 tablespoons of brownie mix and add water to a creamy consistency. You can also add the yogurt or applesauce to bulk it up but that changes the texture so I don’t.