I have a confession to make. I ate the whole thing. It’s not what you think. At first blush, this looks like a decadent home made brownie with a scoop of ice cream made in my kitchen.
In reality it’s a decadent brownie with a scoop of, um… I can’t believe I am going to type this … French Vanilla Cool Whip!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I said Cool Whip!
And the brownie? Not one of my decadent pound-of-butter brownies here. You’re looking at a treat made from Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Brownie mix.
And all this for just 5 Weight Watchers points — approximately. The brownie package says it serves 12 and the nutritional breakdown calculates 4 points per serving, but I have a feeling I can make 24 brownies from this box which means in reality this dessert (with the Cool Whip) comes to just 3 points.
I won’t know until I’ve made the entire box, but I like to estimate high — just to be safe.
I’m not going to stress about the fact that I used a box and a tub for this dessert. I’m working on the next 35lbs. of this weight loss journey and when it comes to dessert, I am just not at the point where I want to be mixing and stirring, melting and chopping the evil temptress — Dark Chocolate.
I’ve been relying on prepared desserts from the freezer aisle these past 6.5 months while making most of the rest of my meals from fresh ingredients, but at a recent Weight Watchers meeting my partner in crime spoke up and mentioned the “No Pudge Fudge” brownie at Trader Joe’s. The name has changed, but the results are the same. A rich chocolate brownie that is fat free. What? She told us that the mix is delicious and a brownie fits well within the plan.
Well, since Trader Joe’s is on our agenda every Sunday after the meeting I was anxious to get there and pick up a box. I’ve held onto it for quite a few weeks not knowing how I was going to make a pan of brownies and resist the urge to have more than one.
And last night, after giving in and pulling the box from the pantry, I learned just how to manage this mix. The total Weight Watchers Points Plus value for one brownie is just 4. It’s the same as a Weight Watchers frozen dessert or a small slice of a fresh fruit tart. But there’s a bonus with this mix, something that makes it so easy to stay on track.
With no more kitchen equipment than a tablespoon, a small ramekin and a microwave oven, you can have a single, warm brownie in less than a minute!!
Yes, you heard that correctly … less than a minute!
It’s simple. Measure 2 tablespoons of mix, 1 tablespoon of vanilla yogurt in a small bowl until fully combined. Scrape every last drop of the chocolaty goodness into a small ramekin and cook it in the microwave on high for 45 seconds.
Be careful. The ramekin will be hot. You can either eat it right out of the ramekin or turn it over, tap it on a plate or a cutting board and it will slide right out. The instructions don’t tell you to spray the ramekin with baking spray, but I did, just for safe measure.
These brownies have a kind of macaroon texture once they begin to cool. They get more chewy and if you wait too long they are downright crunchy so get it out of the oven, garnish as you like and dig in! It’s just the right amount to cure your craving for a hot-out-of-the-microwave chocolate treat.
Pick up a package and enjoy your 4 point, 120 calorie brownie tonight!
I see you are using those new bowls we bought a few weekends ago! How are they?! I ran out of ingredients for my Franwich today.
I love those bowls! They are great. I just need more room for everything.
Hi!, just stumbled on your blog. “No Pudge Fudge” didn’t change their name – it’s a separate brand, not the same mix as the Trader Joe’s store brand. You can still find No Pudge Fudge at most supermarkets in the baking aisle. I’m also on Weight Watchers and I use the single servings once or twice a week.
http://www.nopudge.com/
Thanks for the info, Sarah! I’m going to hunt at my local Harris Teeter and Wegmans for No Fudge Pudge. And thanks for stopping by!
That is seriously too cool.
It’s hard to believe it can be made in just 45 seconds, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by!
Stumbled upon your blog trying to figure out how many ww pp these are. Did you calculate using the new or old program? These are delicious. I add six chocolate chips, arranged oh so carefully, on top of mine when it is still hot and garnish with fresh rasberries. They are so rich and the time it takes to prepare and cook it keeps me from shoving an extra one in my mouth!
Pamela, thanks for stopping by! I calculated the points using the Points Plus program. These brownies are heavenly, that’s for sure!