Whole wheat brownie recipe: Learn how to make healthier brownies with whole wheat flour (Indian wheat flour or atta) and jaggery (gur or unrefined cane sugar) through step by step photos.
To be honest, I don’t go out of my way to make cake and brownies healthier. I bake them the way they are meant to be made traditionally (like using this simple brownie recipe) and eat them in moderation. It’s exciting to experiment now and then though and I had been meaning to try baking brownies with atta for a long time now. The usual issue with using heavier flour in baking is the texture. We want our cakes and bakes healthy but don’t want to compromise on fluffiness or taste and that’s not always easy!
These healthy brownies with atta and jaggery were a delightful surprise though. I usually default to my simple brownie recipe or these eggless brownies but recently I used a basic brownie recipe from Hershey’s and tinkered with the ingredients a bit to get this moist, crumbly brownies that use no refined ingredients. A first for me so I am thrilled to share the recipe with you. I also had a ton of fun photographing the brownies, as you can see.
Now, brownies can be fudge-y, chewy, heavy, cake-like, etc. This brownie recipe yields a crumbly, slightly chewy but cake-like brownie and I absolutely loved it. I baked 2 batches of 4 small loaves and gave some away as gifts too. Obviously, there are many different ways to customise this brownie recipe, I used my favourite method which is to throw in a fistful of chocolate chips. Always a winner! If you have some nuts lying around, you can chop them up and add that to the batter too.
You really can’t taste the atta or jaggery in this but there’s a nutty, slightly chewy taste and texture which is different from regular brownies.
If you’d like more brownie recipes, check out:
dulce de leche brownies
butterscotch blondies
biscuit brownies (eggless, no baking required)
brownies with twix candy bars
Whole Wheat Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of boiling water
- 1/3 cup of melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated or powdered jaggery see notes
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour atta
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 to 1 cup chocolate chips any kind
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.
- Boil water and add to the cocoa powder. Mix well without any lumps. You'll get a thick paste.
- Add melted butter to this. I melt butter in the microwave using the 'defrost' option so that it doesn't get very hot. If the butter is hot, wait until it cools down before proceeding. Mix well after adding it to the cocoa paste.
- Crack the egg in and whisk well to combine.
- Next step is to add the jaggery. I bought this large bottle of Punjabi shakkar from the Indian store here that's been a lifesaver. It's powdered jaggery that has no impurities so I just use it directly to make any Indian sweets or payasam. I measured it out just like sugar and added it to the above.
- In goes 1 cup of jaggery. See notes below for ways to use jaggery syrup or how to substitute sugar for jaggery. Mix well.
- Now add the atta, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Gently fold to combine well and make sure no streaks of flour remain.
- Add the chocolate chips (or dried fruits, nuts, anything else that you like) at this stage and fold in. I used a mix of white and milk chocolate chips and reserved some to add on top.
- The batter will be fairly thick. Grease your baking pans with non-stick baking spray or a generous coating of butter and transfer the batter in. (I used two 6" loaf pans, you can use one 8" pan too). Flatten the top gently with your spatula to make sure it's even. Add the reserved chocolate chips on top and push into the batter gently.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 mins. I needed the full 40 mins although I used smaller pans so make sure to check after 35 mins and if a toothpick comes out clean, it's done.
- Cool in the baking pans for 15 mins and gently invert onto cooling racks to cool completely before slicing. Stays at room temperature for 2 days and refrigerated for 4 days.
Step by Step Whole Wheat Brownie Recipe:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.
2. Boil water and add to the cocoa powder. Mix well without any lumps. You’ll get a thick paste.
3. Add melted butter to this. I melt butter in the microwave using the ‘defrost’ option so that it doesn’t get very hot. If the butter is hot, wait until it cools down before proceeding. Mix well after adding it to the cocoa paste.
4. Crack the egg in and whisk well to combine.
5. Next step is to add the jaggery. I bought this large bottle of Punjabi shakkar from the Indian store here that’s been a lifesaver. It’s powdered jaggery that has no impurities so I just use it directly to make any Indian sweets or payasam. I measured it out just like sugar and added it to the above.
In goes 1 cup of jaggery. See notes below for ways to use jaggery syrup or how to substitute sugar for jaggery. Mix well.
6. Now add the atta, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Gently fold to combine well and make sure no streaks of flour remain.
7. Add the chocolate chips (or dried fruits, nuts, anything else that you like) at this stage and fold in. I used a mix of white and milk chocolate chops and reserved some to add on top.
8. The batter will be fairly thick. Great your baking pans with non-stick baking spray or a generous coating of butter and transfer the batter in. (I used two 6″ loaf pans, you can use one 8″ pan too). Flatten the top gently with your spatula to make sure it’s even. Add the reserved chocolate chips on and push into the batter gently.
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 mins. I needed the full 40 mins although I used smaller pans so make sure to check after 35 mins and if a toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.
10. Cool in the baking pans for 15 mins and gently invert onto cooling racks to cool completely before slicing. Stays at room temperature for 2 days and refrigerated for 4 days.
Notes:
– if you want to remove impurities in your jaggery, heat 1 cup grated jaggery with the 1/4 cup water mentioned in and when it’s just melted, remove from heat. Let cool, strain, and proceed from step 2 by adding cocoa, etc
– if using the salted, white jaggery from TamilNadu, proceed with caution since it’s heavily salted and I am now sure how the brownies will end up tasting. Needless to say, omit the salt in the recipe in that case
– You can substitute jaggery in this recipe with same amount of brown sugar (1 cup packed) or white sugar
– You can use regular plain flour instead of whole wheat flour or atta. Try using gluten free flour for a gluten free brownie recipe
These whole wheat brownies with atta and jaggery make excellent gifts, especially to those with kids and those who stay away from refined foods. Enjoy!
If you liked this whole wheat brownie recipe, do like, pin, or share to spread the love 🙂 Thanks!
Susan
Hi, i baked for only 35 minutes, but the bake was slightly blackish when i removed it from the pan. The base tasted slightly bitter, so i guess it got a little burnt. So i had to cut off the base, but the rest of it tasted really great. It tasted more like a cake rather than a brownie, but i think it was supposed to be like that and i liked it. ????
nags
yes it’s a bit cake-ish, glad you liked it. it’s possible your oven has hot spots and some areas are hotter, making it burnt
Preety
Can i use oil instead of butter and how much
nags
no sorry, oil won’t work in this recipe
Shreya nimonkar
can we replace egg? Can you please share the Eggless version
nags
sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe without eggs
Sunitha
Hi, I’m new to baking
Could I have these measurements in grams pls ?
nags
hi, you can google for the conversions, much quicker for you
Naga Lakshmi
It came out very well my children like it
marlene
thank you for sharing your recipes
NIRALI
any substitute of egg
nags
you can try 1 egg – 1 tablespoon flax powder mixed with 3 tablespoons of warm water
Riya
Hello????
Can we use white sugar instead of jaggery?
nags
yes you can!
Torsha Ghosh
Hi,
The recipe is really tasty and healthy. I just wanted to know if I can add chopped nuts and raisins to it. It will be a complete breakfast recipe then. Can you pls suggest?
nags
yes of course!
Tina
Hi Mansi. Just scrolled to Ur comment. Can I plz confirm the measurement of yogurt n it’s direct yogurt or water stained yogurt.
Waiting for your reply.
Mishu Gupta
Hi. Really want to try this recipe but without eggs. So can you help out with the substitute with its measurement? Thanks alot!! Waiting for a reply.
nags
you can google for this info. flax seed powder and yogurt are usually good egg substitute for brownie recipes but i haven’t tried it in this particular recipe before
Tina
Hi. I love to try this recipe but is their any substitute for egg??? Plz reply as I don’t eat eggs
nags
you can use flax seed meal or yogurt. you can easily google for measurements or other options for egg substitute in cakes too 🙂
Tina
Hi. Ur recipe looks yummy. But can u advice how to replace eggs??? Plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz