Hip-Friendly Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

I have never made a swirled anything.  I thought that if something had a swirl in it (i.e. candy cane, ice cream, or Swirled Desserts) it would be a difficult and even arduous task. (BTW- the word 'arduous' was Matt's addition to this post.  It means considerable physical or mental effort.  I definitely didn't know that before he told me.) When I ran across a Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie recipe on WeightWatchers.com, I wasn't quite sure if I was up for putting in the effort it might take to make this recipe.  However, I would like to say that I was very wrong in assuming that this recipe would be an arduous task. (How many times do you think I can use this word before it gets old?)  In fact, this recipe was very easy and beyond delicious in results.   The original recipe from the Weight Watchers website is below the photos.

Here are the recipe adaptions I made:

1) I used all 8 oz of the Neufchatel cheese I had.  The recipe calls for 6oz.  I didn't want 2 oz of the bar just lying around so I used it all.

2) I didn't have apple butter so I used natural applesauce instead.  

3) I used fat free half-and-half. 

4) I used egg whites instead of the fat free egg substitute.  I used 2 egg whites when it called for 1/4 cup of the egg substitute and 3 egg whites when it called for 1/3 cup.

These brownies were so good!  I couldn't believe they were a Weight Watchers recipe.  I made them for a Super Bowl party that we had on Sunday.  No one else could believe they were a Weight Watchers recipe either.  They were that good.  If you need a dessert sometime soon and want to impress people with a swirl and a low WW point value, I would highly recommend giving these a try.  I hope you enjoy!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

recipe taken from WeightWatchers.com

32 servings with 4 points per brownie

6 oz Neufchatel cheese, softened

3/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter

1/4 cup cup fat free egg substitute

3 Tbsp half-and-half cream

1 package regular brownie dry mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup apple butter

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup fat free egg substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Mix cheese and peanut butter in a medium-sized bowl until well combined.  Add 1/4 cup of egg substitute and beat with an electric mixer until incorporated.  Add half-and-half, mixing until creamy and smooth; set aside.

In another bowl, beat brownie mix, oil, apple butter, water, and remaining egg substitute until combined.

Spread half of brown mixture into a 13x9-inch baking pan.  Dollop with half of peanut butter mixture and swirl with edge of spatula or knife.  Repeat with remaining batter and peanut butter mixture to form a second layer.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Cut into 32 pieces and serve.

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