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
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Whole wheat brownies using atta, and jaggery. A great brownie recipe for entertaining!
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!
First time I tried this recipe. It’s come out well. My children enjoy it and thank you so much for your recipes.
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Lovely recipe. Can you share a egg substitute in the above recipe please.
Thanks
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Shall I try with cooker
sure
hi, i just made this, but it’s turned out more like a dry biscuit. still enjoyable, i guess. but it didn’t rise. anything i’m missing? the problem began with mixing the water with the cocoa powder. i had to use three times as much as you prescribe, and even then it was just barely liquidy. also, i read a comment at the very bottom about replacing milk, but i didn’t see any milk in the recipe! please help! i’d love to make it again but get it right…
Looks like the batter wasn’t moist enough. Also, there’s no milk in the recipe, not sure where you saw that..
1/4 baking soda ie sufficient??
yep
In whole wheat brownie what is the substitute of egg.if we don’t want to use egg.
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you can use flax seed meal. mix 1 tbsp flax seed powder with 3 tbsp water and use in place of 1 egg
Hi…
Thank u fr such a decadent n healthy recipe ☺️
Can u plz tell me if I can substitute the whole wheat flour with ragi flour partially or completely?
Thanks in advance 🙂
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i would try replacing half of the atta with ragi flour first. i haven’t tried it myself so please let me know how it turns out if you do
I do not have an oven. Can I use the same recipe to bake in a microwave?
microwave can’t be used for baking.
Hi!!
What can we substitute the EGG with …
As I we don’t eat eggs ,
Awaiting your reply
Thanks 😊
you can try flax seed “egg”. add 1 tbsp flax seed powder to 3 tbsp warm water to replace one egg. I haven’t tried it in this recipe but give it a try and let me know.
For eggless what to use, pls clarify egg substitute with measurements, thank you
1 egg = 1 tbsp flax seed powder mixed with 3 tbsp warm water
I’ve tried this recipe, and it always comes out great !
I have one question, can I substitute jaggery with honey in this recipe?
no it won’t work since honey has moisture. you can try using brown sugar instead 🙂
I tried this brownie yesterday and its yummy…Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
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thank you jayanthi
Awesome, going to try this weekend… Thanks for the recipe.
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hope you liked it 🙂
Jaggery brownie sounds yum… What can I substitute for butter??
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Hi…couldn’t wait for a reply…tried it wit oil.. Also power went off the moment the batter was ready.. So had to keep it for 1.5hrs before baking:(…
But it did turn out nice.. Very tasty too…maybe a bit dry but loved it. Thanks so much!!
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Sorry for the delay, I am on vacation currently. That’s good to know the recipe works with oil too! I wouldn’t have recommended it since I haven’t tried it myself
Hi! Can this be made without egg??
Must say…u have amazing collection of recipes!!!! Love them!!! Cheers!!!
thank you manasi.. you can try try to replace egg with yogurt or flax seed powder in this recipe. please google for exact measurements
Ok great!!!!! Thanks!!!!!! :))))
Hi! Yes I did try with yogurt!!! Came out well!!!! :))) thanks again!!!
hi
before i start with tis amazing and taste recipe just want to confirm if baking soda and baking pdr are the same . pl advice
no they are not shilpa, they serve different purposes. please do a google search to learn more 🙂
Hi nags
I’m a big fan of your site and a novice cook. I tried this recipe with organic whole wheat flour, white sugar and no chocolate chips. All other ingredients was same as you mentioned. However the brownie crumbled. I waited for 15 min before inverting and another 15 before attempting to cut. They taste funny kinda cake-ish. Do you have any advice?
Hello Suji, seems like the type of flour you used needs a bit more moisture. Jaggery or brown sugar has more moisture than regular white sugar too so you may need to compensate with an additional egg or some more butter. I haven’t experimented too much with this recipe so it’s hard to give a solution that will definitely work.
Any replacement for the egg??
I’d recommend you check out this eggless brownie recipe
Amazing
Turned out very yummy..nice blog..thnz for sharing such recipes
Thank you Rucha, do leave a 5-star rating if you don’t mind 🙂
How can I replace milk
What’s the reason you would like to replace milk in this recipe? If it’s lactose intolerance, then try any nut milk or seed milk, it should work. You can also try coconut milk but it may lend a slight coconut flavour to the brownies