Whole Wheat Brownies

Brownies are intrinsically... unhealthy. Which is unfortunate. And when you try to make them healthier, it often ends in disaster. So when my roommate told me last night that she wanted to make brownies, I decided to take baby steps and start with whole wheat. So while these still have way too much butter and too many eggs for my liking, it's a work in progress. Fortunately, these weren't disastrous at all, but rather much too tempting. It's tough to stay out of them!

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp baking cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter for drizzle (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 8x8" pan.
2. Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Continue to heat until just bubbling. 
3. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl and add the cocoa, salt, vanilla, and eggs and stir until smooth. 
4. Add the flour and chocolate chips; stir again until smooth. 
5. Transfer to the baking pan. To make the drizzle, heat the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until just melted. Transfer to the corner of a plastic bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner with the peanut butter (careful not to drip!) and drizzle over brownie batter.
6. Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.