If you can’t get enough chocolate, you need to add this recipe for protein brownies to your rotation. The treats are packed with several sources of protein while maintaining a decadent chocolate taste. Since they’re healthy, go ahead and have two!
Choose your protein
When making protein brownies, choose a few of your favorite protein sources and add ’em to a traditional recipe. We tweaked our favorite fudge nut brownies to include almond butter, vegan protein powder and more nuts. You can also play around with different types of nuts and nut butters, protein powders and other add-ins like chia seeds.
Keep it simple
In the past, when making healthy substitutions in a recipe, I tended to go overboard and would end up with a healthy pan of cardboard. Choose a few new ingredients to add in and keep the rest of the recipe the same. When it comes to healthy dessert substitutes, you can definitely have too much of a good thing.
How to Make Protein Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts, divided
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Step 1: Get stirring
Preheat your oven to 350°. In a bowl, quickly stir the almond butter until it looks light and creamy. You want to incorporate any of the butter’s natural oils that may be floating at the top of the jar.
Editor’s tip: Buy unsweetened almond butter. This protein brownie recipe gets plenty of sweetness from the sugar, so there’s no need to add more.
Step 2: Mix up some love
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Editor’s tip: Bring the eggs to room temperature before adding them to your batter for lighter, fluffier brownies. Here’s why room temp eggs matter.
Step 3: Bake and cool
Spread the mixture in a greased or parchment-lined 13×9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup nuts and chocolate chips. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
More healthy desserts to try
Now that you’re a healthy dessert connoisseur, get creative with other recipes. Try substituting protein powder for some of the flour in doughnut recipes. Add protein to healthy muffins by stirring in nuts or chia seeds to the batter. And chocolate chip cookie recipes can get a punch a protein from chopped nuts or a few tablespoons of nut butter. Enjoy!
The post We Tried Making Healthy Protein Brownies. Here’s What Happened. appeared first on Taste of Home.
Carrie Madormo