These bakery-style chocolate protein powder brownies are so good, you would never guess they are in fact, a protein snack. They are super fudgy, extremely tasty and their crunchy exterior is to die for. No banana and no peanut butter here, just the best, tastiest ingredients. They are gluten-free as usual and very easy to make.
As a food blogger, you create a lot of recipes, and behind each of these recipes is a lot of research and experiment, lots of trial and error.
I always make sure each and every recipe I create is delicious and healthy, and for this, I sometimes have to redo and tweak a recipe several times before I am satisfied with the result.
This recipe was... special, in a way. It has to be the one on which I've worked the most since 2016. I have redone this recipe a grand total of 10 times before I was 100% satisfied. (Yes, there's been a LOT of brownie munching over here lately!!)
The first iteration was super cakey and dry. It got better with every try, but it was never like I had envisioned it in the first place.
Around the 7th try, I decided to restart my recipe from scratch and go a completely different way with my ingredient composition, and oh wow, was it worth it!
At the 10th try, this finally happened:
You guys, I am serious when I say this: Since the beginning of my blog, this is the tastiest recipe I have EVER made. It is just THAT good. No joke.
How to Make Protein Powder Brownies
If you want your protein brownies to be fudgy in the inside and crispy on the outside, like a bakery-style brownie, you need fat and sugar. There is absolutely no way around this unless you want a very rubbery version.
So skip the mashed banana and applesauce for this recipe. Butter and coconut sugar is what you need. They are the pillar of this recipe. So, here's how it's done:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grease a muffin tin or baking pan.
- Melt butter in the microwave using a large microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup.
- Slowly incorporate the sugar into the melted butter, constantly stirring, until most of the sugar has melted into the butter and the mixture is silky smooth.
- Gradually stir the cacao into the mixture until smooth.
- Crack the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, constantly stirring, until smooth.
- Gradually stir in the protein powder and the almond flour, constantly stirring, until smooth.
- Transfer the batter evenly into the muffin pan. (Will make 9 brownies.)
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven as soon as the top layer cracks. Start monitoring them closely around the 11-minute mark. For cakier brownies, increase baking time by a few minutes.
- Store at room temperature in a paper bag or directly on a plate on the counter. Do NOT place in a sealed container. Can be kept this way for up to 4 days.
What is the Secret Behind the Flaky Crust on these Brownies?
Beating the eggs into the batter vigorously will create the flaky crust, which is actually some sort of meringue.
How do I make my Protein Brownies Fudgy?
For the first version of this recipe, I used too much protein powder and not enough sugar, which made the brownies very hard and rubbery. The magic happened when I reduced the amount of protein powder and increased the amount of coconut sugar and butter. You also want to make sure not to overcook the brownies as they will turn out cakey. Remove them for the oven as soon as the top starts cracking.
More Brownie Recipes
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Recipe
Chocolate Protein Powder Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 ¼ cup grass-fed butter melted (or coconut oil/ghee)
- ¾ cup cacao powder
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup vanilla whey protein powder any type (chocolate flavor will also do)
- 2 tablespoon almond flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease a muffin pan (or baking pan) with solid fat.
- Melt 1 ¼ cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl, in the microwave, until entirely melted. Do not overheat.
- Gradually stir 1 cup coconut sugar in the melted butter until very smooth. It should look like liquid caramel.
- Gradually stir in ¾ cup cocoa powder until smooth.
- Crack the eggs, one at a time, while vigorously stirring the mixture, until smooth and properly combined.
- Gradually add the protein powder and almond flour to the mixture, constantly stirring, until smooth.
- Pour the brownie batter evenly into your muffin tin. This should give you around 9 equally sized brownies. Alternately, you could use a baking pan.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the top layer starts cracking. I baked mine for 13 minutes.
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place the brownies on a cooling rack.
- Store at room temperature in a paper bag or on a plate. Do not store in a sealed container.
