Dark Chocolate Caramel Protein Brownies





Chewy, gooey, decadent, & delicious! I was really wanting some sort of brownie sundae this past week. You know the kind - a warm, gooey, & rich chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream and caramel on top sprinkled with something crunchy. Yeah that kind. I created this protein brownie with some added flavors so all I need to do is scoop vanilla ice cream on top. Perfection ~ Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 egg whites
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
½ cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
8 medjool dates, pitted
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
¾ cup almond meal flour
1 cup oat flour
¼ cup dark cocoa powder
3 tablespoons xylitol (or sweetener of choice)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Optional: Toffee pieces (such as Heath Bar Chunks)
Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x9” baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Soak the dates in water for 5-10 minutes then drain.

3. Combine egg whites, yogurt, milk, and dates in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and pour into a mixing bowl.

4. Add protein powder, almond meal flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, xylitol, & baking powder to the mixing bowl and stir until batter is well combined.

5. Spoon batter into baking dish and smooth down with a spoon. Add toffee pieces if desired.

6. Bake in the oven for 28-34 minutes then let cool for 30 minutes. Slice into 16 squares and serve immediately.

Makes 16 servings
1 serving is 1 brownie square (without toffee pieces)

Macros for 1 serving
120 calories, 7.4g protein, 17.5g carbs, 3.7g fat, 7.2g sugar, 2.6g fiber




Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Cups





OKAY! Listen. These are so perfect. I'm really trying to find words to describe how perfect these little protein cups are. In case you're interested, Reese's are my all-time favorite candy. But looking at the stash of leftover Reese's Easter eggs in my pantry made me realize that I must attempt to make a protein version. For many reasons...but mainly for my health. The size of these is similar to a Reese's Easter egg (which has 170 calories, 16g sugar, and only 4g protein). My protein version has only 149 calories, 2.7g sugar, and 5.1g protein! I decided to use raw almonds to make homemade almond butter for the filling and sugar-free dark chocolate for the shell. Absolutely addicting and delicious! Enjoy.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Vitacost coconut oil, melted (& divided)
2 tablespoon Vitacost maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Place mini muffin liners into a mini muffin tin and set aside.

2. Place almonds and oats into a blender or food processor and pulse until mixture resembles flour. Pour into mixing bowl.

3. Add protein powder to the mixing bowl and stir together.

4. Add 2½ tablespoons of melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and extract into the mixing bowl and stir together.

5. Using your hands, knead this mixture slightly until comes together. Take about 1½ tablespoon of mixture, form into a ball, and flatten with your fingers. Repeat this process until 10 are made.

6. Melt chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon of coconut oil in a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.

7. Spoon a small amount of melted chocolate into each muffin liner and place almond filling into each liner, on top of chocolate. Then spoon enough chocolate to cover each almond filling.

8. Place chocolate cups in the fridge until chocolate hardens, about 1 hour. Remove from fridge and serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings
1 serving is 1 chocolate cup

Macros for 1 serving
149 calories, 5.1g protein, 8.3g carbs, 10.2g fat, 2.7g sugar, 2g fiber





Mini Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Cupcakes





These moist and scrumptious mini cupcakes are versions of one of my favorite cheesecake flavors. I love plain cheesecake with some type of blueberry sauce on top. Reverse that and you've got these delicious blueberry cupcakes with a smooth and creamy cheesecake icing. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Blueberry Cupcakes
2 egg whites
½ cup blueberries
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (or applesauce)
¼ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or oat flour)
½ cup almond meal flour
¼ cup xylitol (or sweetener of choice)
½ teaspoon baking powder

Cheesecake Icing
¼ cup low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey (or agave)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place 14 mini silicone cupcake liners on a sheet pan and set aside.

2. Place egg whites, blueberries, & greek yogurt in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Combine flours, protein powder, stevia, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir together.

4. Pour wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir together until smooth.

5. Spoon cupcake batter into each cupcake liner and bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes.

6.  Slightly heat cream cheese in the microwave and stir in the honey and protein until smooth. Evenly spoon icing on top of each cupcake. Top each cupcake with a blueberry. Enjoy!

Makes 14 servings
1 serving is 1 cupcake with icing

Macros for 1 serving
78 calories, 4.4g protein, 9.9g carbs, 3.2g fat, 3.6g sugar, 1.1g fiber



Mini Chocolate Brownie Protein Donuts





When I didn't think donuts could get any better, I made these :) These donuts have a rich brownie taste and texture which means they're fudgey, decadent, and almost melt in your mouth. They're sugar-free, low-fat, and only have 32 calories also. Perfect! Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 egg whites
2 tablespoons almond butter
1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk (or milk or choice)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon oat flour
3 tablespoons xylitol (or sweetener of choice)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a mini donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together egg whites, almond butter, and almond milk in a mixing bowl until smooth.

3. Add the remainder of donut ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

4. Evenly spoon batter into donut pan, making 20 donuts total.

5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 20 servings
1 serving is 1 mini donut

Macros for 1 serving
32 calories, 2.5g protein, 3.8g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 1g fat, 0g sugar

Nicolette’s Tips
* You can make regular sized donuts as well. Just increase the cooking time.
* If you’re allergic to nuts, you can substitute almond butter with sunflower seed butter and almond milk with chocolate soy milk.