Healthy Brownies: Mmm Mmm Good
Are you a brownie-lover? I definitely am and I do splurge on a brownie every now and then. The problem with making brownies is that you have a whole pan of brownies. Of course, you could put some in baggies and freeze them. But who does that?
If you’d like to have a brownie but want to also get some nutrition with that chocolatey sweetness, then you would love this recipe for a protein bar.
This protein bar is made using a protein powder that uses a vegan source of protein and is also gluten-free. You could make it with any protein shake mix, but you will not get the same tasty results. I use Arbonne’s protein shake and it is the best protein shake out there (I’ve tasted many). In fact, if you’ve ever had a protein shake, you’re probably thinking that no protein powder could make anything resembling a brownie. But, you haven’t tried the right one.
Personal Note: My husband will take these with him as part of his lunch. One day, he offered one to his co-worker and called it a brownie. I can’t think of any other protein bar that I’ve had that could even come close to passing for something even resembling a brownie.
In fact, I add the ground flax seed because you can't taste it, but I don’t add any oats because I don’t care for the texture (it takes away the brownie feeling). I use cashew butter since the peanut allergy is so common and because I had to stay away from peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
I make these protein bars and have them ready in the fridge . When I get that craving for chocolate or something sweet, I go and get one and eat it. Not only does it fulfill my sweet tooth and craving for something chocolate, but it also is filling because it is full of protein.
I’m such a lover of this sweet treat and have given it to so many people that fall in love with it that I am sure that anyone would love it. In fact, if you would like to try to make a small batch, I’d be glad to send you a packet of protein powder so that you can try it out.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 cup nut butter
- 2/3 cup (or less) Agave or honey
- 4 scoops (or more depending) Arbonne Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1/4 cup flax seed (ground), optional
- chopped nuts, optional
- oats, optional
- Add the nut butter and Agave (or honey) to a saucepan over medium-low heat (If the nut butter is fresh, ground nuts, add water as well and continue to add water as needed).
- When the nut butter is melted and a liquid consistency, remove the saucepan from stovetop.
- Have a mixing bowl ready with the protein powder and any other additional ingredients ready.
- Then, add the nut butter and Agave mixture to the bowl.
- Stir the mixture until the dry ingredients have absorbed all of the moisture. You may need to add more protein powder mix. Add more as needed (the consistency is supposed to be moist enough to not be flaky and stick together).
- Press the mixture into an ungreased baking dish.
- Place them into the refrigerator to cool and then cut them into squares and put them into a storage container (or separate baggies to grab and go) and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Note: When I make them with the ground nuts, it makes a much larger batch since it requires water to dissolve the powder and then requires more protein powder to get the right consistency.
- * When figuring out the nutrition info, I calculated it based on using freshly ground cashew butter, agave, and about 8 scoops of Arbonne's chocolate protein powder. The nutritional content will be different if different ingredients or amounts are used.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 bar (20 servings per batch) | |
| Calories | 98 |
| Calories from Fat | 27 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 3 g | 5% |
| Carbohydrates 13 g | 4% |
| Sugar 10 g | |
| Fiber 1 g | 4% |
| Protein 5 g | 10% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
