No Bake High Protein Fudge Cosmic Brownies!
If Im being completely honest.. when I went on tiktok looking for high protein dessert Inspo… I was grossed out at the things people were sharing. I mean no offense to them of course! Haha. I just knew that if I did this genre of recipe that I needed to NAIL IT!! It cant just be healthy.. it has to be delicious! I saw room for major improvement.
I have been BLOWN AWAY with the types of recipes I have been able to whip up! This new no bake brownie in particular is extra special!!
When you think of no bake brownies.. you don’t think they will taste like an actual brownie! I don’t think they usually do. There are some cool nut butter style recipes online for sure. But I knew I could elevate what was online already and do something completely innovative.
First I knew that protein powder adds a nice bit of chewiness. Then I knew that using a nut butter could be a good base/foundation for the recipe to glue it all together and up the amount of protein!
But then it hit me.. FUDGE. Homemade fudge!! If I combined the recipe concept for making homemade fudge with almond butter and protein powder I just knew I could nail the most perfect texture. That idea was the jackpot & these no bake cosmic brownies turned out absolutely incredible!!!
Just like classic cosmic brownies I included a layer or chocolate ganache frosting. Which just offered me an opportunity to add even more protein powder.
Ultimately though you CANNOT TASTE the protein powder in this recipe whatsoever!! Different brands may impact that- but if you use Ascent Chocolate Whey Protein Powder like I did- the results willl be flawless.
These cosmic brownies are not only fun- but very quick to whip up & they can hang out in the fridge for a good 2 weeks!! We noticed that they tasted pretty sweet when I first made them but within a few hours the sweetness mellows out as the almond butter absorbs it!
Just be sure to use NATURAL almond butter! The super processed kind will have too much fat which could make these brownies get oily.
The little candy coated chocolate chips on top are totally optional! I added them for fun & because I know you guys love a good cosmic brownie! You can use any sprinkles or omit them entirely. OR even sprinkle on some chopped walnuts!
How to make this recipe Sugar Free:
To make the sauce sugar free: Swap out the regular sugar/ honey for sugar free honey + add 1/4 Tsp of Liquid Stevia or Liquid Monkfruit.
Let’s talk about the sweetener options: Keto honey really isn’t a known ingredient…YET. I did a deep search on Amazon for it and since I found the first brand awhile back, a few more have come on the scent. My current favorites are:
The Nature’s Hollow brand can cause a little bit of digestive upset for some people, but not everyone. The other two are really gentle on your stomach. All 3 brands will work great in this recipe. Make sure you don’t skip the liquid stevia/monk fruit extract, either as it will bring the sweetness to the perfect level. Combining sugar free sweeteners really helps to create a more traditional balanced sweetness that your tastebuds expect.
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No Bake High Protein Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 3 Tbsp half & half. (regular or vegan)
- 1 cup Natural Almond Butter (Natural only- make sure to drain the oil off the top in the jar).
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Ascent Protein Powder (or other chocolate protein powder of choice)
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup, Agave or Honey (Or sugar free honey/syrup)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 5 Tbsp Half and Half or Heavy Cream (regular or vegan)
- 1/4 cup Ascent Chocolate Protein Powder (or other chocolate protein powder of choice).
- Big pinch of salt
- Topping: Candy Coated Chocolate Chips, m&m's Or Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Line a 6x6 or 7x7 Pan with Parchment paper.
- Add your dark chocolate chips and half and half to a glass bowl and microwave for 40-60 seconds. Stirring once halfway through. Whisk together until fully melted and smooth.
- Drain the oil out of the almond butter jar. Then add the 1 cup of almond butter, protein powder, salt, syrup and vanilla to the bowl. Mix well. A thick brownie like dough will form. Taste test it- it it tastes dry (depending if you use a different brand of protein powder) you can add a tbsp more of half and half. Or a little more syrup can be added. (Using the brand I recommend will require no adjustments).
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. If any oil starts to release from the brownie dough- press it out with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Make the Ganache: Add to a medium glass bowl the chocolate chips and half and half. Microwave 40-60 minutes until melted mixing once midway through. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the protein powder and salt.
- Spread over the brownies. Then top with candy coated chocolate chips.
- Place in the fridge to allow the dough and frosting to set. Then slice! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container.
