Gluten Free Protein Crinkle Fudge Brownies!
I have been working my way towards a gluten free brownie recipe THIS PERFECT for well over a decade. I’m talking at least a hundred pans of brownies have been made over the years in my kitchen. Brownies are FINICKY and nailing the perfect crinkle top took me forever to figure out!! I have made them paleo, grain free, egg free, and even keto! I remember going through over 20 bags of chocolate chips when I worked on the keto version!!
This is the recipe of my dreams.. never did I think I would finally nail it when I was trying to incorporate protein powder!! So I consider that just a BIG added bonus!!
Things I have learned along the way..
Brownies require a delicate balance between fat, sugar & eggs. The moisture content makes or breaks the fudge factor and can suddenly turn a brownie cakey!. Even the moisture content in butter (I believe butter is about 30% moisture). It can turn a brownie cakey in some instances. This is why I opted for coconut oil for this recipe- it is just straight fat!
That beautiful crinkle topping is the result of the eggs and sugar being whipped together! This creates almost a meringue like texture. That allows the surface to crackle and break when you slice them (after they have cooled for a good hour or two!!) I know that getting out a hand mixer and whipping the eggs and sugar separate is an extra step that most people don’t want to bother with. So if you really want to skip it- that’s ok you can. The brownies will still turn out! BUTt if you want the magical crinkle top- its an absolute must!
Why did I use powdered sugar? It has less moisture than regular sugar AND I know that when its whipped up with eggs- my chances of getting that meringue like texture increase ten fold.
As a result of the very sensitive nature of making brownies .. I’m hesitant to provide substitutions as I really want you to have the same results I did!
Lets talk protein powder:
I am by no means an expert in this department (YET).
But here’s what I know:
Every brand is different and therefore will behave differently in baked goods. So unfortunately that comes with the territory of protein powder baking. I will be testing out a variety of brands and types so that I can narrow down my favorite as I want to find a few that are affordable, are easy to get on Amazon so everyone can have access to them.
Vegan Protein Powders are far more absorbent than whey… and I have not had the chance to test any vegan protein powder out yet in this recipe. When I do- I anticipate that I will probably need to use about half the quantity compared to the whey for similar results.
Typically I try to make all of my recipes dairy free in addition to gluten free.. but for this round I used what I had. Which was a big bag of Ascent chocolate protein powder that we got from Costco! (Its excellent across the board though it is on the pricy side.)
I will be revisiting the recipe once I have some more powders to experiment with..and will update the post. If you choose to experiment please do leave a comment and let me & others know how it went!!
I DO think its fairly safe to try out another brand of chocolate whey protein powder - but even still results may vary! If you want my exact results then you’ll need to use the same brand of powder.
How much protein per serving?
That’s going to depend on the brand you use. Using Ascent Chocolate Whey Protein Powder I ended up with roughly 4.5 grams of protein per slice (If I cut 12 slices).
Is this going to help you reach your goals for the day? Probably not. But for me the goal of this recipe was to make some seriously good brownies with some protein in them- and that is exactly what I did! In the end brownies are dessert and I see the added protein as a bonus! A few grams may help balance blood sugar when eating them.
I will do some snack recipes soon that have a much higher quantity. :)
Gluten Free Protein Crinkle Fudge Brownies!
Ingredients
- 12 Ounces Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
- 1/4 Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I used better batter original blend and highly recommend you do the same!)
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Ascent Whey Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs + 1 Yolk. (room temperature)
- Optional: Extra chocolate chips to stir in 1/2-1 cup.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 7x7 pan (or something similar) with parchment. Set aside.
- Add to a large glass bowl the chocolate chips & coconut oil. Place in microwave for one minutes. Whisk and stir the partially melted chocolate and then melt for one more minute. Whisk until chocolate and the coconut oil come together.
- Stir in the flour, protein powder & salt. Set aside.
- Add to a new bowl the eggs & powdered sugar and beat together with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the beaten eggs/sugar blend into the melted chocolate bowl. Gently fold it in- mixing just until the two come together. Avoid over mixing.
- Pour into the prepared pan and place into the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes. The brownies will not be fully set in the center and will move a little if you shake the pan. Remove the pan and tap it on the counter a few times to encourage the center to sink.
- Allow the brownies to cool for 1 1/2- 2 hours before removing from the pan and slicing. Store at room temperature in a sealed container or freeze for another day!
Notes
Other brands of chocolate protein powder may work- but results will vary!