Pretzel Almond Fudgy Protein Brownies

As you probably know already if you read any of my posts, I am pretty much obsessed with anything chocolate flavored. So, this weekend it only felt right that I make some brownies! It has pretty much been my stereotypical perfect weekend filled with lots of cycling, baking and chilling. Oh yeah, those three things are definitely the best way to spend a weekend.

These brownies are an interesting combination of flavors, but they really turned out awesome. They are chocolate fudge black bean protein brownies and the I added some pretzels and almond extract to the batter. The pretzel gives the brownies a sweet and salty taste that is just awesome.

Once they were done and cooled, I decided to take the flavor a little farther and make a almond butter caramel sauce. If you don’t like almond, you could always omit the almond extract and sub peanut butter for the almond butter in the caramel sauce. But, you might surprise yourself at how good chocolate and almond go together!

Pretzel Almond Fudgy Protein Brownies

Author: Spencer Miller

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 12 brownies

Healthy and delicious fudge protein brownies filled with crunchy pretzels and topped with a sweet almond butter sauce. These moist and fudgy brownies are the perfect sweet and salty treat!

Ingredients

Brownies
1 can (250g) black beans, drained and rinsed*
1 scoop (34g) chocolate whey protein powder
1 scoop (30g) chocolate casein protein powder
6 tbsp. (30g) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup granulated stevia or erythritol
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup (113g) vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. (17g) agave (or honey)
1/3 cup (56g) dark chocolate chips
Caramel Almond Sauce
2 tbsp. (32g) almond butter (or other nut butter)
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Add black beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and agave to food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Add protein powder, cocoa powder, stevia, and baking powder. Blend again until smooth.
Heat dark chocolate chips in a microwave until melted stirring every 30 seconds. Add melted dark chocolate to food processor. Blend again until a thick smooth batter is formed.
Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Pour batter into baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. It may seem under done, but it will set once cooled.
To make caramel almond sauce, add maple syrup and almond butter in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium heat until bubbling. Add milk and stir until completely combined. Cook another minute or two. Transfer to a separate cup or bowl and let completely cool in the microwave. It will thicken as it cools.
Slice brownies into 12. Top with extra crushed pretzel and caramel almond sauce. Enjoy!