Name: Chocolate Mint Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (112g); 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (30g); 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (14g); 6-oz fat free cream cheese, softened (168g); 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (31g); 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (30g); 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sugar (36g); 1/8 tsp peppermint extract; 3 to 4 drops green food coloring; 2 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder (62g); 1/4 cup dark or black cocoa powder (30g); 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g); 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 cup Swerve granular sweetener (48g); 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained (270g once drained); 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (122g); 3 Tbsp egg whites (46g); 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (60g)

Jump to Recipe

Fudgy, lightened-up brownies bursting with rich chocolate flavor and a hints of creamy mint! Packed with protein, these brownies will curb your sweet tooth and leave you feeling satisfied. No one will even guess that they are healthy!

Chocolate and mint – what a match mate in heaven! Even better when the chocolate is in the form of a moist, rich chocolate brownie and the mint is in the form of a creamy, chilled cream cheese frosting. Oh my. I keep these brownies refrigerated and you can only imagine how good that combo is CHILLED. Seriously how are these bars so good but so healthy???

The dense, amazing texture is in part due to the black beans. I swear, you can’t taste them. And they really bring so much to this recipe. They allow it the brownies to be moist and voluminous (bigger pieces) without bringing a whole lot of extra calories in.

These brownies are amazing on their own, but they are especially amazing with a small touch of something crunchy on top. Like Oreo’s, or Oreo pie crust crumbled up. Taste, texture, flavor – hits every spot!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE BROWNIES

So much fudginess – as long as you do not over-bake, these brownies are so fudgy! They become even more fudgy after sitting in the fridge overnight and allowing the flavors to come together.
Creamy mint + chocolate brownie – something so refreshing about this combo, right? I am not a huge mint person, but there is just a touch in this frosting and it is the perfect amount to make these amazing!
Lightened-up and lower calories – less calories than your typical box brownies.
Protein packed – one brownie packs 12g of protein!
They are delicious! Dense, fudgy, brownie paired with creamy mint frosting and chocolate drizzle. I mean dang!
You can feel good about eating them – not only are they out of-this-world delicious, but they are made with healthy ingredients so you can feel good about what you’re eating.

WHAT YOU NEED

Black beans – these make the brownies dense and you do not taste them at all. If you do not have black beans, cannellini beans would also work.
Cocoa Powder – I love Hershey’s dark.
Pumpkin – I think these brownies taste best with pumpkin, but you could also use applesauce.
Egg whites
Almond milk – or any milk of choice
Protein Powder – I used PEScience Mint Chocolate Cookie for the brownies and vanilla for the frosting, but any chocolate or vanilla flavor would work. If you use another brand, just make sure it is also a whey + casein blend. For all PEScience products, you can use code “LaurenFitFoodie” to save 10%.
All-purpose flour – oat flour, whole wheat flour, gluten-free flour or almond flour would all work as a sub. Just note that subbing a different flour may change the nutrition for each brownie.
Sweetener – I used Swerve granular sweetener.
Cream cheese – I get fat-free cream cheese from Harris Teeter. Depending on where you are located, you may not be able to find fat free cream cheese frosting and that is okay. Reduced-fat cream cheese works the same and it would only increase the fat slightly. I have included the nutrition information for both!
Peppermint extract – just a touch to give it a slight mint flavor! You can omit if you would like.
Green food coloring – to make the brownies look good and minty!

HOW TO MAKE

Creamy Mint Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

HOW TO STORE

Keep brownies stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. I use a baking pan that has a lid, like this one here. But wrapping with saran wrap or storing in a storage container works just as well.

MORE BROWNIE RECIPES

Looking for more tasty, gooey brownie recipes? I got you! Check out some of my other favorite brownie recipes:

WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you try these Chocolate Mint Brownies and love them, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!

Yield: 12

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Brownie Layer:

2 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder (62g)
1/4 cup dark or black cocoa powder (30g)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup Swerve granular sweetener (48g)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained (270g once drained)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (122g)
3 Tbsp egg whites (46g)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (60g)

Creamy Mint Layer:

6-oz fat free cream cheese, softened (168g)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (31g)
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (30g)
1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sugar (36g)
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
3 to 4 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (112g)
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (30g)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter (14g)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
For the Brownies: In a food processor or high-powered blender, add the black beans, pumpkin, egg whites and almond milk. Pulse/blend until a smooth batter is formed. Add in the protein powder, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and sweetener. Blend again until ingredients are combined. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are set. A toothpick inserted along the edges should come out clean and inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. Let cool completely, then cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 hours to chill and set before adding frosting.
For the Creamy Mint Layer: While the brownies are in the oven, prepare the creamy mint layer. Using a hand mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese, protein powder, almond milk, confectioners sugar, peppermint extract and food coloring. Blend until frosting is completely smooth. Store in the fridge, covered, until brownies are ready to frost.
After the brownies have had time to chill, add creamy mint layer evenly on top of brownies and spread evenly across.
For the Chocolate Ganache: Melt the butter and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until butter is melted. Add in the chocolate chips, and stir until silky and smooth. Add the chocolate ganache over the creamy mint layer. Gently spread with a knife or silicone spatula. Place the brownies in the refrigerator to set for a minimum of one hour, or until ready to eat.

These brownies are best the next day, chilled, after the texture has set and the flavors have come together overnight. Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

MFP entry: LFF Creamy Mint Brownies

If you use 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese instead of fat free:

181 calories 14.9C | 8.6F | 11P
MFP entry: LFF Creamy Mint Brownies with RF

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 brownie (77g)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Total Fat: 6.1gSaturated Fat: 3.4gCarbohydrates: 15.9gFiber: 3.6gSugar: 7gProtein: 11.5g

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