Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 142kcal
Delicious brownies with a fun, crunchy peanut butter twist! These Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies are a sweet treat that are protein packed, full of chocolate flavor, fudgy, low calorie, and can easily be made both gluten-free and vegan!
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Ingredients
Brownies:
- 1/2 cup chocolate or vanilla protein powder (62g) I used PEScience
- 1/4 cup oat flour (30g)
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp cocoa powder (40g)
- 1/4 cup granular sweetener (48g) I used Swerve
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (244g)
- 2 Tbsp light butter (28g)
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (30g)
- 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (30g) melted
Crunch Topping:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (56g) I used American Dream Nut Butter
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (60g) melted* - see notes
- 2 Tbsp sugar-free pancake syrup (30g)
- 1.25 cup rice krispies (40g)
Instructions
For the Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients (protein powder through baking soda). Whisk until there are no clumps. Then, add the pumpkin, butter, vanilla, milk and melted chocolate. Using a hand mixer, beat well to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread the top out so it bakes evenly. The batter will be thick, Spray you palms or a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean ( a toothpick inserted in the center should still be slightly gooey for a more moist texture!)
- Let cool for a few minutes before adding crunch topping.
For the Crunch Topping:
- In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook in 30 second interval in the microwave on 50% power, stirring in between, until melted. Add in the syrup and rice krispies and gently mix until all cereal is coated. Gently spoon this over the peanut butter layer and spread out evenly (I used a small spatula and my fingers to do this).
- Allow brownies to cool to room temperature then cover with a lid (or saran wrap) and place in the fridge for at least one hour before cutting. I recommend letting it sit overnight if time allows. The texture will set the longer the brownies are in the fridge, allowing for a cleaner cut. The flavors will come out more after chilling in the fridge overnight as well!
Notes
*Semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips work here. To melt chocolate chips, add to a microwave-safe bowl and heat on 50% power in 20-30 second increments, stirring in between until melted. Make sure you heat at 50%.
To make vegan: use a vegan protein powder, dairy-free butter and swap the pancake syrup for pure maple syrup. Also, make sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free.
To make gluten free: swap the rice krispies for a GF alternative.
Nutrition
Serving: 1brownie (56g) | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.1g | Protein: 7.4g | Fat: 6.1g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 5.3g