Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Brownies

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been doing P90X for a while now (I'm on my 7th week) and have been trying to follow the nutrition guide. There's one thing I'd like to make clear.... this is NOT a diet. It's simply a nutrition plan designed to help people doing the P90X program get the best possible results. What I love about it is that you have the option to follow a menu that tells you exactly what to eat for each meal and snack every day or you can go with the "portion plan" and pick what items you want to eat from the list of categories (carbs, protein, veggies, etc.) based on the appropriate number of portions for your calorie level. This is the option I chose and I've found that it's really easy to follow and it's actually pretty fun coming up with tasty (and healthy!) recipes using the stuff from the list.

So, here is my latest experiment... frosted chocolate peanut butter protein brownies! In Phase 2 of the nutrition plan I'm supposed to shoot for 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat. For the calorie level I'm using that ends up being A LOT of protein so I have to come up with creative ways to get some extra protein in my day without just eating like 2 pounds of chicken. One of the easiest ways to get extra protein is to eat a protein bar, but so many of the bars you find at the store have a ton of sugar (20+ grams per serving for some of them!). I decided that not only would it be healthier to try to make my own bars, but it would actually be more cost effective since protein bars generally cost $1 to $3 each. I made my first attempt using this recipe for peanut butter protein bars. I'm not sure whether it was because I used powdered peanut butter in place of the peanut flour (does anyone know how much difference there is?) but I didn't think they turned out very well. I found them a little tasteless and dry.

 I wanted to try again but didn't think that doctoring the recipe a little bit would be enough, so I set out to completely make up a recipe. I did a little research about various leavening ingredients, baking powder versus baking soda, etc. and compiled some of the ingredients I knew I wanted to include - powdered peanut butter, chocolate whey powder, applesauce (to keep it moist), egg whites and baking powder (to make it rise) and regular peanut butter (to make the topping). Once I had all my ingredients I began tinkering with quantities, using various brownie/protein bar recipes I found online for reference. Then I tested the recipe!

I began by whisking the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients in separate bowls then added the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking them together. I then poured the batter into a foil-lined 8x8 square baking pan. It came out just fine once it cooled but in retrospect it might have been a good idea to spray the foil or just spray the pan and cut out the foil. I threw the brownies in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes and it began to rise a little bit but was still pretty moist. So, I turned up the heat to 400 and baked them for another 10 minutes and they came out perfect! Very moist and cakey with that brownie-like flakey crust on top.

I let the brownies cool while I prepared the "frosting". I started with 6T of peanut butter that I'd microwaved for about 35 seconds to get it nice and melty. I then added 2T unsweetened baking cocoa, 1T soy milk and 1t agave nectar (I wanted to sweeten it a bit but, like I said, I was trying to avoid too much sugar). As I mixed and tasted the frosting I needed to add more agave to combat the unsweetened cocoa and more soy milk to make it creamy. By the time I had it the way I wanted it I had used about 1T agave and 3T soy milk.

Once the brownies had cooled completely I spread the frosting on top and popped it in the fridge to set up. I wasn't sure whether the frosting would harden the way it did in the first recipe I tried originally, but I figured I'd give it a try. It didn't end up hardening after all, it just retained that classic frosting-like texture. I decided to keep the brownies in the fridge because I tend to like my desserts cold but you could just cover them in plastic and keep them on the counter if you prefer. I found that keeping them in a plastic bag in the fridge held in all the moisture so they are pretty moist... if you kept them out on the counter they might retain more of that cakey brownie texture. I just tasted one and it was really tasty! It is definitely dessert-like enough to satisfy my sweet tooth but also gives me some of the protein I need. Feel free to make additions in your own experiments with this recipe... try sprinkling toasted walnuts on top or, if you don't mind a few extra calories, use semisweet chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder in the frosting and skip the agave.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

3 scoops chocolate whey powder (I used Muscle Milk chocolate)
3/4 c (12 T) PB2 powdered peanut butter
1/2 t salt
1/2 baking powder
6 T Egg Beaters whites (could also just use 2 egg whites)
1/2 c soy milk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
1 t agave nectar

Frosting:
6 T creamy peanut butter
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T agave nectar
3 T soy milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with foil. You may also simply spray or grease the baking pan.
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, using a whisk to combine.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl then add them to the wet ingredients, whisking to combine.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 400 for 16 to 20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Set the pan on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely as you prepare the frosting.
6. Microwave the peanut butter for 30 to 45 seconds until melted and creamy.
7. Combine the soy milk with the agave and unsweetened cocoa powder then stir it into the peanut butter.
8. Spread the frosting on the cooled brownies and cut into 8 slices. Store in the refrigerator or on the counter, covered in plastic.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 197, Carbs: 16g, Fat: 10g, Protein: 15g, Sugar: 7g, Fiber: 4g

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