Sourdough Brownies with Protein

Deeply chocolatey and fudgy Sourdough Brownies with Protein, there is no compromising on flavour here. Yet you get 4-5g protein with each. A hint of sourdough tang, to balance the sweetness and rye flour, to add moisture. These are utterly irresistible.

The Inspiration

Hi, I’m Sonja and I’m a Brownie addict.
Honestly, counting the brownie versions I’ve made over the years is basically impossible. And that’s while I only started making them since about 16 years, when I moved to Paris and encountered these perfect fudgy squares at pretty much every corner.

Living in Ireland since about 15 years, while you find brownies here, most are not as fudgy and perfect as the ones in France, and I was spoiled by that time. Clearly I had to make my own. As so often when I’m not quite happy with what I find in the shops.
And I sure did find fantastic versions, but since I lost 70lb within a year, I’m trying to adapt every recipe I make into an at least slightly healthier version. Be it by swapping parts of the fat or sugar for healthier alternatives or adding protein powder and wholewheat. Even better, you get to use some of your sourdough discard for more flavour. Here I do all of the above. And yet, these are still perfect.

The Ingredients

Don’t get me wrong, these are not “diet” food or entirely healthy. I mean we are making brownies here. And if we do, we might as well do it right. After all, *points up* perfect Parisian brownies are my inspiration. Not going to settle for any less here.

My idea of “perfect” starts with dark chocolate. And cocoa powder. The good unsweetened, dark stuff. Please don’t use drinking chocolate powder!
I’m using a fair bit of chocolate here. Half melted with butter; the other half roughly chopped.
However I’m replacing any vegetable oil you might find in many recipes with a banana (not the butter, mind you. We want all the flavour). Only one, I don’t want strong banana flavour. Just sweetness and moisture we usually get from butter and sugar.

Eggs. 3 of them. A bit of sourdough discard, as it adds lovely tang and more nutrition. Don’t worry, we won’t give it time to rise, so it won’t make the brownies spongy. A bit of kosher salt, to balance all the sweetness and lift the chocolate flavour. One or two (depending on preference) teaspoons of instant espresso powder, again supporting the dark chocolate. You won’t taste coffee here. Vanilla essence for balance.

And the protein. In form of dark chocolate whey protein powder from my favourite (unsponsored and unaffiliated) “MyProtein” range.  And because the protein powder and banana add sweetness, we can use a little less sugar than usual. Not a lot less. There is still plenty in this recipe. Proper Brownies, as I said.

The Process

I mixed the eggs here until foamy, adding the sugar slowly, so it could dissolve.

The Protein Powder gets mixed into the wet ingredients, to get it properly dissolved, avoiding any grainy feel you might find in some recipes with protein powder. Unless you are using a vegan powder…I’m not giving any guarantees with that stuff, sorry.
At this point, you’ll want to eat the chocolaty fluff you made with a spoon. I would say resist, but who am I to tell you what to enjoy? Just be careful because it’s raw eggs. If they are very fresh, you’ll be fine.

Now the rest of the preparation is pretty simple, so I’ll have you just follow the recipe below. Just melt half the chocolate with butter, chop the rest, so you can have both deep chocolate flavour and melted chunks in your Sourdough Brownies with Protein.

In the end, lick the bowl. You know you want to! *discreetly wipes a bit of brownie batter off her nose*

And whatever you do: Don’t over-bake them. No clean toothpick tests with Brownies. You’ll want there to be fudgy chocolate.

Meal Prep

Sourdough Brownies with Protein can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days. Or in the fridge for 6, if you like them a bit firmer. They also freeze really well, so you always have brownies for your cravings or unexpected guests. Let them come to room temperature for a few hours or, for the impatient among us (or those who like our brownies warm) heat them in the oven or air fryer for extra crispy crust and melted chocolate.

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

For more dessert recipes with protein (and super low calories) check out my Strawberry Protein Mousse Pie. Or the slightly more adventurous Sourdough Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Black Garlic.

Looking for other sourdough discard ideas with protein?

Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Wholewheat

Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles with Protein

Sourdough Chocolate Banana Bread with Rye and Protein

Sourdough Buttermilk Protein Pancakes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please like and share. It helps me a lot. 🙂

Sourdough Brownies with Protein

Deeply chocolatey and fudgy Sourdough Brownies with Protein, there is no compromising on flavour here. Yet you get 4-5g protein with each. A hint of sourdough tang, to balance the sweetness and rye flour, to add moisture. These are utterly irresistible

5 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 265 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp dark chocolate, roughly chopped, divided.
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1-2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 scoops protein powder I used “MyProtein” dark chocolate
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana mashed
• ½ cup sourdough discard
• ¼ cup +1 tbsp rye flour substitute white if you don’t have rye
• ¾ cup cocoa powder

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a brownie tin (mine is 9x13in) with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, combine half of chopped dark chocolate and butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Allow it to cool slightly.
• Whisk the eggs, using a stand or hand mixer, until they are light and fluffy. Add the salt and espresso powder, then slowly add both sugars until fully incorporated. Mix in the protein powder until no lumps are left. There should be no sugar grains to feel at this point, otherwise keep mixing. Add the vanilla.
• Stir the mashed banana and sourdough discard together in a big bowl.
• Add the rye flour and cocoa powder.
• Gradually add the egg-protein mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and chocolate. Gently fold and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
• Fold the remaining chopped dark chocolate into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the centre is still moist, but you start seeing cracks on the top in the corners.
• Once baked, remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• Once completely cooled (if you can resists that long. I never can), carefully lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer them to a cutting board.

Notes

These fudgy Sourdough Brownies with Protein can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days. Or in the fridge for 6, if you like them a bit firmer. They also freeze really well, so you always have brownies for your cravings or unexpected guests. Let them come to room temperature for a few hours or, for the impatient among us (or those who like our brownies warm) heat them in the oven or air fryer for extra crispy crust and melted chocolate.

Total Estimated Nutrition per Portion:
Calories: Approximately 250-280
Fat: Approximately 15-17 grams
Protein: Approximately 4-5 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 30-35 grams
Fiber: Approximately 3-4 grams
Sugar: Approximately 20-25 grams

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal

Nutrition Facts

Sourdough Brownies with Protein

Amount per Serving

Calories

265

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Easy, Protein, sourdough

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!