Craving brownies but don’t want all the sugar? Try this brownie protein balls recipe instead! They’re jam-packed with protein, a hint of sweetness, and all sorts of chocolate goodness! They’re a great alternative when you want something sweet but still good for you!
Chocolate Protein Balls
If you asked me what my all-time favorite dessert is, I’d quickly answer striped delight. But then it’d be a toss-up between brownies with nuts and a good strawberry shortcake. I’m pretty sure I’d have to give it to a perfectly warm chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I’m a sucker for a brownie sundae.
Unfortunately brownies aren’t really Whole 30, keto, or really any diet friendly. And ever since I did Whole 30 last summer, I’ve been trying to make better decisions about what I put into my body. It’s one of the reasons my husband and I have taken to incorporating Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides into something every day. I even started incorporating them into some of the recipes on my favorite Whole 30 meal plan.
And then there’s my husband who has taken healthy eating even further but let me tell you, he looks and feels amazing right now. Definitely where I want to get to someday!
But where was I? We were talking about brownies.
So no more brownies for me or at least not whole pans of brownies.
These brownie walnut no bake protein balls are the next best thing and best of all, you won’t crash from sugar and the protein in them is actually good for you. There is a bit of sugar in them from the honey but otherwise, they’re jam-packed full of ingredients to sustain you throughout the day.
And they taste good. Seriously. My husband even said that they tasted better than the two real desserts I made this week for our Easter and birthday celebrations. Crazy right?
Nut Brownie Protein Ball Ingredients
I tried my best to add my favorite parts of a brownie into the recipe – chocolate and nuts.
On top of that, I added in some ground flaxseed (no real taste there), honey, and the new Dark Chocolate & Blackberry Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. You guys, they’re so good. Seriously. I mean I was always a big fan of the flavorless and odorless collagen peptides because I could put them in anything but the new flavored ones are a game changer because the flavor actually makes things taste better.
These ones are even better than the mixed berry ones I used in last month’s triple berry mocktail. Both are good but the chocolate flavor is amazing.
They really add a nice rich chocolately flavor to these protein balls. And it’s protein that tastes way better than a typical protein powder or protein shake. You could also add them to something like this healthy hot chocolate if you have any leftover after making these protein bites!
Brownie Protein Ball Recipe
Guess what? Protein balls are the easiest thing in the world to make. You pretty much just add the ingredients together, smoosh them into balls, chill, and eat. Or store them for a little while until you eat them all.
But there are a few tricks.
First, add your wet ingredients (chocolate + honey) to the food processor last. If they go in first, they’ll end up sticking to the bottom of the food processor and may not get incorporated into the mixture very well. And then your mixture won’t stick together when you’re trying to form balls.
Speaking of that – if the mixture isn’t forming very well, make sure the chocolate and honey are well incorporated. If they are and it’s still not sticking, add 1 TBS of water to add a bit more moisture to the mixture. The mixture may still be sticky and sticky to your fingers – but as long as you can form the balls, they’ll chill and stay together fine once chilled.
Put the balls on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet so you can just stick the baking sheet in the fridge to chill. The piece of parchment paper will make it easier to take them off once they’re chilled.
Also, I used sugar-free, low-carb dark chocolate chips. If you want to add a bit more sweetness to these like with my rocky road protein balls, substitute regular chocolate chips instead. The sugar intake will go way up, but they’ll taste more like the sweetness you’re looking for.
And finally, this recipe makes 12 protein balls. If you want more than that, you can double the recipe as long as you have a big enough food processor. If you want to make more than 24, I recommend doing it in two different batches (with the first batch being the regular recipe doubled and the second batch being the recipe made all over again). If you try to mix too much together, the consistency will be all wrong.
How to Make These Protein Balls
Here’s a quick video to show you how easy it is to make these protein balls! Once you’ve made protein balls once, you’ll never go back. They’re one of my favorite snacks!
Brownie Chocolate Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 2 scoops Vital Proteins Dark Chocolate Blackberry Collagen Peptides
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Lily's dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Melt chocolate in microwave on low until completely melted.
- Place all ingredients in food processor and process on low until thoroughly combined. If mixture seems too crumbly, add an additional tsp of honey or a TBS of water.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out mixture and roll into balls.
- Chill for 15 minutes to let balls to harden. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin these chocolate brownie balls for later!
Sarah says
09/04/2018 at 12:46 pmMaking these for my daughter who has had nail issues. Hopefully it will help her grow stronger nails.
Julie Evink says
09/04/2018 at 12:50 pmI loved these! Gave me my sweet fix but didn’t ruin eating healthy. Thank you!