A fudgy chocolate brownie with rocky road pressed into the top the moment it leaves the oven. Makes 16 servings.
Thirty-five minutes at 180C, and the topping goes on hot so it melts into the surface rather than sitting on it.
Key points
- Makes 16. A full tray.
- 35 minutes at 180C. Then 30 minutes resting.
- Topping goes on hot. Straight out of the oven.
- Rest it properly. Cutting warm gives you a mess.
- Do not overbake. Fudgy is the point.
Ingredients
Brownie
- 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup rocky road or chocolate flavoured protein powder
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped roasted almonds
- 60 g melted chocolate
Method
- Sift all the dry brownie ingredients into a bowl, except the chocolate chips. Combine the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into a greased and lined baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake for 35 minutes at 180C.
- Immediately after taking it out of the oven, lightly press the marshmallows, chocolate chips and almonds into the surface, then drizzle with melted chocolate.
- Rest for 30 minutes, then serve.
Macros will vary depending on the protein powder you use, so log the recipe with your own ingredients for an accurate figure.
Why does the topping go on hot?
Because the residual heat is what welds it to the brownie. This is the step that makes the recipe work and it is easy to get wrong by waiting.
Pressed in straight from the oven, the marshmallows soften and grip, the chocolate chips half-melt into the surface, and the almonds set into the softened top. Wait ten minutes and the surface has firmed up, so the topping sits loose and falls off when you cut it.
Have the topping measured out and ready before the timer goes.
Why did my brownie come out cakey?
Overbaked, or overmixed. Both push a brownie towards cake.
- Check at 30 minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not clean. Clean means you have gone too far.
- Mix until just combined. Beating develops gluten in the self-raising flour, which makes it rise more and set drier.
- Watch the protein powder. It tightens as it bakes, so a protein brownie has a shorter window than a normal one. A third of a cup is about the limit before texture suffers.
Do I have to rest it for 30 minutes?
Yes, and it is the hardest instruction in the recipe to follow.
A brownie continues cooking in the tin after it leaves the oven, and the structure only sets as it cools. Cut it warm and you get a delicious mess rather than squares. The marshmallow is also molten at that point and will drag through every cut.
If you want clean squares, go further: cool it completely, then chill for an hour, and use a hot dry knife wiped between cuts.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes. A gluten-free self-raising flour blend substitutes 1:1 here without much difference, because a brownie does not rely on gluten for structure the way a cake does.
Almond meal is not a straight swap. It has no raising agent and behaves differently with liquid, so it would need the recipe rebuilt around it.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Halve it and the brownie still works, particularly given the chocolate chips and topping are already sweet.
Do not remove it entirely. Sugar in a brownie contributes moisture and the fudgy texture as well as sweetness, so taking it all out gives you something dry and cakey. If you want to go further, replace half with mashed banana or apple puree rather than a granulated sweetener.
Which protein powder should I use?
A chocolate whey blend is the easiest here, since it bakes reliably and matches the flavour.
Plant protein absorbs more liquid, so add two tablespoons of milk if you use it. Isolate bakes drier than concentrate.
100% Whey Protein is our house-brand option, and the full protein range is worth comparing.
Is a protein brownie actually better for you?
Marginally, and it is worth keeping that in proportion.
A third of a cup of protein powder across 16 servings is a small amount per square. What has not changed is the cup of sugar, the cup of chocolate chips, the half cup of coconut oil, and the marshmallow topping. This is a brownie.
That is fine. It is a good brownie and it is meant to be a treat. It is not a protein snack, and the protein powder is doing more for flavour than for your intake.
How long does it keep?
- Airtight container. Four days at room temperature.
- Fridge. Up to a week, though it firms up. Ten seconds in the microwave restores it.
- Freezer. Up to three months. Freeze in portions with baking paper between them.
For more like this, browse the full recipe collection.
