Protein Cupcakes

Healthy flourless protein cupcakes needing just four ingredients and quick, easy and delicious! Made with no butter, oil, flour, grains or sugar, these brownie muffins are super fudgy and gooey on the inside, and are naturally gluten free, vegan, paleo and dairy free!

Yes, shape.

Hear me out.

“No one has mini muffin tins!”

“I ate five in one go, I should have made normal muffins”

“I want to try this out so bad, but I only have a standard muffin tin.” 

When I first posted those mini brownie bites, I just wanted to share a mini version of one of my most-made and favorite recipes- mini brownie bites, I just wanted to share a mini version of one of my most-made and favorite recipes- These flourless protein brownies. Safe to say, I must agree with the reader who lamented eating 5 in one go.

Mini = More.

Bites = More.

As cutesy as they are in miniature form, if you are after a clean eating and protein packed snack, these muffins take the cake muffin. It also gives nobody the ‘I don’t have a mini muffin tin’ excuse to be used! 

The other day, I was in the homewares section of the department store and noticed some obscure baking dishes and trays. As cool as they were to look at, I was a little perplexed as to why someone would choose to make muffins shaped like pineapples or bars with stars in them.

BARS WITH STARS IN THEM.

Sorry, that particular mold was just stupid. After seeing some of these odd shaped baking dishes, it made the mini muffin pan look standard. 

TL;DR- Muffin tin or mini muffin tin, you’ll get the same results.

Let’s go back to the brownies!

Something I preach often with many recipes here is that they are healthy alternatives to traditional classics. If you are set on making Betty Crocker like brownies, or something sweet to serve at church on Sunday, these will NOT make the cut.

Let’s showcase a stark difference-

Betty Crocker’s first ingredient- Sugar.

My first ingredient- Mashed banana (or pumpkin). 

Just a minor KEY difference. For those who are here for the version which you could pretty much polish off in one sitting guilt-free? Read on. 

These flourless protein brownie muffins need just four ingredients and one bowl or blender to whip up! Texture wise, they are super fudgy, gooey on the inside and naturally sweetened! Unlike traditional brownie muffins which are typically based around flour, butter, sugar and oil, these contain none of those! Instead, these brownie muffins use a mashed starch, protein powder, cocoa powder and drippy nut butter. Because of the ingredients used, they are completely vegan, gluten free, paleo, grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free! 

For the protein powder, I always stick to my three tested options- This casein protein powder, this vegan protein powder, and this paleo friendly protein powder. Dietary restrictions aside, I’d recommend using the casein protein powder as the first option. It gives it a thick and glossy texture (in the batter) which results in those crackly tops (as pictured). This also works with the vegan protein powder blends too. I do NOT recommend whey based protein powders, as they either become incredibly sticky or turn baked goods into rubber. Trust me, if you want a hockey puck muffin, then feel free to use the whey protein.

For the nut butter– I usually stick to drippy almond butter or cashew butter, as they are mild tasting and don’t overpower the brownie muffins. If you enjoy the taste of peanut butter, feel free to use that- It WILL be very evident. For those with nut allergies, this works great with sunflower seed butter, soy nut butter and wow butter. I don’t recommend tahini, as it had an oily texture, coupled with being slightly bitter. 

HACK! If you prefer a sweeter brownie (especially if you don’t use the banana, and opt for a different starch), I’d recommend adding some granulated sweetener of choice (I prefer using monk fruit sweetener, a stevia blend) or some pure maple syrup. If you go the maple route, you’ll need to cook it a little longer and it will be ridiculously fudgy! 

Don’t want protein powder? Use this recipe and just bake it in the muffin pan.

WHAM BAM THANK YOU, MA’AM. 

Make these healthy 4 Ingredient Flourless Protein Brownie Muffins and eat five in one sitting.

Healthy 4 Ingredient Flourless Protein Brownie Muffins

5 from 112 votes

Healthy flourless protein brownie muffins needing just four ingredients and quick, easy and delicious! Made with no butter, oil, flour, grains or sugar, these brownie muffins are super fudgy and gooey on the inside, and are naturally gluten free, vegan, paleo and dairy free!

Servings: 6

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup mashed banana or pumpkin can sub for sweet potato
• ▢ 1/2 cup smooth nut butter or alternative I prefer almond butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1-2 scoops of protein powder see above content for tested recommendations
• ▢ Sweetener of choice optional*

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 6 count muffin tin with muffin liners- These result i easy removal.
• In a high speed blender (or mixing bowl), combine all your ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Pour brownie mixture into each muffin tin, filling until just full.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a skewer/toothpick comes out just clean. Allow to cool in the muffin tin completely.

Notes

* Only add if you prefer a sweeter brownie muffin
For the best texture, refrigerate for an hour before consuming.
Brownie muffins are freezer friendly- Simply wrap each one up individually and thaw before enjoying.
Brownie muffins need to be kept refrigerated.

Author: Arman

Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

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