Chocolate Cherry Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I can’t believe January has come and gone in 2018. But here we are, right in the swing of things with February. And wouldn’t you know it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! I’ve teamed up with my friends over at Arctic Zero to bring you a Valentine’s dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth, but in true My Engineered Nutrition fashion, will still keep you on track with your nutrition goals!

I have been a supporter of Arctic Zero for quite some time. It is my go-to dessert when I have a sweet tooth for ice cream but don’t want something that will derail my nutrition. This has been especially true during times of figure prep and cutting weight for a weightlifting meet. Even though I’m not training for any specific contest right now, I still want to keep my nutrition in check and opt for lighter alternatives when it comes to desserts.

In my mind, Valentine’s Day is everyone’s “Treat Yo Self Day” (where my Parks and Rec fans at?), and if you ask me there is no better treat yo self pairing than chocolate and cherries. When I was thinking about what Valentine’s treat I could make with Arctic Zero I IMMEDIATELY knew I wanted to use the Chocolate Cherry Chunk. This flavor is hands down the best, with chunks of cherry and chocolate swirled throughout. Added bonus? Only 4 grams of fat in the entire pint! Wowza! Not only did Arctic Zero provide me with some delicious frozen desserts, they also challenged me to include their secret ingredients of chocolate chips and cherry preserves. It was all too perfect to pass up.

When I was thinking about what to create, my mind kept coming back to ice cream sandwiches. Not the fancy gourmet kind with large chewy cookies. No, the ones you ate in the summer time as a kid with the thin chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream, wrapped in a bit of wax paper. The kind that stuck to your fingers while you at them and you got to lick the chocolate off your fingers at the end. Yes, those.

Now, those obviously weren’t the healthiest of sandwiches, which is why I knew I could make them better. I created chocolate cherry protein brownies to pair with the chocolate cherry chunk Arctic Zero. These take a little extra time in assembly but the result is so worth it. You bake two separate pans of brownies and then after they are cool, you spread a layer of the ice cream over top of the first layer of brownie and then sandwich this with the other layer on top. Just a little extra time to freeze together and voila! Ice cream sandwiches!

Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches

Prep Time: 1 hour

Bake Time: 10-15 minutes

Servings: 9 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 pint Cherry Chocolate Chunk Arctic Zero
• 1/4 cup chocolate pea protein powder
• 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s 1-to-1 GF flour)
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup vanilla Icelandic yogurt (skyr)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup cherry preserves
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Baking Accessories

• Two 8x8 aluminum baking pans
• Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two baking pans by lining with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients: pea protein powder, flour, sugar, cocoa and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In a smaller bowl combine all wet ingredients: eggs, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla. Mix these wet ingredients into the larger mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine.
4. Fold in cherry preserves and chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared baking pans. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove brownies from the oven and allow to cool completely. While the brownies are cooling, remove the pint of Arctic Zero from the freezer and set on countertop to thaw for at about 15 minutes.
6. To assemble the sandwiches: Once the Arctic Zero has thawed completely and can be easily scooped and spread, layer on top of one of the brownies while still in the pan with the parchment paper. After the Arctic Zero is in an even layer, remove the remaining brownie from its pan and parchment paper and place on top of the ice cream. Replace the remaining parchment paper back on top of the top layer brownie and place the second baking tin on top. Press down slightly and place into the freezer to allow the sandwiches to set. When ready to serve slice sandwiches into 9 equal pieces and enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Protein Shake

Yum

As far as recipes with protein powder go, I feel like I've practically tried my hand at everything. Plenty of pro-nuts, cakes, brownies, muffins, pancakes and more...but no protein shakes. Truthfully, I hardly ever drink them (gasp!). If I'm honest, I can't stand the taste of a simple protein shake made from whey powder and water. Bleh. I just would much rather eat something with protein than drink it. My secret is out. This is why I haven't ever once done a recipe for a smoothie or shake.

Well, today that changes. I may not love basic protein shakes, but you know what I do love? MILKSHAKES. Who doesn't? If you also don't like protein shakes (or maybe you do) and get down with some milkshakes, then you are going to love this Chocolate Cherry Protein Shake. 

The base of this shake is Chocolate Fudge Micellar Casein. If you are like me, you like your milkshakes as a dessert after dinner - or maybe you like them for breakfast, which is totally fine, no judgment here. Casein is a "slow" protein, meaning you absorb it much slower than whey protein. Slow rate of protein breakdown is great for muscle recovery, aka when we are sleeping.

But don't let this shake foul you, it may taste like a milkshake but it is actually packed with antioxidants! First, it has cacao powder, not to be confused with cocoa. Cacao is made from un-roasted raw cocoa beans, high in antioxidants, no sugar, and even some fiber. I also snuck in some spinach to provide an extra boost of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, plus you won't even know it's there.  Last but certainly not least, let's not forget about the cherries which are also packed with antioxidants, contain cancer-preventative compounds and also naturally contain melatonin which aids in sleep! 

This shake is thick and creamy and you will hardly believe it yourself that it is actually SO GOOD for you! I may just have to start making this a nightly routine... 

Chocolate Cherry Protein Shake

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1 shake

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop Chocolate Fudge Brownie Micellar Casein Protein Powder
• 1 cup frozen Dark Sweet Cherries (140g)
• 1 handful spinach (25g, about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of your choice (I used unsweetened cashew milk)*
• 2 tbsp cacao powder (10g)

*This makes for a very thick shake. If you prefer a thinner consistency, simply add more milk to your liking!

Directions: 

1.  Add all ingredients to blender and blend until creamy!

Nutritional Information (1 shake)

305 calories - 34.5 g Protein, 31 g Carbohydrates, 4.8 g Fat

Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

Yum

Oh.

My. 

Goodness.

These donuts. I just don't even have the words.

Let me try and find them: LEMON. PISTACHIO. PROTEIN. DONUTS. 

Even though I made them myself, it is hard to believe how amazing these taste when they are made with protein powder. I mean, let's not fool ourselves - baking with protein powder is GREAT, but its never quite the real deal. But I swear to you, if you didn't know how these were made you would think I picked them up from a near by donut shop. 

I will admit that I had my doubts I could ever get this recipe exactly spot on like I wanted it. The first attempt the batter had too much liquid and they baked flat and rubbery. The second attempt I almost had but it they were a little dry, however, still definitely edible, I just wasn't sold on the glaze. This third attempt I was determined to nail it and boy did I. 

I will say I tried so hard to make a "healthy" glaze for these donuts by using minimal sugar and even some whey protein powder in the mix, but it just wasn't the consistency I wanted. So I compromised and made a traditional glaze with powdered sugar and milk...but used it oh-so-sparingly. I try my hardest to steer clear of refined sugars but you know what, sometimes you gotta give a little.

Aside from the glaze these are incredibly healthy donuts! The lemon zest and lemon juice make these the ideal summertime donut as their flavor is bright and bursting with with citrus. Each donut packs 8 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of fat. It is hard to believe something that taste THIS good is actually healthy. Don't believe me? You'll just have to see for yourself!

Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 1/4 cup  vanilla whey protein powder (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose)
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Glaze

• 3 tbsp powdered sugar, loosely measured not hard packed
• 2 tsp milk (or nondairy milk of your choice, I used cashew)

Additional Toppings

• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, flour, coconut palm sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, egg and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated. 
3. Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles. 
4. Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 8 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake since we are using whey protein and over baking and make your donuts dry and rubbery!
5. After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling. 
6. While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl add 1 tsp of milk at a time to the powdered sugar, stirring after each tsp of milk. If you haven't already toasted your pistachios, now would be the time to toast them. Once cooled, chop the pistachios finely.
7. With a spoon, drizzle equal amounts of glaze over the tops of the cooled donuts. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over each right after the glaze.
8. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (1 donut)

145 calories - 8 g Protein, 17.5 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g Fat

Vanilla Protein Cookies

So confession: I first made these cookies like 2 months ago and I'm just now sharing the recipe with you - eeep! Sorry, life just kinda got in the way (you know, I jetted off to Iceland and all) and I selfishly kept these cookies all to myself.

Today I'm FINALLY sharing the recipe and you definitely do not want to miss out on these Vanilla Protein Cookies!

Admittedly, when I first set out to make these cookies I was actually attempting to make an edible cookie dough. Well, it was a bit of a flop and it just didn't have the texture I wanted. However...I added a few additional ingredients, threw them on a cookie sheet then into the oven and....voilà! COOKIES!

The texture of these kind of remind me of those pillowy soft sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles that are sold in almost every major grocery store. You know the ones I'm talking about? The texture of these cookies is kind of dense yet also very soft. 

There are only 9 ingredients in these cookies and they are gluten and egg-free! The main ingredient is Vanilla Pea Protein Isolate and I wouldn't recommend substituting this with any other type of protein. This definitely gives the cookies their soft, pillowy texture and that is what MAKES these cookies. Pea protein gives your batter a thickness you just can't get with whey protein. 

If you've never tried pea protein I highly recommend you give it a taste! Use the code 'MYENG' for 5% off your order at True Nutrition! 

Vanilla Protein Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 16-18 minutes

Servings: 16 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 c. coconut palm sugar
• 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 scoops vanilla pea protein (3/4 c)
• 1/2 c. all-purpose baking flour (I used gluten free Bob's Redmill 1-to-1 Flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. nondairy milk (cashew, almond, etc.)
• Sprinkles!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine butter and coconut palm sugar. Using the stand mixer or a hand electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar. Add applesauce and vanilla, mix to combine.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well incorporated. Add nondairy milk and mix until a thick cookie doughforms.
4. Roll dough into 16 equal balls and space out evenly on the cookie sheet. Take each ball and small flat between palms or you can use your thumb and press down each ball to a flat cookie. Because of consistency of the dough these cookies don't spread larger than what they go into the oven as. Add sprinkles at this point should you want them!
5. Place in oven and bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before eating. 

Nutritional Information (1 cookie)

77 calories - 5 g Protein, 9.5 g Carbohydrates, 2.3 g Fat

No-Guilt Chocolate Brownies

Yum

When it comes to chocolate, I don't mess around. I love dark chocolate - the more chocolate the better. Some people shy away from dark chocolate or overly chocolate thing (whatever that means?!) but I go straight for them. 

So which chocolate lover are you? Sweet and milk chocolate or dark and rich? 

Regardless, I think we can all join hands and agree that these Double Chocolate Protein Brownies are a really winner. 

Don't let these fool you. While double chocolate desserts are often synonymous with rich and decadent, these brownies pack all the decadence without the guilt. I've shared my love for fudge-like brownies in the past (with my Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies) but these are actually more towards the cake-like side of the spectrum. 

The first time I made these I thought they were too good to be true. I experimented using Hemp Protein  for the first time in these, a plant based protein I hadn't tried before. These are chocolaty, moist and best of all...each brownie is less than 10g of carbohydrates and only 3.5g of fat. THE DESSERT ANGELS ARE REJOICING!!

Or maybe it's just me rejoicing? Either way, do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these ASAP. And if I can leave you with one final recommendation...these are sinfully delicious when paired with a scoop of ice cream. What more do you need in life?

No-Guilt Chocolate Brownies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 9

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. hemp protein, chocolate 
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. nondairy milk (cashew, almond, etc.)
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and then line with parchment paper, this will help the paper stay in place. You could skip the parchment paper but it makes removing the brownies from the pan SO much easier and less messy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients, whisking together to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into prepare baking dish, ensuring to level out the top of the brownies.
3. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after testing. 
4. Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool in baking dish for about 15 minutes. Cut into 9 equal brownies.

Nutritional Information (1 brownie)

85 calories - 4 g Protein, 9 g Carbohydrates (4 g Fiber), 3.5 g Fat