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Fudgy, chocolatey, and layered with a golden almond top. These blondie brownies are gluten-free, naturally sweetened, and packed with over 10 grams of protein per serving.
Are you team brownie or blondie?
In my house, that’s a constant battle.
So, to make things easier at home, one day I decided to combine them both. But, I wanted to make them in a healthy way.
These cottage cheese blondie brownies are made with a rich, cocoa-based chocolate batter on the bottom and a lighter, nuttier almond butter batter on top.
The result is a sweet treat that is going to leave you licking your fingers.
Each square packs over 10 grams of protein, making it a great sweet treat that is going to make you feel full for a long time.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItIt’s a great recipe to make when you have friends coming over for afternoon tea, or when you want something sweet after your lunch or dinner.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Cottage cheese, 2% blended (1 3/4 cups) – Replace with Greek yogurt (use plain and unsweetened) or silken tofu if you want a plant-based (dairy-free) option.
Maple syrup (½ cup) – Swap with honey, agave syrup, or date syrup. If you want to reduce the sugar content of the recipe, switch with a sugar-free alternative.
Smooth almond butter (⅓ cup) – Substitute with peanut butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter.
Oat flour (1 cup) – Use almond flour, all-purpose gluten-free flour, or whole-wheat flour (not gluten-free).
Baking powder (2 tsp)
Salt (¼ tsp)
Cocoa powder (½ cup) – Switch with Dutch-processed cocoa or cacao powder.
Dark chocolate chips (¼ cup) – Replace with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, cacao nibs, or use a vegan chocolate chip.
Milk (1 tbsp) – Substitute with any plant-based milk like almond, soy, or oat milk.
Almond slices (½ cup) – You can also use crushed walnuts, pecans, or shredded coconut.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Blondie Brownies
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350F (or 320F if you are using an oven fan). Prepare a baking dish that’s 9×7-inch or a square baking dish (8×8-inch) by lining it with parchment paper.
Grab a medium bowl, and combine the 1¼ cups of cottage cheese and maple syrup.
Step 2. Sift the oat flour and baking powder and add it into the wet ingredients. Give it a good stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 3. Take 2/3 of the batter and place it into another bowl. Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl and then add the rest (1/2 cup) of the cottage cheese. If the texture is too thick, add a splash of milk.
Combine all the ingredients.
Step 4. Fold in the chocolate chips using a spatula.
Step 5. Place the cocoa mix on the bottom of the baking dish, leveling out with a spatula. Then, cover with the rest of the light mix on top.
Step 6. Level out the light mix using a spatula. Spread 1 tablespoon of milk (using a brush) to help smooth out the top.
Step 7. Cover the top with the sliced almonds. Press them with a spoon.
Step 8. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the baking dish before slicing.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHow I Would Modify This Recipe
- Make it higher in protein: Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of unflavored protein powder into the batter. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk.
- Go keto or low–carb: Replace the maple syrup with a liquid keto sweetener (like allulose syrup) and swap the oat flour for almond flour.
- Extra chocolatey: Double the cocoa powder in the bottom layer and fold in a few extra chocolate chips if you want a stronger flavor.
My Tips & Tricks
- Blend the cottage cheese first: If you skip this step, the batter might turn lumpy. This can create uneven pockets of texture in the batter, which we don’t want.
- Let them cool before slicing: the texture firms up as it cools. So, just make sure you give it a couple of minutes before slicing.
- Press the almonds firmly: Use the back of a spoon to push them into the top layer. This is going to stop them from sliding off when you slice the brownies.
My Storage Tips
Let the brownies cool, then transfer them to an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you want to keep them for longer, wrap them individually and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Cottage Cheese Blondie Brownies
Cals: 267 Protein: 10.6 Carbs: 32 Fat: 11.9
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cottage cheese 2% blended
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup smooth almond butter
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp milk
- ½ cup almond slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 320F fan. Prepare a baking dish (9’’x7’’) or a square baking dish (8’’x8’’) and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 ¼ cups of cottage cheese with maple syrup and almond butter.
- Now, sift the oat flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients and mix throughout to combine and form a thick batter. Add in the salt and mix it in.
- Take 2/3 of the batter and sift the cocoa powder and the remaining 1/2 cup cottage cheese into it. Add a splash of milk if the mixture is too thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with cocoa batter and level it out. Then, cover with the remaining 1/3 of the light batter and spread it out on top of the chocolate batter.
- Using a brush, spread the 1 tbsp of milk on top of the batter to smooth out the top.
- Cover with almond slices evenly and press them in with a spoon.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let it cool down inside the baking dish before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
