I recently received an email from Laura, who loves dark chocolate brownies and cheesecake. (Yes, Laura, I think we're all with you!) I created this recipe for Healthy Cheesecake Brownies for her to enjoy while she continues her competition prep. Happy Birthday, Laura, and good luck with your show!

As soon as I heard the recipe idea, I knew I'd want to use the True Athlete whey proteins from the Vitamin Shoppe. The vanilla is super-creamy, perfect for protein cheesecake. And the chocolate is super-chocolatey, perfect for fudge brownies. True Athlete whey, the perfect match for these delicious Healthy Cheesecake Brownies!
You'll notice that I used cashew butter in this recipe. Any nut butter would work; I just used what I had on hand. And I used black cocoa since Laura mentioned dark chocolate brownies, but regular cocoa or cacao would be great here, too. Give these Healthy Cheesecake Brownies a try, and let me know what you think!
🥣 Recipe
Ingredients
Best if ingredients are at room temperature.
Brownie layer:
- 1 cup natural applesauce 222g
- ⅓ cup cashew butter 80g
- 1 cup natural chocolate whey protein powder 104g
- 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder 10g
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar 12g
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt 0.6ml
Cheesecake layer:
- ½ package Neufchâtel cheese 4oz or 112g
- 1 large egg whole (50g)
- 2 oz fat-free Greek yogurt ¼ cup or 57g
- 2 tablespoons natural vanilla whey protein powder 11g
- 2 packets stevia 2g
- ¼ teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract 1.2ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (163C).
- Mix brownie ingredients until well combined.
- Pour into parchment-lined 7" square (or similarly sized) baking pan (unless using silicone, then no parchment). Reserve a few spoonfuls of batter to make the fudge swirl (optional). Set aside.
- Mix cheesecake ingredients until well combined.
- Pour cheesecake batter over brownie batter.
- Spoon remaining brownie batter on top, and swirl with the back of a knife.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and check to see if firm. If not, check every 1 -2 minutes and remove from oven when firm. Do not overbake.
- Let cool, and enjoy! Store in the refrigerator.
Leave a Reply