Cottage Cheese Brownies are rich, fudgy, completely gluten-free and packed with 7 grams of protein. Made in a blender for quick and easy healthy treat!
I also love making these flourless sweet potato brownies and banana brownies!
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I love cooking, but especially baking with cottage cheese! Once I made cottage cheese cookie dough and cottage cheese tiramisu, both out-of-this-world delicious, I knew that we could make almost anything with this magical ingredient!
And these cottage cheese brownies delivered big time! One bite, and youโll see exactly what I mean.
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- Rich and fudgy: These brownies have the perfect gooey, chocolatey texture.
- Quick and easy: Everything comes together in a blender so thereโs minimal effort and clean up.
- High in protein: Each cottage cheese brownie packs 7 grams of protein. Higher in protein are only these protein brownies.
- Tried and true: If cottage cheese can do everything from dips to bread to cheesecake, you know these brownies will be good!
Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Brownies
Youโll only need 8 basic baking ingredients, plus almond flour and cottage cheese.
- Cottage cheese: The main ingredient that also makes them high protein! You can use any % you have on hand or prefer, I used 2% cottage cheese.
- Eggs: Boost protein, add moisture, and help bind everything together.
- Maple syrup: Adds natural sweetness. You could also try honey or agave as a liquid sweetener.
- Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil helps give these brownies an extra fudgy texture.
- Cacao powder: Feel free to substitute cocoa powder.
- Almond flour: Adds structure while keeping the brownies moist and tender. I think almond meal will work too.
- Baking essentials: Pure vanilla extract and salt for flavor, and baking powder to give them a little lift.
- Mini chocolate chips: I love how mini chocolate chips melt into every bite! I always mix some in and sprinkle the rest on top.
How to Make Brownies with Cottage Cheese
This brownie recipe comes together with the easiest 10 minutes of prep!
Preheat oven to 350 F and line an 8ร8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Blend the batter: Add everything to a high speed blender and blend until smooth, stopping once to scrape the sides.
- Bake: Pour the cottage cheese mixture into the prepared dish, level it with a spatula, and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a little dough and some wet batter.
- Cool and slice: Let the brownies cool for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to transfer them to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing.
Tips for Best Results
Here are a few tips to make these brownies a standout healthy dessert in your home!
- Donโt substitute cottage cheese: Substitutes like Greek yogurt just wonโt give you the same texture or flavor that cottage cheese brings to these brownies.
- Donโt over bake: The key to keeping brownies soft, fudgy, and perfect. They might look a little underdone when you take them out, but brownies will firm up during cooling.
- Let brownies cool: Theyโll need a few minutes to set and will be much easier to cut once theyโve set.
- Slice carefully: Iโve found that cutting and lifting upward with a serrated knife works best. Wiping the knife with a wet cloth between cuts helps too.
- Mini chocolate chips are the best: They spread out so perfectly that you get melted chocolate in every bite, and you donโt need to use as much! But regular size ones will work as well.
Variations
These brownies with cottage cheese are easy to customize, here are just a few ideas:
- Toppings: Finish them off with sprinkles, chopped nuts, flaky sea salt, mini marshmallows, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
- Nutty swirl: Swirl some peanut butter or nut butter on top before baking.
- Crunchy twist: Mix up to 1/2 cup chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds into the batter.
- Muffin style: Turn these brownies into muffins by diving the batter into a muffin tin and baking for about 20-25 minutes.
- Espresso kick: Stir in a little instant espresso powder for a coffee-flavored brownie.
- Mint chocolate: Add a few drops of peppermint extract to the batter for a refreshing twist.
How to Store
Store: Keep your brownies in a ventilated container at room temperature for 2 days. After that, pop them in the fridge for up to 3 more days.
Freeze: Theyโll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months stored in an airtight container.
FAQs
I used 2% fat, I think you can use any fat % in this recipe.
I donโt recommend it here because protein powder will dry out the brownies. But donโt worry, I do have a protein powder brownie recipe! Thatโs why I know protein powder brownies need a different amount of liquids.
You may replace two large eggs with 1/3 cup egg whites, but brownies will be less fudgy.
Coconut oil is the only oil that solidifies and makes these brownies more fudgy. You can use any other oil like avocado oil or olive oil, but I think brownies will not be as fudgy. Maybe butter would be a better substitute.
More Cottage Cheese Desserts to Try
More Brownies Recipes
- Healthy zucchini brownies
- Black bean brownies
- No bake brownies
- Almond flour brownies
- Oat flour brownies
- Healthy pumpkin brownies
Cottage Cheese Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese, I used 2%
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 8 x 8 square baking dish with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a high speed blender, add cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, cacao powder, almond flour, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth, pausing and scraping the walls once.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, level with spatula and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, with small pieces of dough attached to it and a bit of wet batter is fine.
- Remove from the oven and let brownies cool for 10 minutes. Holding onto parchment paper flaps, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool until room temperature before slicing. Cut into 9 squares.
Notes
- Store: Store in a ventilated container for 2 days in a cool dark place. Then refrigerate for up to 3 more days.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were very good. They were more of a cheesecake texture than brownie texture. My husband thought they were too chocolaty and I even added walnuts so that he might like them better. However, My DIL who avoids gluten and loves cheesecake thought they were yummy!
They were easy to make!
Thanks for sharing your feedback and review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I enjoy following you and have made some of your recipes. I enjoy the healthier lower carb ones with no flour in baking etc. I want to thank you for creating your website and sharing.
Karen in Toronto
Hi Karen. So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes! Please donโt be shy to leave me a comment with a star review once you make any recipe. Have a great week!