PUMPKIN COLLAGEN PROTEIN BLONDIES

September 06, 2019

These Pumpkin Collagen Protein Blondies were the best healthy snack with my early morning coffee! These blondies are the perfect balance of cakey and fudgey, and full of pumpkin spice and dark chocolate chips. Seriously – they taste as good as any bakery! Hard to believe they’re low carb, virtually sugar-free, gluten-free and high-protein, with only 109 calories per serving! You might also like my Collagen Protein Carrot Cake Squares 🙂

Did you know? Like other yellow and orange vegetables, pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, a nutrient that protects your eyes and skin from free radical damage, while boosting your immune system and supporting bone health (collagen is important for bone health, too).

These delectable pumpkin blondies get a boost of protein from unflavored collagen protein powder (peptides). I love the flavorless LIV Body Marine Collagen because it’s highly bioavailable and great for baking! You’re welcome to use my code NOEXCUSES for 20% off 😉

If you don’t have collagen protein, you can try substituting half as much whey, casein, or plant-based protein (roughly 60g). You simply can’t use as much of these other protein powders without ruining the texture. Feel free to swap out the collagen for half a cup (60g) of gluten-free baking flour or one quarter cup of coconut flour too.

I prefer coconut flour in these blondies keeps the carbs down, but I have also tested three quarters of a cup of gluten-free baking flour with success. Feel free to swap the gluten-free flour for an equal measure of all-purpose flour, brown rice flour, cake flour, cassava flour (Paleo), oat flour (oats blended into flour), sorghum flour, spelt flour, tiger nut flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Almond flour or garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour *may* work but these flours behave much differently!

To sweeten these Pumpkin Collagen Protein Blondies, I used a calorie-free stevia-erythritol blend that’s twice as sweet as sugar with no bitter aftertaste. You can use any sweetener you prefer! Keep in mind, if using erythritol, monk fruit, baking stevia or another sweetener that measures 1-to-1 like sugar, you’ll need twice as much (one full cup). You can also use coconut sugar or raw sugar but this will significantly increase the calories and sugar!

Of course, this recipe calls for lots of pumpkin, 100% pure canned pumpkin puree to be exact. You can also use roasted and mashed pumpkin! The other wet ingredients include egg whites, sunflower seed butter (so good in these!), and pure vanilla extract. If you don’t like sunflower seed butter, try almond butter or cashew butter. The egg whites can also be swapped for two whole eggs, two flax eggs, or a vegan egg replacer.

I added all the warm spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice – but two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice works too.

And don’t forget sugar free dark chocolate chips! You can add the chocolate chips directly to the batter, or make a ganache to pour over top. Simply place the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour one quarter cup of hot steaming milk over top, then mix until you get a thick, smooth, chocolatey sauce. Pour over top the blondies and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes (talk about decadent).

Anyway, here’s the printable recipe for these Pumpkin Collagen Protein Blondies! I hope you’ll rate and comment below if you try them (it really means a lot).

This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by LIV Body.

Share:

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Name *

Email *

Comment *