This post is sponsored by Barlean’s for the #RecipeMakeover hosted by The PinterTest Kitchen. I received free product to help me create this recipe. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cocoa Protein Cake Bites are my first contribution to this Recipe Makeover week. If I’m going to eat healthier then I’m still going to require a good chocolate fix! I made a flourless chocolate cake for passover recently and it was divine! I initially tried making that into something healthier using these fab products from Barlean’s, but it just didn’t pan out the way I had hoped.

I started my search online for some sort of paleo brownie that I could add the digestive blend to. I found that so many paleo brownie recipes use almond butter in them. I think the flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter might be one of the best things in life, and almond butter is a great alternative! So I went down the brownies path and ended up with something more cakey, but I decided to still cut them into bite sized pieces like I would a brownie, because we still want portion control when we’re trying to eat healthier.

Here we are with these cocoa protein cake bites. No gluten. No refined sugar – just a bit of pure maple syrup because let’s be real: I still have a major sweet tooth! A generous scoop of Barlean’s Digestive Blend filled with flax, quinoa, chia, coconut, and pumpkin. Also a generous spoonful of almond butter for that creamy and nutty flavor to accompany our cocoa. Love it, love it! Enjoy your pretty darn healthy chocolate fix!

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Cocoa Protein Cake Bites

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Ingredients

• 45 grams (1/2 cup) almond flour
• 50 grams (1/3 cup) Barlean's Digestive Blend
• 30 grams (1/3 cup) unsweetened, dutch process, cocoa powder
• 5 grams (1 tablespoon) instant espresso
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) Barlean's butter-flavored coconut oil, liquid
• 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with coconut oil
3. (optional) place the almond flour, Barlean's digestive blend, cocoa powder, instant espresso, baking soda, and baking powder into a food processor or blender and pulse to a fine powder. (This will give the cake bites a smoother and more airy consistency. You can skip this step, and will have more texture in the finished product.)
4. In a large bowl, stir together the almond butter, oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
5. Add the blended dry ingredients, and the salt, and mix to combine well. The batter will be very thick.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with dry crumbs, about 20 minutes.