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February is all about love. And with Valentine’s Day coming up, the number one food item people associate with love is chocolate. I happen to love chocolate, but it isn’t the most macro-friendly of all food items. So, to help you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, I created these triple chocolate protein bites that are sure to satisfy your craving! Better yet, they’ll be ready to enjoy in just a few minutes.
The Ingredients
To create this recipe, you’ll need to gather just 5 to 6 ingredients. Most of them are pretty staple pantry ingredients, but you might have a few items you’ll need to pick up from the store or even order from Amazon.
Chocolate Cake Mix
This is what gives these bites one layer of chocolate flavor. Cake mix is handy in this recipe since it is already sweet and chocolatey. I used Betty Crocker’s Devil Food mix and a single serving of it.
I had some followers reach out with a concern about using raw flour in the cake mix. I did some research, and to help with that you can microwave the cake mix (I just used the portion I was going to prepare) for 60 seconds in a microwave-safe dish. You can also toast the mix in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Allow to completely cool before preparing the bites.
Protein Powder
Really, any protein powder will due here. I happened to have on hand one of my personal favorites, PE Science Cake Pop flavor, so that is what I used. But feel free to use whatever you have and love. I used just a half scoop for these bites. I’ve experimented before with using more protein powder, and they started to taste too much like protein for my taste.
Cocoa Powder
This is the second chocolate ingredient to this dish. I used this black cocoa powder that I purchased from Amazon, which is delicious. It has a super-rich chocolate flavor. If in a pinch, though, you can use other types of cocoa powder. Also, if you use a chocolate protein powder, you may need to use less cocoa powder. I’d start with half and then add more as necessary.
Mini Chocolate Chips
This is the third chocolate element and one of my personal favorites! I chose to use mini chocolate chips in this recipe because it allows more chocolate to float around in the bites. I love the little bit of texture it adds, too, and makes this feel more like a chocolate cookie dough bite.
Fat-Free Evaporated Milk
Fat-free evaporated milk is what we will use to bind the dough in this recipe. If you are unfamiliar with evaporated milk, it is milk that has been condensed. About 60% of the water has been removed from the milk so it is much thicker than traditional milk, which makes it perfect for making the dough. It is also fat-free, which means you are saving precious fat grams on these little bites! If you have never purchased it before, you can find them in the baking aisle.
Valentine’s Day Sprinkles
This is the final, but optional ingredient. I love to add sprinkles for a little bit of a festive look, but if you want to save 2 grams of carbs, you can skip them. HA!
No-Bake
Probably my very favorite thing about this recipe is how simple they are to put together. You just mix the ingredients in a bowl until combined, roll into 4 balls, and then add sprinkles. Seriously, you can be on your way to enjoying these delicious bites in minutes, which makes them perfect for anytime you want to fulfill a chocolate craving.
Macro-Friendly
These yummy little bites will also fit perfectly into your day, too. Macros for one bite are rounded to 1F/12C/4.5P and just 74 calories. Remember, macro-nutrients can vary depending on the type of protein powder, cake mix, etc. that you use. But, they will likely still be close, so feel free to use MyFitnessPal entry (listed below) to make logging your food even easier.
Other Protein Bites
If chocolate isn’t your thing, let me remind you of other protein bites that I have on my blog!
All are delicious and a more macro-friendly way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Triple Chocolate Protein Bites
Ingredients
- 43 g devil's food cake mix
- 16 g protein powder of choice (I used PE Science Cake Pop)
- 10 g black cocoa powder
- 5 g mini chocolate chips
- 30 g Fat-Free Evaporated Milk (Note: I would start with just 20 g of evaporated milk and then slowly add more to reach the desired consistency. As in 2-3 grams at a time. I found 30 g worked for me both times.)
- 2 g Sprinkles of choice
Instructions
- First, prepare raw cake mix as listed above if desired. Mix the dry ingredients (cake mix, cocoa powder, protein powder, and chocolate chips) together well into a bowl. Drizzle in 30 g of fat-free evaporated milk. Still until completely combined. Roll into 4 equal-sized balls (mine were around 25 g). Top with sprinkles (or roll the balls in them if you're having a hard time getting it to stick). Enjoy immediately, if desired, or store in the fridge in a covered container until ready to enjoy.