7 Foolproof Protein Sweets

New Exercise and Fitness Review

If you’re looking to add muscle to your frame, increasing your protein intake is the key. But when you’re still full from your last meal and the thought of chugging down one more liquid meal makes you want to weep, you still have options. Get creative with baked goods, and you can have your protein and eat it too.

Protein powder can be incorporated into a wide range of delicious sweet treats, from brownies to truffles and every delicious point between. Give these quick, simple, and versatile recipes a go. They use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey due to its wide range of flavors and unrivalled texture, taste, and consistency.

Go ahead and satisfy your sweet tooth with a treat that’s delicious and fits your macros.

1 Protein Brownies

We all know that a little post-workout sugar rush can speed up recovery, promote muscle growth, and restore glycogen stores. So why not reach for a sweet treat that intertwines delicious brownie goodness with a protein punch?

In addition to serving up a healthy dose of whey, these brownies have an added protein on their ingredient list in the form of chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Don’t worry, you can’t taste them, but they’ll improve the texture, fiber content, and overall nutritional profile far beyond what you’re probably accustomed to when it comes to protein brownies.

• 1 can Chickpeas (approx. 240 g), drained and rinsed


• 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder


• 2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey


• 1/4 cup Honey


• 1/2 cup Natural peanut butter


• 1 tsp Baking powder


• 1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk


• 1 Egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).


2. Line a small baking tray.


3. Place all ingredients into a blender. Combine until the mixture is smooth.


4. Pour into a lined tray and bake for about 15 minutes.

Pro Tip

Add in a tablespoon of natural orange flavoring to change things up and make these into chocolate orange protein brownies. Yum!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 brownie
Recipe yields: 9

Amount per serving

Calories 180

Total Fat8.6g

Total Carbs16.6g

Protein11.8g

Protein Brownies PDF (38.4 KB)

2 Rocky Road Protein Truffles

Rocky Road’s fame was built in the ice cream world, but it’s time for its chocolate goodness to be captured in candy form. Enter the rocky road protein truffle! Enjoy this guilt-free variation on the nut, chocolate, and coconut concoction.

• 1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Rocky Road Gold Standard whey


• 2 tbsp Coconut flour


• 1 tbsp Cocoa powder


• 3 tbsp Unsweetened almond milk


• 2 tbsp Unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl. Keep stirring until the mixture forms a paste.


2. Roll into small balls.


3. Coat the balls in the unsweetened shredded coconut by rolling them in it.


4. Enjoy! Try not to eat them all at once.

Pro Tip

Looking to take a road less travelled? Swap the rocky road protein powder for another flavor such as cookies and cream, and add in some dark chocolate chips for extra indulgence.

Nutrition Facts
Recipe yields: 4 large truffles
Serving Size: 1

Amount per serving

Calories 63

Total Fat2.4g

Total Carbs3.85g

Protein7g

Rocky Road Protein Truffles PDF (38.4 KB)

3 Nutella-style Protein Fudge

There are times when you catch the cooking bug and want to rifle through the mixing bowls and measuring cups to cook up a storm. Then, there are times when you want a tasty, good-for-you treat without all of the prep time and clean up.

In those moments when you’re craving (near) instant gratification, think fudge. Protein fudge is versatile, simple, and delicious. Plus, you don’t need an oven for this no-bake treat!

• 2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey


• 1/2 cup Dark chocolate hazelnut butter


• 1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.


2. Pour the mixture into a small lined tray and freeze until set, about an hour.


3. Chop into pieces and enjoy!

Pro Tip

You can change the nut butter to any variety you have available. It will still make amazing fudge.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 fudge square
Recipe yields: 9 squares

Amount per serving

Calories 118

Total Fat10.25g

Total Carbs3.4g

Protein8g

Nutella-style Protein Fudge PDF (38 KB)

4 Protein Chocolates

What’s better than a box of chocolates? A box of protein chocolates, of course! Indulge with this sweet treat without fear, and give it to your loved ones without fear of getting discovered! These chocolates are so smooth and indulgent that no one will ever suspect they’re packed with muscle-building protein!

• 100 g Extra dark chocolate (I recommend 85% cocoa or higher)


• 1 tbsp Coconut oil, melted


• 1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey


• 1/2 scoop Optimum Nutrition Delicious Strawberry Gold Standard whey


• 1/2 tbsp Coconut flour


• 1 tbsp Unsweetened almond milk

1. Melt 50 g of the chocolate and mix with 1/2 tbsp of the melted coconut oil in a bowl.


2. Stir in half a scoop of the chocolate whey.


3. Spoon a thin layer of this mixture into the bottom of an ice cube tray and freeze until set.


4. Make the filling by mixing the strawberry whey with the coconut flour and milk.


5. Place a tiny scoop of this in each mould.


6. Melt together the remainder of the coconut oil and dark chocolate and stir in the last of the chocolate whey. Fill each mould to the top with this mixture.


7. Put your chocolates in the freezer until they are firmly set. Pop them out of the tray and devour them! If there are any survivors, store them in the fridge.

Pro Tip

Replace the strawberry filling with natural peanut butter to make delicious chocolate peanut butter protein chocolates.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 chocolate
Recipe yields: 9

Amount per serving

Calories 93

Total Fat6.8g

Total Carbs2.6g

Protein5.2g

Protein Chocolates PDF (39.6 KB)

5 Banana Protein Pancakes

If you’re watching your waistline or tracking your macros, a hearty stack of flapjacks might not be first on your list of go-to foods. Instead of diving into a cardboard box full of the frozen version of this breakfast classic, whip up a batch of the protein-filled variety. These pancakes have the perfect fluffy texture you’re used to, and they’re an easy breakfast option to prep in a pinch.

• 1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Banana Cream Gold Standard whey


• 1/2 cup Oats


• 1 pinch Baking powder


• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt


• 1 Egg white


• 1 tbsp Coconut flour


• 1/2 Banana, mashed


• 3-4 tbsp Unsweetened almond milk

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.


2. Pour pancake batter onto a hot griddle or frying pan.


3. Cook on a low to medium heat, and flip the pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface.


4. Stack them up and dig in!

Pro Tip

Just two tablespoons of the mixture makes perfect-sized mini protein pancakes. They’re great for stacking up high!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 4-5 pancakes
Recipe yields: 1 serving

Amount per serving

Calories 393

Total Fat5.2g

Total Carbs48g

Protein39.8g

Banana Protein Pancakes PDF (38.3 KB)

6 Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate protein cupcakes filled with a melting peanut butter center ? need I say more? I don’t think I do. So let’s cut to the chase.

• 1/2 cup Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey


• 1/2 cup Oat flour


• 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder


• 1 tsp Baking powder


• 170 g Greek yogurt


• 1 Whole egg


• 1 Egg white


• 1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk


• 1/3 cup Stevia or other powdered sweetener


• 1/3 cup Natural peanut butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).


2. Combine all the ingredients except the peanut butter in a food processor.


3. Divide the mixture between nine cups in a cupcake tin. Then pop a teaspoon of peanut butter in each and push it down so it is submerged.


4. Bake the cupcakes for around 10-15 minutes until they’re cooked through. They’re best eaten fresh from the oven. If you have any leftovers, microwave them later to re-melt the peanut butter center.

Pro Tip

No need to run out to the market for oat flour! The oat flour can be made by blending up oats in a food processor. It can also be substituted for brown rice flour or almond flour in other recipes.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Recipe yields: 8 cupcakes

Amount per serving

Calories 134

Total Fat7g

Total Carbs8.4g

Protein11.7g

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cupcakes PDF (28.1 KB)

7 Protein Bars

This recipe is super versatile, and you can eat it as part of a protein-heavy breakfast or a filling afternoon snack—whatever you need! You can also use any flavor of whey and variety of nut butter you like. Not sure where to start? Try the classic flavor combination of peanut butter with Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey.

• 1 1/2 cup Oats


• 1/2 cup Unsweetened almond milk


• 1/2 cup Nut butter


• 2-3 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and then pour the mixture into a small lined tray.


2. Pop this into the fridge or freezer to set, and then chop up into slices.

Pro Tip

Add in some chopped nuts for an extra crunch.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 large piece
Recipe yields: 9 pieces

Amount per serving

Calories 166

Total Fat8.7g

Total Carbs12.3g

Protein12g

Protein Bars PDF (26.4 KB)

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About The Author

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7 Foolproof Protein Sweets

Keep The Weights Moving Up: Two Foolproof Progressive Overload Plans

New Exercise and Fitness Review

Vital Stats

Name: Tony Gentilcore, CSCS
Occupation: Co-founder of Cressey Performance.
Website: tonygentilcore.com

“Tony, how much weight should I use?”

I get this question a lot, particularly when I’m working with someone who has little experience in the weight room. And I’m not going to lie: Many times, when I hear the question, it’s often like someone taking their fingernails and scraping them down a chalkboard, Freddy Krueger style.

On one hand, I can’t blame a client for asking how much weight they should use. They’re not seasoned veterans, and it’s my job to be their guide on these sorts of questions. But on the other hand, I also know that the question of “how much” is one that people tend to overcomplicate more than almost any other.

In this situation, I occasionally offer up a simple but somewhat facetious answer like, “If your goal is to perform 8 reps and you can easily bang out 15, add some weight. Conversely, if you barely eek out 4 reps, the load is probably too heavy and you need to check your ego at the door.”

But that’s only a short-term answer, and it misses the greater point. When someone asks about weight, what they really ask is, “How can I choose weight in order to keep getting stronger today, tomorrow, and six weeks from now?”

As a strength coach, this sort of strategic planning is my bread and butter. If you’re tired of guessing—and guessing wrong—then it’s time to get serious about progressive overload.

Introducing Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during training. The body is much smarter than we give it credit for and will adapt to most stresses placed on it.

If your goal is to grow, change, or improve, you simply must give your body more challenging obstacles to overcome!

To see consistent and long-term results in the gym, you must gradually increase the total amount of weight you move. I often see people use the same weight week-in and week-out, and they’re left dumbfounded when realize they look exactly the same now as they did three years ago. If your goal is to grow, change, or improve, you simply must give your body more challenging obstacles to overcome!

Does this mean you should crank out reps to failure on every set of every movement? Nope. It means you need to have a system, and then have the patience to trust it for a matter of weeks, not just a workout or two.

Here are the two progressive overload techniques I use to help lifters of all levels progress safely and strategically to get stronger and bigger.

Technique 1

In an ideal world, no one would ever miss a lift, and Keanu Reeves, by law, would never be able to make another movie. Unfortunately neither dream is likely to come true.

It’s inevitable that most of us are going to miss a rep every once in a while, but in my opinion, a major difference between people who succeed and people who struggle in the weight room is that winners don’t make a habit of missing reps consistently. Training to failure repeatedly will eventually fry your nervous system, leaving you exhausted and ripe for injury.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to grind out a rep on occasion. There is something to be said for building mental toughness, but it’s unnecessary to make it habitual. Quiz any elite powerlifter on how many times they miss a lift, and 95 percent of the time they’ll say “zero,” because they know it doesn’t make them better.

Barbell Squat

If you’re just starting to train, don’t risk missing lifts just to hit an arbitrary number of reps or to “rep out” at the end of a workout. People love to argue about how many sets are “necessary” for hypertrophy, but I’ve found that more often than not, the quality of your training ends up being far more important to the results you earn than the quantity.

Still, plenty of people have trouble understanding that their only options aren’t a) staying put forever, or b) cranking out reps to failure. This is the model I usually advocate for them to introduce progressive overload.

Say your main lift of the day is squats, and your plan is to perform 4 sets of 5 repetitions. It might look like this:

• Set 1: 10 warm-up reps with the bar (grooving technique)


• Set 2: 3 warm-up reps 3 reps at 95 pounds (still grooving technique)


• Set 3: 3 warm-up reps at 135 pounds


• Set 4: 1 warm-up rep at 155 pounds


• Sets 5-8: 5 working reps at 185 pounds

You nailed all the reps, with just a bit of grinding toward the end. Great! Now repeat the same format during the following week and you’ll notice that it’s even easier. If you’re able power through all your working sets feeling like Batman, I’ve got good news for you: It’s time to increase the weight, Bruce. Add 5-10 pounds and follow the same protocol; hit all reps for two consecutive weeks before adding any additional load.

This is pretty much guaranteed to work—to a point. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to take your squat from 185 to 500 pounds in a year this way. As you get stronger and more experienced in the gym, a sticking point will arise that can’t be overcome by simply adding more weight. That’s when it’s time to change course.

Technique 2

When a more experienced lifter hits a weight ceiling with a step-based program, I like to give them what I call a “two-rep window.” This progressive overload technique tweaks the number of reps rather than simply the load, and it’s a good way to keep moving along in a classic 5×5 strength program.

Barbell Bench Press

Say an exercise calls for 5 working reps. The two-rep window will allow for 3-5 reps. Here’s how it would look for a hypothetical bench press workout:

Week 1

• Set 1: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 2: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 3: 4 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 4: 4 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 5: 3 reps of 225 pounds

This progression cuts the set short at set 3, but still falls within the 2-rep window. Making this model work requires being able to shut out your ego and not make an attempt you’re not sure you’ll be able to pull off. All else being equal, I’d rather someone save a rep for next week rather than perform 1-2 questionable ones.

In this case, the trainee can make up the reps during the following week to keep progressive overload on track.

Week 2

• Set 1: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 2: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 3: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 4: 5 reps of 225 pounds


• Set 5: 4 reps of 225 pounds

The lifter performed three extra reps compared to the previous week. That may not sound like much, but think of it this way: That’s 675 more pounds than their muscles were able to move just one week earlier.

Moving forward, the lifter would continue using the same weight until they complete all 5 working sets of 5 reps successfully. From there, they would increase the weight by 5-10 pounds and start the process over.

The Final Verdict

Determining how much weight you should use can be dwindled down to a two-word phrase: It depends. If you’re willing to both push yourself and hold yourself accountable, these two techniques can help you travel a long way into the iron game. Give them a shot!

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About The Author

Tony Gentilcore is a strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA and is the co-founder/co-owner of Cressey Performance.

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Keep The Weights Moving Up: Two Foolproof Progressive Overload Plans