Name: 5-Minute Protein Mug Brownie Sundae with Oats
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats (or 1/2 pouch maple brown sugar Better Oats, see notes); 1/4 cup water; 1/2 FlapJacked Double Chocolate Mighty Muffin (or any chocolate protein muffin cup); 3 tbs water (add a little at a time, you want it slightly thicker than cake batter); 1 tsp cocoa powder (skip if you prefer sweeter, less dark chocolate); 1/2-1 dropper vanilla liquid stevia; 150 grams ice cream (I used 75 g Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup plus 75 g Dreyer’s Slow Churned Coffee); 6 Tbsp fat-free whipped cream (15 g); 3 grams mini chocolate chips; 3 grams toffee bits

This oatmeal mug brownie sundae is ready in about 5 minutes, and for YEARS I had it every single night. Most of you know I’ve actually swapped it for my nightly chocolate peppermint protein shake. But if you have a sweet tooth and macros to hit (or you just have a sweet tooth, no shame!), this one is a super easy option.

Chocolate oatmeal mug brownie in a bowl topped with ice cream, whipped cream, mini chocolate chips and toffee bits.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: 5-Minute Protein Mug Brownie Sundae with Oats
Ready In: 5 minutes
Serves: 1
Calories: 445 cal
Protein: 23g
Fat: 14g
Carbs: 63g
Why You'll Love It: A warm, gooey mug brownie made with half a FlapJacked double chocolate Mighty Muffin and cooked oats, microwaved in 40 seconds and piled with ice cream. One BIG bowl that fits your macros.

Half of a FlapJacked double chocolate Mighty Muffin, a scoop of cooked oats, and a little cocoa go in the microwave for 40 seconds and come out chewy and gooey in the middle. Pile the ice cream on top and you get a BIG bowl that still fits your macros.

I LOVED baking before I started tracking macros, and I still do. What I don’t love is spending an hour on a lightened-up brownie that turns out super mediocre, then eating it anyway because I worked hard on it. This one never lets me down. It tastes amazing, it takes a while to eat, and it’s not a trigger food like a whole pan of brownies where I keep going back for another… and another.

How I Ended Up Putting Oats in a Brownie

One night I only had room for HALF of my beloved Mighty Muffin because I’d already hit my protein for the day (grilled chicken salad season will do that to you). If you know me, you know I was panicking. What if the muffin to ice cream ratio was WRONG and there wasn’t enough gooey chocolate to go around?

I still had about ten carbs left, so I got a wild hair and stirred already-cooked oatmeal into the batter. IT BLEW MY MIND. The oats made it chewy and substantial, like a giant chocolate oatmeal brownie cookie in the bottom of my bowl. I added a little extra cocoa and a dropper of vanilla stevia in case the oats watered down the chocolate, and I never went back. Suddenly one muffin lasted me two nights! This little experiment eventually became the inspiration for my chocolate protein breakfast bake!

Important Ingredients and Substitutions

Protein muffin cup. I use a FlapJacked Double Chocolate Mighty Muffin, but any single-serve protein muffin cup will work. Kodiak’s Double Dark Chocolate Muffin Cup is an easy swap, and it comes in its own cup too. Just know the Kodiak cup has different macros than the Mighty Muffin, so the nutrition on the recipe card won’t match. Check the label and log it from there. Stick with a chocolate flavor so it actually tastes like a brownie. You only use half, so weigh the mix and save the rest in a small zip-top bag for tomorrow night.
Old-fashioned oats. Cook them with water first so they’re soft before they go into the batter. For even lower numbers, I’ve switched to half a pouch of maple brown sugar Better Oats, which you don’t have to cook ahead.
Cocoa powder. Just 1 teaspoon keeps the chocolate flavor strong once the oats are in. Skip it if you like your chocolate sweeter and less dark.
Ice cream. My go-to was 75 grams of Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup plus 75 grams of Dreyer’s Slow Churned Coffee (okay, usually closer to 200 grams total). Regular full-fat ice cream works too, of course, but your macros will change, so log what you actually use. To keep the numbers close to mine, lighter brands like Halo Top, Enlightened, and Nick’s are good picks.

Spoonful of gooey chocolate oatmeal brownie with melting ice cream.

Before You Start Making

Mix it right in the muffin cup. The cardboard cup the Mighty Muffin comes in is the perfect size for the microwave, and it means one less dish.
Go for thick batter. You want it a little thicker than cake batter. Muffin mixes can vary from batch to batch, so add the water a splash at a time.
Use a wide bowl, not a mug. Dump the warm brownie into a big bowl so the ice cream melts into it and every bite gets a little of everything.
Scoop the ice cream first. Have your toppings ready to go before the brownie comes out so you can build the bowl while it’s still warm and gooey.

How I Build My Brownie Sundae

The brownie goes in the bottom of the bowl while it’s hot, then the ice cream, fat-free whipped cream, a few mini chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of toffee bits. The way I make it, the whole bowl is 445 calories with 63 grams of carbs, 14 grams of fat, and 23 grams of protein. Just the brownie part is 189 calories if you want to build your own bowl.

Oatmeal brownie sundae in a white bowl with whipped cream and toffee bits.

Not in an ice cream mood? It’s also really good as an afternoon snack with Greek yogurt and fruit on top. And if you have a whole muffin to spare, my double chocolate Mighty Muffin sundae uses the entire muffin with no oats. For a warm chocolate breakfast, there’s my microwave brownie zucchini oats, too.

Want More Macro-Friendly Treats?

My meal plan is loaded with macro-friendly recipes that are easy to make and already logged into MyFitnessPal, MacrosFirst, and Lost It, so tracking dessert takes two seconds. You can also browse all of my macro-friendly sweets right here on the blog.

This probably doesn’t need an official recipe, but I’ve got the fancy recipe card so WHY NOT? If you try it, come show me your bowl on Instagram!