Chocolate Chips Protein Cookies

This 5 ingredient recipe for chocolate chips protein cookies is gluten-free, grain-free, and can be made with your favorite whey protein powder. Each cookie only has 200 calories and 6 g of protein.

Everyone LOVES a good cookie, especially when they have just emerged from the oven and are still slightly warm on the inside! What we don't love about those little morsels of sugary heaven? Their calorie count and relatively low nutritional value.

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand".  I am sure you have heard that one before, haven't you? Well let me tell you, there IS room for cookies in a balanced diet!  I am here to tell you that you can have your cookies AND your protein too!

Enter protein cookies! Soft, chewy, delicious—and packed with flavor!

WAIT? Can you put protein powder in cookies?

Yes, in most recipes, you can replace some of the flour with protein powder and it is a super-easy way to add more protein into your baked goods. For some recipes, like for these cookies, you need zero flour! These are made with JUST protein powder.

I use this French Vanilla flavored Whey protein powder for this recipe for protein cookies. It uses pure Whey Protein Isolates as the primary ingredient and has no added sucralose.

Protein powder can also be used in other healthy baking recipes — everything from cakes to bread to muffins. Feel free to play around.  When replacing flour for protein powder, start with replacing ⅓ cup of protein powder for every 1 cup of flour in the recipe.

Why you will love this recipe for protein cookies:

Let me start with the most important part - the FLAVOR! These protein cookies are not only every peanut butter lover's dream but they are also LOADED with chocolate chips!

I based these on my fave Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies recipe adding protein powder to make them even more nutritious while keeping them gluten-free and refined sugar-free.

To lend some caramelly sweetness to these babies, we add some coconut sugar - my favorite low glycemic sweetener. You can read more about the benefits of coconut sugar here.

These healthy Chocolate Chips Protein Cookies are made with just 5 ingredients. Can you believe it? AND, they are just about 200 calories but have whopping 6 g of protein per cookie. Not too shabby, right?

Are protein cookies good pre-workout snacks?

Yes! Carbs and protein are two macronutrients that are great for fueling your workouts.

And as for the big question whether to have your protein-snack pre or post-workout, let me tell you it does not matter that much. There is no significant difference in muscle growth for those who choose one over another. What matters is your daily protein intake and you can definitely amp things up with a couple of these healthy chocolate chips cookies.

How to make Chocolate Chips Protein Cookies:

Prep - Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 1 - In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter, coconut sugar, protein powder and eggs (I used a hand mixer).

Step 2 & 3 - Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined. The dough shouldn’t look crumbly. If it is, add 1 to 1.5 teaspoons coconut oil.

Step 4 & 5 -  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of dough into your hand to make a ball.

Step 6 - Press it with the palm of your hand to flatten it and form into a thick cookie (about ½” / 1.5 cm thick). Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. You should get 13-14 cookies.

Note: The cookies will only spread a bit while baking so shape them nicely before placing in the oven. If you want, press a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies for that “perfect choc chip cookie” look.

Step 7 - Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven. They will look undercooked, it’s normal. Now, let them cool for 15 minutes to give them time to set! Don't be tempted to touch them before! They might fall apart if you pick them up while still warm and that would be pretty sad, right!?

How much protein do these cookies have?

In addition to the peanut butter and eggs, the majority of the protein in these healthy chocolate chip cookies comes from the use of whey protein. As per my calculator, each of these cookies has 6g of protein.

How to store and freeze protein cookies?

You can go ahead and store them in a cookie tin at room temperature for up to a week. Make sure they have cooled down completely before transferring them to a container!

These cookies are also perfect for freezing: To do so, allow them to cool completely,  then place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for an hour or so. When hardened, place them in a freezer bag. You can microwave them for 30 seconds to defrost.

These cookies should last up to 3 months, frozen!

Tips for making these protein cookies:

• Different brands of peanut butter have different textures - make sure to use an all-natural drippy one for the best consistency.
• Can't have peanut butter? Any other drippy nut butter would work for this recipe too.
• This cookie recipe uses whey-based protein powder and I recommend going that way even though I think a plant-based protein powder would also work. I just really like the texture that the whey gives the cookies. As they also have eggs in them, they would still not be vegan if using a plant-based powder. If you DO come up with a vegan version, share it in the comment section, I would love to hear about it and try it!
• Shape them nicely BEFORE baking! These cookies will only spread a bit while baking so shape them neatly before placing them in the oven.
• If you want, you can press a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies for that “perfect choc chip cookie” look.

4.8 from 5 votes

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Chocolate Chips Protein Cookies

This 5 ingredient recipe for chocolate chips protein cookies is gluten-free, grain-free, and can be made with your favorite whey protein powder. Each cookie only has 200 calories and 6 g of protein.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies with protein powder,, low carb protein cookies, recipe for protein cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Resting time 15 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Servings 13 cookies

Calories 209 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter use a drippy, all-natural one
• ¾ cup  coconut sugar
• ½ cup  vanilla whey protein powder see notes
• 2  large eggs
• ¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter, coconut sugar, protein powder and eggs (I used a hand mixer). Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined. The dough shouldn’t look crumbly. If it is, add 1 to 1.5 teaspoons coconut oil.
3. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of dough into your hand to make a ball. Press it with the palm of your hand to flatten it and form into a thick cookie (about ½” / 1.5 cm thick). Place on a prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. You should get 13-14 cookies. Note: The cookies will only spread a bit while baking so shape them nicely before placing in the oven. If you want, press a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies for that “perfect choc chip cookie” look.
4. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven (they will look undercooked, it’s normal) and let them cool for 15 minutes to set up (they might fall apart if you pick them up before that!).

Recipe Notes

• I use this French Vanilla flavored Whey protein powder. It uses pure Whey Protein Isolates as the primary ingredient and has no added sucralose.
• Different brands of peanut butter have different textures - make sure to use an all-natural drippy one for the best consistency.
• Can't have peanut butter? Any other drippy nut butter would work for this recipe too.
• This cookie recipe uses whey-based protein powder and I recommend going that way even though I think a plant-based protein powder would also work. I just really like the texture that the whey gives the cookies. As they also have eggs in them, they would still not be vegan if using a plant-based powder. If you DO come up with a vegan version, share it in the comment section, I would love to hear about it and try it! 
• Shape them nicely BEFORE baking! These cookies will only spread a bit while baking so shape them neatly before placing them in the oven.
• If you want, you can press a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies for that “perfect choc chip cookie” look.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Chips Protein Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 209 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 26mg9%

Sodium 150mg7%

Potassium 142mg4%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 60IU1%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 0.6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this recipe for protein cookies, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy cookie recipes you will love:

• Healthy Walnut Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies 
• Gluten-free Chai Cookies 
• Paleo Coconut Lemon Cookies 
• Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo)