Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

Some people like chewy cookies. Some prefer crunchy cookies. What if I told you that these delivery the best of both worlds? They are crunchy on the outside and ooey, gooey, melty, and chewy on the inside. The pumpkin is a great addition to these for many reasons, one of them being the health benefits. But don't worry. The pumpkin flavor delivers the perfect, subtle flavor!

Spiced Chai Tea Protein Cookies

I love to curl up on the couch with a warm cup of tea. Chai tea is one of my favorites as it delivers a comforting aroma and taste. That is what inspired me to create a cookie that is made with chai tea. These cookies share the same smell and flavor of the tea, giving me that extra reason to take it easy in my favorite spot on the couch.

Toasted Coconut Protein Oatmeal Cookies

I'm going to be straight with you. Oatmeal cookies have never been my favorite kind of cookie. I dunno. I expect it's from my obsession with regular, oat-free cookies. But I really, REALLY liked these little ones. I'll give you a secret, too - toasted coconut is exponentially better than un-toasted coconut. Toasting it creates a deep, caramel-like flavor, which....umm hello. Delish! I loved that flavor paired with the simplicity of the oats. Add the fact that the cookies are essentially sugar free, I'm a big fan!

Protein Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup oat flour

2½ scoops Lean Body for Her vanilla whey concentrate protein powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

¼ cup coconut sugar

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

½ cup coconut oil, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. To a mixing bowl, add the molasses, egg, and coconut sugar. Whisk until mixture is smooth.

3. Slowly whisk in the melted coconut oil to the molasses mixture until smooth.

4. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir until batter is well combined.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop balls of cookie dough onto baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle each cookie with additional coconut sugar and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 20 servings

1 serving is 1 cookies

Macros for one serving

112 calories, 4.9g protein, 9.3g carbs, 6.4g fat, 3.9g sugar, 1g fiber

Soft Batch Dark Chocolate Protein Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat flour (or whole wheat flour)

2 scoops Vitacost chocolate whey protein powder

¼ dark cocoa powder

½ cup Vitacost xylitol

1 whole egg

¼ cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk

¼ cup dark chocolate almond butter (or any chocolate nut butter)

3 tablespoons Vitacost liquid coconut oil (or melted coconut oil)

1 teaspoon Vitacost vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg, almond milk, almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

3. Add flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, and xylitol in another mixing bowl.

4. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir together until well combined.

5. Using an ice cream scooper (or spoon), drop about 3-4 tablespoons of cookie dough onto sheet pan. Repeat this until 12 cookies are made. Slightly flatten each cookie.

6. Bake in the oven for 14 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Makes 12 servings

1 serving is 1 cookie

Macros for 1 serving

145 calories, 6.9g protein, 18.2g carbs, 7g fat, 1.6g sugar, 2.1g fiber

Vanilla Cake Batter Protein Cookies

These fun cookies are jam packed with yummy and healthy whey protein! Although the sprinkles are optional, just go ahead and add them....trust me. And have a party :) These cookies only have 1g of sugar - but you'd never know it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 scoops Lean Body For Her vanilla whey concentrate protein powder

1/3 cup oat flour

¼ cup xylitol (or sweetener of choice)

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

¼ cup cashew butter

½ cup plain greek yogurt

2 egg whites

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter extract

Optional: Sprinkles

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  

2. Add cashew butter, greek yogurt, egg whites, and extracts to a mixing bowl and whisk together.

3. Add protein powder, oat flour, xylitol, baking powder, and salt to the same mixing bowl and stir mixture together until well combined.

4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough onto sheet pan until 16 cookies are made. Top with sprinkles, if desired.

5. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Makes 16 servings

1 serving is one cookie without sprinkles

Macros for 1 serving

60 calories, 5.3g protein, 6.2g carbs, 2.2g fat, 1g sugar, 0.5g fiber

Nicolette’s Tips

* Use a mini ice-cream scooper to drop cookie dough onto the sheet pan before baking. This helps ensure each cookie is the same size.
* You can substitute cashew butter with almond butter or unsalted tahini.  

Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

I have tried a lot of peanut butter brands. My absolute favorite is Vitacost's all natural peanut butter. It is delicious and free of that added crap that some peanut butters contain. The star ingredient of these cookies is that peanut butter. They are chewy, loaded with peanut butter flavor, and, as always, have an added boost of protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour)

¾ scoop ARO vanilla protein powder

¼ cup Vitacost xylitol (or granulated sweetener of choice)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 egg white

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup Vitacost all natural peanut butter

¼ cup vanilla almond milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with foil coated with non-stick spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg white, extract, peanut butter, and almond milk until smooth.

3. Add the remainder of ingredients to the bowl and stir. The dough will be thick so use your hands at the end to knead it all together until a large ball of dough is formed.

4. Take about 1½ tablespoons of cookie dough in your hands and roll into a ball. Place each cookie ball on the sheet pan, making 16 cookies total.

5. Using a fork, press down each cookie to make a crisscross pattern.

6.  Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 16 servings

1 serving is 1 cookie

Macros for 1 serving

72 calories, 3.4g protein, 9.2g carbs, 3.2g fat, 1g sugar, 1.2g fiber

Snickerdoodle Cookie Protein Bars

If you've been following my healthy treat recipe journey for a while, you know I really am obsessed with cookies. I also love cinnamon! Naturally, with that said, snickerdoodle cookies are among my top favorite types of cookies. I love them because they aren't too sweet and have that subtle cinnamon flavor. I had an idea to make sugar cookie protein bars but thought....why not add cinnamon? And I , of course, thought of snickerdoodle cookies. These bars have a soft and chewy texture, much like the cookie. They also have the perfect amount of sweetness. You can really enjoy these for breakfast (they'd be fabulous with a cup of coffee) or for dessert. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour)

½ cup almond meal flour

1½ scoops Vitacost ARO natural vanilla whey protein powder

1/3 cup Vitacost xylitol (or sweetener of choice)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoon butter extract

2 egg whites

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

¼ cup Vitacost liquid coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8” baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Stir together oat flour, almond meal flour, protein powder, xylitol, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remainder of ingredients. Pour this wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.

4. Stir mixtures together until batter is smooth and well combined. Batter will be thick.

5. Spoon batter into prepared dish and smooth down with the back of a spoon.

6. Sprinkle with more xylitol and cinnamon, if desired, and bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.

7. Cut into 10 even squares. Enjoy!

Makes 10 servings

1 serving is 1 square

Macros for 1 serving

167 calories, 7.7g protein, 16.7g carbs, 9.5g fat, 1.8g fiber, 4g sugar

Nicolette’s Tips

* For a lower carb option, replace oat flour with ¾ cup coconut flour and an additional ¼ cup almond meal flour (¾ cup total of almond meal flour). You can also decrease the carbs by using a zero calorie sweetener instead of using xylitol.

* You can use regular coconut oil instead of liquid coconut oil. You will need to melt the coconut oil first and also make sure the milk and eggs are at room temperature.

Lemon Glazed Sugar Cookies

These are for all of the lemon fans out there, one being myself! These are also for cookie fans, glaze fans, and basically delicious dessert fans. So everyone! Free of gluten and eggs, these soft and sweet cookies can also be made vegan and/or without protein powder. Those options are listed in the notes section at the bottom of the recipe. 

Ingredients

Cookie

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (see notes)

2/3 cups gluten-free oat flour 

2 tablespoons xylitol (see notes)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup coconut milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon butter extract

Glaze

½ scoop vanilla protein powder (see notes)

Juice of ½ lemon

6 tablespoons coconut milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with non-stick spray.

2. Place the first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together.

3. Pour the remainder of the ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until batter is thick and smooth.

4. Using a small ice-cream scooper or tablespoon, drop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough onto the sheet pan, making 14 cookies total.

5. Gently flatten each cookie with a fork and bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

6. Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle on each cookie. Serve immediately.

Makes 14 servings

1 serving is 1 cookie with glaze

Macros for 1 serving

80 calories, 3.7g protein, 6.1g carbs, 4.9g fat, 0.3g sugar, 0.7g fiber

Notes

* Protein Powder Free Option: for the cookies, substitute protein powder with an additional 1/4 cup oat flour. For the glaze, substitute protein powder with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. 

* Vegan Option: use a vegan vanilla protein powder.

* You can substitute xylitol with any granulated sweetener of choice.