Snack • Desserts
Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies
Chocolate in every bite, a little peanut flavor and soft centers that settle as they cool. These are batch-bake cookies: mix the dough, give it a proper chill and bake twelve at once.
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Why this recipe works
The chocolate gets plenty of room to shine, with a small amount of instant coffee in the dough for a deeper flavor. Applesauce keeps the mixture moist, and powdered peanut butter adds another layer without turning this into a full peanut-butter cookie.
The important bit is the pause before baking. Chill the shaped dough for 30–60 minutes, then give the cookies time to cool and set afterward. Warm chocolate is tempting, but a hot cookie is much more fragile.
Choose the right protein powder
This recipe calls for a vanilla whey-and-casein blend. Protein powders absorb liquid differently, so switching to whey-only, plant-based or beef protein can change the dough substantially. A generic “one scoop” won’t be reliable either: weigh out 2.8 oz / 80 g.
PB2 is the powdered peanut butter in the recipe. Another powdered peanut butter is a possible alternative, but choose a similar product and expect small changes in sweetness and dough texture. Keep the light butter, granulated sweetener and brown-sugar replacement separate from the flour mixture until you cream them together; the sweetener only goes in once.
Tools worth having
A digital scale keeps your protein baking consistent and helps you divide the batch evenly.
The OXO medium cookie scoop is an optional convenience for sticky dough. Two spoons work too. Divide the complete batch into twelve equal portions; one scoopful is not automatically one cookie.
A sturdy baking sheet and oven-safe parchment make lifting the cooled cookies easier. You don’t need a mixer with lots of attachments: a whisk, two mixing bowls and a flexible spatula cover the job.
Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
9–11 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins–1 hr 45 mins
Servings
12
1 cookie each
Yield
12 cookies
Approximate times. Prep: about 15 minutes Chill: 30–60 minutes Bake: 9–11 minutes Cooling: allow about 20 minutes, or until fully set Total: about 1 hour 15 minutes with a 30-minute chill, or about 1 hour 45 minutes with a longer chill Prep, cooling and total times are estimates.
Estimated nutrition per cookie: 123 calories, 10 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate and 4 g fat. Protein powder, sweeteners, chocolate and any extra flour change the final values. Carbohydrate figures also depend on how the sweeteners are counted.
Calories
123
Protein
10g
Carbs
14g
Fat
4g
Ingredients
Both systems are shown; the toggle changes their order. US equivalents are approximate. Metric amounts are the recipe reference. Ounces (oz) measure weight; fl oz measures volume. Use level US measuring spoons.
- For creaming: 1.4 oz / 40 g light butter, softened For creaming: 40 g / 1.4 oz light butter, softened
- For creaming: 2.8 oz / 80 g granulated sweetener For creaming: 80 g / 2.8 oz granulated sweetener
- For creaming: 2.1 oz / 60 g brown-sugar replacement For creaming: 60 g / 2.1 oz brown-sugar replacement
- Wet ingredients: 4.8 oz / 135 g unsweetened applesauce Wet ingredients: 135 g / 4.8 oz unsweetened applesauce
- Wet ingredients: 6.8 US fl oz / 200 ml egg whites Wet ingredients: 200 ml / 6.8 US fl oz egg whites
- Wet ingredients: 1 tbsp / 15 ml vanilla extract Wet ingredients: 15 ml / 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients: 3.5 oz / 100 g all-purpose flour, plus a little extra only if needed Dry ingredients: 100 g / 3.5 oz all-purpose flour, plus a little extra only if needed
- Dry ingredients: 1.4 oz / 40 g PB2 powdered peanut butter Dry ingredients: 40 g / 1.4 oz PB2 powdered peanut butter
- Dry ingredients: 2.8 oz / 80 g vanilla whey-and-casein protein blend Dry ingredients: 80 g / 2.8 oz vanilla whey-and-casein protein blend
- Dry ingredients: 0.35 oz / 10 g cornstarch Dry ingredients: 10 g / 0.35 oz cornstarch
- Dry ingredients: ½ tsp baking powder Dry ingredients: ½ tsp baking powder
- Dry ingredients: ¼ tsp baking soda Dry ingredients: ¼ tsp baking soda
- Dry ingredients: ½ tsp instant coffee Dry ingredients: ½ tsp instant coffee
- Dry ingredients: A pinch of salt Dry ingredients: A pinch of salt
- To finish: 2.8 oz / 80 g sugar-free dark chocolate chips To finish: 80 g / 2.8 oz sugar-free dark chocolate chips
- To finish: A little flaky salt, optional To finish: A little flaky salt, optional
Instructions
- Whisk the softened light butter, granulated sweetener and brown-sugar replacement until evenly combined and creamy. Whisk the softened light butter, granulated sweetener and brown-sugar replacement until evenly combined and creamy.
- Whisk in the applesauce, egg whites and vanilla. Whisk in the applesauce, egg whites and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, powdered peanut butter, protein powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, instant coffee and pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, powdered peanut butter, protein powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, instant coffee and pinch of salt.
- Gradually stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. If needed, add a little extra flour until it can be scooped. Avoid adding more than necessary. Gradually stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. If needed, add a little extra flour until it can be scooped. Avoid adding more than necessary.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Divide into 12 equal portions on a parchment-lined tray, leaving room between them, and flatten the tops slightly. Fold in the chocolate chips. Divide into 12 equal portions on a parchment-lined tray, leaving room between them, and flatten the tops slightly.
- Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30–60 minutes. Toward the end of the chill, heat the oven to 355°F / 180°C. Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30–60 minutes. Toward the end of the chill, heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F.
- Add a little flaky salt if using. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are soft but no longer wet. Don’t eat raw dough; if the centers still look like wet batter, give them more time. Add a little flaky salt if using. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are soft but no longer wet. Don’t eat raw dough; if the centers still look like wet batter, give them more time.
- Let the cookies cool fully on the tray so they can finish setting before you lift them. Let the cookies cool fully on the tray so they can finish setting before you lift them.
Tips
- Use granulated and brown-sugar replacements intended for baking. Sweetness and bulk differ between products, so check the package rather than assuming every alternative is interchangeable.
- Regular dark chocolate chips can replace the sugar-free chips at the same 2.8 oz / 80 g weight if you prefer. They change the nutrition.
- Keep the dough portions as even as you can. Splitting the total dough weight by twelve is an easy alternative to buying a scoop.
- Extra flour is a consistency adjustment, not a required second quantity. Add it gradually.
Storage
- Let the cookies cool completely before serving or closing them in a container. For longer keeping, freeze cooled cookies in portions and thaw only what you want to eat. The texture is best judged once they have fully cooled, not straight from the oven.
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