Who in their right mind doesn’t like a good chocolate chip cookie??
As a little kid growing up, as far as I was concerned, this was like the single greatest creation ever!
I would tear through a pack of Chips Ahoy! like no tomorrow. I would dip ’em in a glass of milk, get them all soggy, and just chow down like I was the Cookie Monster.
During summer breaks while I was in elementary school, one of my favorite things to do on a cold, foggy day was grabbing a package of cookies, and just chill in my room to play Super Nintendo, or read the latest Goosebumps book.
I would eat and drink to my heart’s content, all the while getting scared out of my mind with those R.L. Stine books.
Man, how I miss bein’ a kid!
Just leave me alone with my cookies, my video games, my scary books, and I’d be thoroughly entertained!
But anyway, as much as I love me a freshly-baked ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie, we all know how bad these can ruin your gains if you go overboard with them. All those fats, carbs, sugars, and calories—-they won’t do your abs any favors.
But what I’m about to share isn’t your ordinary chocolate chip cookies.
With hints of cinnamon, coconut, almonds, and dark chocolate, to go along with a shot of protein, this brings a unique and healthier twist to that classic cookie recipe that you all know and love.
It’s perfect for a grab-and-go snack, or as a healthier dessert option to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Enter… my Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Protein Cookies!!
I wanted to make a cookie loaded with protein, that still maintained the flavor of your standard chocolate chip cookie, as much as possible.
But, the problem is, once you remove all that butter, sugar, and refined white flour from your standard cookie recipe, replace them with healthier substitutes, and add protein powder—-what you unfortunately get is a much drier and less decadent cookie.
That’s just the reality of the situation.
But me being on a healthy diet most of the time, I have become accustomed to this fact.
Don’t get me wrong, these cookies still taste unbelievably good, and this is the closest I could get to actually enjoying the real thing, without completely sabotaging my diet.
I wanted to increase the protein content per cookie, but as I experimented with adding more, the cookies just became drier and less flavorful.
Ultimately, I settled with 3 scoops of protein (each scoop has 24g protein), combined with 2 cups of almond flour, and this forms just the right base for the rest of the ingredients. Almonds are also a great source of protein so we get a nice one-two protein punch.
After numerous attempts, mixing different combinations together, and getting great feedback from some free-loading coworkers, (hehe, you know I love you guys), I think I’ve found the perfect formula that brings everything together just right.
Look at the outer texture of those cookies. My mouth is watering and I just want to gobble one up right now!
Lots of flavor in every bite! Here’s a close up of the inner texture of the cookies:
YOW-ZA!! Definitely NOT your stereotypical dry, or flavorless protein cookie!
This baby is moist, chewy, decadent, full of flavor—and loaded with protein!
OK, stop drooling guys!
So, how do you hit that sweet spot of high protein, low carb, and great taste in a “healthier” chocolate chip cookie?
By subbing pure maple syrup instead of sugar, we are using a purer, more natural sweetener, one that also contains more than 20 different antioxidants, and a good source of manganese, which supports bone health and cognitive function.
By using almond flour instead of all purpose flour, we add more protein, fiber, magnesium. Also, almond flour has about 1/4 of the carbs per serving (5g) versus all purpose flour (20g), making it a fantastic low carb option.
By using a darker chocolate instead of milk chocolate, we lower carb and sugar content, while increasing fiber, magnesium, and iron. It is also richer in antioxidants than milk chocolate and ranks higher on the ORAC value scale. (I prefer to use a chocolate with at least 70% cacao to reap its benefits, but since the Ghiradelli brand only goes up to a 60% cacao chip, this is what I used for this recipe.)
By adding cinnamon, we are adding one of the most healthiest spices in the world, filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. And not to mention, a nice flavor kick.
And by subbing in coconut oil instead of butter, we add an age-fighting food that also boosts your immune system, and reduces inflammation.
To nail just the right flavor and texture, I had to add just a bit more coconut oil than I wanted to, and an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I used 2.5 tablespoons of coconut oil in this recipe. Two is totally fine, but I feel this helps add a bit more moisture to the cookie. This also adds to the subtle coconut flavors, which compliments it very nicely.
Now, this may seem like a lot, as a recent report published by the American Heart Association condemns coconut oil as having way too much saturated fat content and raises bad cholesterol levels. However, doing a google search right now on the benefits of coconut oil and you’ll get page after page of great findings on the issue, like Dr. Mercola’s “Use Coconut Oil Daily” post.
You can form your own opinion on that matter, but me, I’ll still use coconut oil despite the AHA’s findings. I’ve read too many convincing reports from reputable sources touting its health benefits, and, who knows, the AHA might reverse their recommendations and love coconut oil once again in a couple of years.
But, as always, decadent / healthy foods like these are best consumed in moderation.
Even though the nutritional information on a single cookie isn’t even that bad—
Moderation is key.
As tempting as it will be, don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting, folks!
I know these cookies are amazingly delicious but—-control yourselves!
Remember, sharing is caring!
Alright, here’s what you’ll need for my Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Protein Cookies….
One quick, very important note: After you mix everything up, be sure to CHILL the dough!! Do NOT skip this step!
The dough will be very sticky and almost impossible to scoop onto the baking pan! Your cookies will be all weirdly-shaped and uneven. Chilling it for about 30 minutes will solidify it and scooping it up will be soooo much easier. Trust me on this! More details in the recipe notes below.
Store these bad boys in the fridge, and they’ll maintain their flavor and freshness for about a week.
For other similar kick ass recipes, you gotta check out my…
- Triple Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Protein Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars
- Dark Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Protein Pizookie
Alright then, let’s get to it!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 9-12 minutes |
| Passive Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
small cookies
|
- 3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (each scoop has 24g protein)
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon (add more if desired)
- 2 tsp shredded coconut
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (60% cacao or higher)
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- cooking spray (coconut oil preferred)
Ingredients
dry ingredients
wet ingredients
|
|
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
- In separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
- While using a hand mixer or wisk to mix, gradually add the dry into the wet to form a cookie dough-like consistency.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Add more chocolate chips, cinnamon, or shredded coconut if desired.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lay out parchment paper onto a baking pan and spray with cooking spray.
- Using a cookie scoop, place scoops of dough onto the sheet, spread evenly throughout pan. Lightly flatten with back end of spoon for a flatter cookie.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the surface and set and/or edges are golden brown.
- Enjoy fresh from the oven, or let it set and cool for about 5 minutes. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Will keep for 3-5 days.
-I used Gold Standard's vanilla-flavored 100% Whey protein here. Vanilla, because I didn't want the protein flavor to stand out too much here. But you can mix and match any flavor you wish.
The dough can be too tough to mix by hand with a wisk, so I prefer to use a HAND MIXER when mixing.
-If the dough is too dry, add some water. If the dough is too wet, add more flour or protein powder. I sometimes have to add a bit of water, just to get things going when mixing.
-Be aware that adding more protein will impact the flavor (more bland). More almond flour is the better choice if need be.
-Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, and you'll never taste the coffee, trust me! Use it!
-Add more chocolate chips for more chocolate flavor.
-The dough is very sticky, but this is what you want! This is why chilling the dough in the fridge is a absolute MUST! You'll be able to scoop out the dough much, much easier with an ice cream scoop. And this will give you more uniformly-sized cookies.
This recipe yields me about 20 small cookies. My ice cream scoop yields 1.5 tbsp and so that's about 20 scoops. Increase or decrease the cookie size to your preference.
The bigger you make your cookie, the more the protein---per cookie. But since the cookie will be thicker, be sure to increase baking time by a couple of minutes.
**Nutritional information is an approximation using Nutrifox, information from Google, and my own calculations to the best of my knowledge. It is not the definitive values or guaranteed to be 100% accurate information. Use only as a reference.**