Chewy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
Chewy Gluten-free Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
These chewy, gluten-free peanut butter protein cookies are absolutely UNREAL! I can’t believe that there is no gluten, dairy, refined sugar or grains in them! They’re probably the healthiest cookies that you could eat, but it does not taste like it at all. They really do taste like “regular” cookies. These soft and chewy cookies are FULL of protein and loaded with chocolate chips and chunks. There are three ingredients that provide protein including almond flour, protein powder and powdered peanut butter. They also contain healthy fats and nutrients to keep you full, meaning, you can basically eat these for breakfast.
The main ingredients are as follows:
Coconut oil - Using coconut oil instead of butter keeps these cookies dairy free, but you can use butter in place of coconut oil if you prefer.
Maple syrup - Maple syrup is the only sweetener in these cookies which means that they are 100% refined sugar free! Make sure you use real maple syrup that doesn’t have any added sugar.
Egg - You only need one egg for this entire batch of cookies! It’s a small ingredient, but very necessary to hold everything together.
Vanilla - We can’t have a yummy cookie without a little vanilla! You don’t need very much, but it adds great flavour! I use 100% pure vanilla extract.
Almond flour - Almond flour is the only type of flour we are using in this recipe. I love baking with almond flour because it is naturally gluten and grain free, low carb and low glycemic. It also adds a delicious nutty flavour and cool texture to the cookies.
Protein powder - I recommend using unflavoured protein powder for this recipe. Sometimes the vanilla protein powders can have a funny taste that might disturb the overall flavour of the cookies. I use unflavoured whey protein, but if you are dairy-free then go ahead and use a plant-based protein powder.
Powdered peanut butter - We are using powdered peanut butter for our peanut butter protein cookies! It acts as a “flour” and works with the almond flour and protein powder to create a really nice texture and that chewiness that I’m talking about. You can buy this at most health food stores.
Chocolate - We all know that peanut butter and chocolate go together like pb&j, so of course we are adding some chocolate to these cookies! I like to do a mix of chocolate chips and chunks. You can use any chocolate that you like here: dairy-free, vegan, sugar-free, but I do recommend using dark chocolate since it adds a hint of bitterness to the cookies which turns out great!
These are definitely my favourite cookies and they’re so healthy that you can eat them with no guilt, which I love. I always try to find a way to make dessert healthy so that we can have it on a regular basis. Justin and I are dessert-every-night people, so to have a batch of these cookies on hand makes it easy and enjoyable for us! Also, because they’re full of protein and healthy fats, you only really need one to be satisfied, but we won’t judge if you have two… or three, or four! This recipe makes 24 cookies, so you’re pretty much set for a week or two depending on the size of your family.
Chewy Gluten-free Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
Chewy Gluten-free Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup unflavoured protein powder
- 1/3 cup powdered peanut butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, protein powder, powdered peanut butter, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to allow the ingredients to meld and the dough to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Using a 1" cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared pan leaving about 1.5" in between to allow for spreading.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 9 minutes or until just starting to brown on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and smack the pan on the stove or counter a few times until the cookies flatten. Let cool for a minute or two on the pan before transferring to a wire rack.
- Enjoy warm or, once cooled, store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.