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Healthier, super easy, but oh-so-delicious, Peanut Butter Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are some of the best cookies. Decadent, extra peanutty, and loaded with chocolate chunks, but made without any refined sugars or gluten. Every bite has a chewy, crisp edge with a soft and chocolatey center. They’re extra yummy and there’s absolutely nothing not to love about these salty, sweet peanut butter cookies.
Is it too soon for cookies? I questioned sharing these today, the first Tuesday back after Christmas vacation and all the holiday festivities. My fear is that you are sugared out, cookied out, and possibly just looking to indulge in salads galore.
But, then I said that out loud and thought, no way. The first week back in January is always a tricky week adjusting to getting back to work, to real life, and the reality that cookies can’t be dinner.
After two weeks of mostly chill days, the back-to-work, back-to-school daily schedule can feel daunting. But even if you’re working on eating more wholesomely this month, you can still enjoy cookies!
And I have just the recipe for you! A first for me too, protein cookies! But you’d never even guess that there are any healthy additions by the taste. Oh, and these cookies are Oslo-approved and very yummmmy.
Details
There’s nothing fancy about this cookie, that’s honestly part of the appeal. We love an easy, no-fuss cookie.
Beat the butter with real organic maple syrup. For the butter, I only use Straus Organic European style butter with 85% butterfat. It makes all the difference and actually has health benefits. And the flavor is far superior to any other butter. And no, this post is not sponsored, this is just what I use and love.
Cream the butter with the maple syrup to sweeten these cookies. I use a small amount of maple, so be warned these are not overly sweet cookies. Next, add the peanut butter.
The secret to making this layer really delicious is to use a peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and or sugar. You just want a natural peanut butter. This will give you the best flavor and texture.
Now add in a mix of almond flour, I usually buy Bob’s Red Mill Almond Four. And unflavored protein powder, I like to use Vital Proteins Unflavored Collagen. Though you can certainly use your favorite unflavored or vanilla protein.
You can find both in most major grocery stores, Whole Foods, Target, and I believe Trader Joe’s as well.
Now stir in lots of chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks) and bake away. No chilling required! Simple. Simple.
What I love about these cookies is just how easy they are to make. They require no chilling, and take less than thirty minutes. And yes, they’re even pretty healthy too!
These cookies have perfectly crisp edges and oh-so-chewy centers. The best kind of cookie and they’ll stay that way over time too! These don’t get hard once cooled.
Above all, my best advice? Bake these protein cookies tonight…because everyone has thirty minutes to bake up cookies. Then eat a few warm and ease yourself through this first week of the year. I certainly can’t think of a better way to welcome in the New Year!
Looking for other healthier dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Bread
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Peanut Butter Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Peanut Butter Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 181 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups almond flour (see note for alternative)
- 1/4 cup unflavored protein powder (I use Vital Proteins)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (if desired)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter. Slowly add the maple syrup, beating until whipped. Add the peanut butter and mix to combine. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips/chunks.3. Scoop the dough out into rounded 1 tablespoon size balls, the dough will be wet. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.4. Bake 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter gently to deflate each cookie. Return to the oven and bake another 3-4 minutes, the cookies will be browning, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and gently tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times. 5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt (if desired). Eat warm or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Alternate flour: if you prefer, you can bake these cookies using a total of 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour. The cookies will come out a little thicker, but be just as delicious!
Freezing: the cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then bake as directed.
These turned out perfect!
So glad to heat this Carol!! Thanks for giving these cookies a try! xT
YUMMY! Thank you for the great recipe, Tiegan.
Hi Kym,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
Just ate one of these warm from the oven. DELICIOUS. I used half almond butter, half peanut butter. They’re so yummy and will help me with my cravings as I try to reduce sugar and increase healthy fats. Thanks so much!
Hey Frances,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Super easy to make and delicious! Love all your recipes!
Hey Alissa,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
These are DELICIOUS! I swapped PB for natural almond butter and it is so yummy. Will definitely be making this again in a couple weeks. Also love when recipes use almond flour so I know it works, I bake for a couple gluten free family members 🙂
Hey Claire,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Love this recipe!!
Hey Patty,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
These little gems completely satisfy my sweet tooth and I felt a bit better about eating them with all of the protein and no refined sugars. Hubby could eat them as well as he is gluten and dairy-free (he loved them!). I just substituted a dairy-free butter. I don’t usually like to substitute too much in HBH recipes because I don’t like to alter the outcome but I didn’t have PB so used almond butter instead. These were fabulous! For some reason, I ended up with twice as many cookies (not a bad thing!)
Hey Donna,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
I made these yesterday and they were incredible! The perfect balance of sweet and salty, crispy and chewy. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much for making these cookies Kassi!! So glad to hear that they were enjoyed! xx
These are delicious. I love the texture of the almond flour and the chewy centers! I used Sakara’s Protein + Greens and they turned out amazing!
Hey Amy,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! xx
Hi, just wondering if I drop the protein powder would the recipe still turn out okay? Or can I sub something else? Thanks! Love your recipes.
Hey Mary,
You’ll want to use some additional almond flour in place of the protein powder:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can I substitute almond butter for peanut butter? Or another alternative?
Hey Amy,
Sure, that would work, you could also do sunbutter! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I only have chocolate protein powder, wonder if that would still be good?
Hey Andrea,
They will be more chocolatey but it will definitely work! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
These are excellent! I’ve been looking for a grain free, processed sugar free cookie recipe and I’m so glad to have finally found it. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Meghan,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! xx
Thanks, Tieghan! We just baked these, and they are delicious and perfect! So easy to make, and great both warm and at room temp. My kids, who are used to cookies baked with sugar, love them! Thank you! Love from Switzerland xo
Hey Jenny,
Happy Sunday!!❄️ I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! xx
I always find baking with almond flour tricky as my breads or cookies tend to fall apart from the almond flour cooking softer treats. These were perfect. Chewy on the inside and strudy enough not to fall apart. I used Sunwarrior vanilla protein (plant based). Only 1 of my 4 kids asked for a crispier cookie, the others each had two right out of the oven. I too had more than 18 cookies but I am not complaining seeing as 7 were eaten within minutes of them being done.
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Can you use coconut flour instead? Do you know what the ratio would be?
Hey Jessica,
So sorry, I’m not sure coconut flour would be the best option here, I would stick with the almond or all purpose flour. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
Can you share how to make these dairy free? (what we can substitute the dairy products with for those that cannot eat dairy). This info would be super helpful in your notes for each recipe!!
Hi Jen,
I’ve not tested this recipe without the diary products so I’m not sure what the result would be, which is why it’s not included as part of my recipe notes:) So sorry! xx
I used a vegan butter and they turned out perfect!