Energy + Protein + Feeling Full For Hours!
These cookies are big. Like monster big. Like it's a meal in itself... or a snack at very least. But it's also kind of perfect that way, I think. Just grab one in the morning, put it in a Ziplock bag, and chow into it when that 2:30 feeling hits ya.
Not only will this give you more than enough energy to get you over the 2:30 hump, it will also keep you full all afternoon. Seriously. I ate one at 2:00 this week and, around 7:00, found myself saying... "I guess I could eat a small salad or something..." because I just wasn't very hungry.
So what's the story? What makes them so special? They're packed with protein, which most of us don't get enough of. Especially if you generally work out later in the day, it's important to already have protein in your body instead of waiting until after your workout to pound a protein shake.
I noticed that it's difficult to get enough protein during the day, especially if you're being healthy. Toast for breakfast and a salad for lunch? Even if you had peanut butter on your toast and chicken on your salad, that's hardly enough protein. That's where this cookie comes in :)
The cookies also have added ground flax seed, which is packed with fiber and lignans, kind of like these Waffles. Fiber means these cookies will help your body... er... digest your food. Lignans curb unwanted cell growth (i.e. cancer cells). What's not to love, right?
And, best of all... they're low carb. Like seriously low carb. No flour. Not even whole wheat flour. Flour just wasn't invited to this party, folks. We're sick of its attitude (but you didn't hear that from me...).
Have you noticed the cookie getting smaller? That's because I'm eating it. Today, I'm breaking off a piece after breakfast... breaking off a piece after lunch... and, as a result, pretty much staying full all day.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Peanut Butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (or 1/2 cup for extra chocolatey goodness)
- 2 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
- 1/4 cup Diced Walnuts
- 2 scoops Protein Powder (I used 100% Whey Gold Double Rich Chocolate, available here)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Scoop onto cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. (Makes 8 large, using an ice cream scoop as a guide. Making 12-14 smaller would also work!)
- Bake for 14-18 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown (my bake time on this was funky. I first baked for 10, then took it out for a few, then put it back in for 5. I also turned the temp up to 375 for the last few minutes. Just watch for browning).
*Nutritional information compiled using CalorieCount
How much dough for each cookie? 1/4 cup? 1/2 cup?
ReplyDeleteHow many will this recipe make, what temp do I set the oven to and cook for how long?
I actually made these today and baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes and they came out perfect. I did the math and based on the calories per cookie versus calories for the entire batch, the recipe should make about 8 cookies. I didn't measure but I just eyeballed it and ended up with 10 cookies because 8 would have produced HUGE cookies, Carly wasn't kidding!
DeleteMy only substitution was almond butter for peanut because that's what I had, and I added a couple tablespoons brown sugar to sweeten them up and they turned out AMAZING! definitely my new go to snack/mini-meal.
Yep, Christina -- they make about 8 HUGE ones (basically a meal) or more smaller. Kind of depends on what you want to use them for but it sounds like you figured it out!
DeleteSo glad you liked them! :) They'll definitely keep you full, which is why they're such a great snack -- because, unlike other cookies, you're less likely to binge on them and yet still feel unsatisfied. They're very satisfying!
Oh my word! Thank you thank you thank you for posting this recipe! I am making them tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThese also look great! I think will become a perfect afternoon snack for me once I go back to work. That 3 pm crash is always brutal. Thanks so much for sharing these ones too at Scrumptious Sunday :-)
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ReplyDeleteI just made these and mine turned out really crumbly. I made a second batch and pressed it together really well, hoping it would help. It didn't :(. Solutions?
ReplyDeleteOh no! So sorry! I'm not sure what went wrong... Mine ended up the way they are in the pic! Altitude as well as the type of peanut butter used can affect the consistency of the cookie. If youd like them to be less crumbly, you might try adding another egg or another egg whites. That would help bind the ingredients! I hope it turns out better! Good luck :)
DeleteMine were crumbly also. I did use crunchy pnut butter, so maybe that was it. I will try 2 eggs next time
DeleteYeah, two eggs or perhaps using regular peanut butter would help! Crunchy peanut butter has big chunks that can prohibit the peanut butter from binding as much (creamy peanut butter has 100% binding ability, so think of using some of that up with chunks... meaning it is only working at, say, 60%). Let me know if you have any more questions!
DeleteNever mind! Just used leftover dough from my second batch and made them thicker and they turned out perfect! I pressed down really well. My first batch I made 12 small cookies that didn't hold. Bigger = perfect! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYay! So glad they worked out! I'll go back into the recipe to give a heads up to other readers and let them know that bigger is definitely better!! :) Sorry you had to be a guinea pig to find out but thanks for givin it a second try and nailing it!!
DeleteIf one does not have protein powder on hand, would it make a difference in the actual success of the cookie? Obviously, it would effect it nutritionally, but would there be other problems?
ReplyDeleteIt may make the cookie a lot more moist - which could be good or bad, depending on what you're looking for!! I'd consider adding wheat flour to keep it solid, but if you're trying to keep it gluten free, just omit the egg! :)
DeleteMine were delicious but also crumbly. I only got about 6 mid-sized cookies though... I followed the recipe, but was using all natural peanut butter...not sure how much of a difference that would make (I know peanut butters like Jiff tend to be thicker in general...) I also substituted sliced almonds for the walnuts, since that's what I had on hand. Makes a tasty crunch there.
ReplyDeleteHey Brandi! The cookies are slightly crumbly -- it's the price to pay for no flour but can be alleviated with an extra egg! I did use Jiff's natural peanut butter, which helps with the consistency!
DeleteI have discovered that when I do a recipe using protein powder that different powders give different results. One of the reasons, I believe, is that each brand uses a different size scoop. For example I usually use Jay Robb Chocolate Whey (sweetened with Stevia) and a scoop is 30g of powder. I also occasionally use Designer Whey All Natural 100 calorie powder and a scoop is only 26g of powder.
ReplyDeletethis could explain why some come out a bit crumbly?
So my question is how many grams of powder in a scoop of the Whey product that you used, the website does not give this info.
Thanks, I look forward to making this for the family, I need afternoon snacks for the summer that are pre-made so they don't wreck the kitchen every day!
Chris
I ended up finding that it was 30g per scoop.
DeleteI am making a batch now, some modifications were made since they are for family and not for me, they like things sweeter so I added some brown sugar.
But, wondering if you know of a powdered PB....http://bellplantation.com/
Much lower in calories than regular PB, and they make it onsite from their own peanuts. Don't care for the chocolate version and wish they had a sugar free version. My son uses Chocolate syrup instead of water to reconstitute it and it is yummy that way. Loads of possibilities.
thanks for your recipes, just found your site from pinterest and have been enjoying the exploration.
Chris
Hey Chris!
DeleteSorry for the delay in responses! Had a crazy weekend here working from home due to the NATO summit. I checked my bucket of Protein powder and it did say that it was just under 30g per scoop (29.something), so it looks like your measurements are correct! I do have some PB2 and sell it in my online shop. I have unfortunately not had a ton of success when baking with it, though. I love it in regular PB form and on toast, in protein shakes, etc... but when I bake with it in place of peanut butter it seems to end up looking very shiny and plastic-ey and the texture is more rubbery than when using regular PB. I'm still playing around with it though and will definitely keep you updated if I figure it out!
So glad you enjoy the site :) Let me know if you have any other questions!
Unfortunately I slightly overcooked mine, so they are crunchy. Yes it is a different texture than your photo, and the bottom was shiny, interesting. I will do them next time with regular PB (I had run out and only had PB2 on hand) and see how they compare. I am trying to secretly beef up DH (he has lost too much weight and I think it is negatively affecting his health/energy level) so straight PB would be better for him anyway. Although he did like this batch.
DeleteChris
I used natural almond butter (no sugar) that is what I had at the time. The batter was really dry so I added a few tbs soy milk and an extra egg seemed to hold better but then the batter got real gressy ? not sure why I'll have to try next time with the peanutbutter. In the end they held great no crumble at all and were delish thanks for the recipie!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like some smart substitutions!!! Adding eggs does make the batter more greasy... but as long as the end result was tasty and held up, it sounds like it was a success! :) Thanks for trying & I'm so glad you enjoyed!
DeleteJust came across your recipe...FABULOUS...I am going to try these! Also shared on my Stay Healthy Fitness FB wall;) Stay healthy ~ Darla
ReplyDeleteYou rock, Darla! :) Thanks!
DeleteFunny, I just came from FB where Stay Healthy Fitness (comment above me) shared it and I am definitely trying these. This is the first ever cookies recipe where I can see that ingredients are not going to add anything I don't eat. Everything I saw so far had flour, sugar and butter in it.
ReplyDeleteYou totally saved me, I've been craving some sweets lately and a protein bar isn't doing it for me anymore.
So glad you liked it :) I totally hear what you're saying on protein bars. Sometimes they just get too boring!
DeleteI dont usually bake cookies, first because I dont like to eat all the carbs, second because I suck at baking cookies! And these were so easy and tasty! I didn't have ground flax seeds so I use dry oats instead, yuuumm! Thank you for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteGoing to try a mashed banana to add a little extra moisture. Anyone else tried that?
ReplyDeleteBanana was a no go. Realized that my scooper measured 38 instead of 30. Much less crumbly when taking this into consideration
ReplyDeleteOh no!!! I'm sorry it didn't work! I am totally digging your banana idea, though! If you figure it out, let me know! I may have to experiment a bit, too!
DeleteI made these cookies today!! They were indeed yummy - though they yielded 8 smallerish cookies not the huge ones mentioned (I just divided the dough by 8). I have a question though - I cannot figure out where you came up with the nutrition facts. Is 1 serving = 1 cookie? I assume yes? I calculated (I used almond butter basically the same protein/calories as peanut butter and omitted the walnuts which would have given only 20 calories more per cookie) 133 calories with 9g of protein per cookie.... I used the same measurements as you have listed also....my Protein powder was 23 protein per scoop 110 calories x 2....
ReplyDeleteAnyway - not a huge deal lol but I ate two cookies at 266 calories instead of 448 calories!! Hmm I could have another :)
Please answer!!!!
Hey!
DeleteThe above facts were for each cookie - but I only made huge cookies. If you did the math based on your ingredients, you're probably right! There are also differences, as you mentioned, for things like protein powders, which sometimes have varying calories and protein values, as well as the butters used. :)
Good job making them low cal! :)
Are your nutriton facts based on making 8 large cookies?
ReplyDeleteYep! :)
DeleteOh my lord, I love this recipe and this blog! I would like to attempt making these cookies with the PB2 and have a question: would it be 3/4 cup of the powder or 3/4 cup of the PB2 reconstituted?
ReplyDeleteWould love to try these but dont have protein powder, could I use wheat germ instead???
ReplyDeleteAny ideas on what weigh the ingredients are? I don't like going by cups, I prefer metric measurements.
ReplyDeleteI didn't want to spend $30 on the chocolate protein powder do I used my vanilla instead. They are great with that. Of course there was no use saving the small bit of chocolate chips in the bottom of the bag so they went in too. I will use that extra egg white next time as well. I am a guy who never cooks but was looking for something to fill me up. These really do and they are so easy - so Thank You !!
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