I grew up going to church every Sunday with my parents. As early birds, we usually went to the 8:15 am service instead of the one held later at 10 am. With a community full of people who enjoyed sleeping in, the sanctuary was normally fairly empty at that hour!
But during the summers, the church only offered one service at 9:30 am to give the pastors a “summer break…” Or at least the ability to sleep in too! So the building filled up to the seams, threatening to burst open, with all of us rambunctious kids squirming in our seats.
After the first 10 minutes and the Children’s Moment, we were excused to run out the doors and into the adjoining hall, where a few very patient people held a children’s worship for us. We spent the rest of the hour coloring, singing, and playing games, which allowed the adults time to listen to the regular sermon in peace and quiet.
Besides the coloring, my favorite part of the summers at church was the special brunch held after the service. Different members would bring in trays of goodies: fresh fruit and veggies, cucumber sandwiches, deviled eggs, muffins, donuts, and sometimes even cookies.
Yes, donuts and cookies! You can probably guess what I filled up my plate with… Mom always reminded us that the “cookies for breakfast” treat was a special occasion and not something that would regularly occur at home, but…
Even now, I sometimes think about cookies for breakfast. (Same with crumbles—but those are mostly fruit and granola anyway, right?) So I came up with these Lemon Chia Seed Protein Cookies as a compromise. They taste just like dessert but are packed with nutrients and protein, so they’re actually healthy enough for breakfast!
These special cookies have 3 things that make them healthy enough for your morning meal.
1) Low carb. I used coconut flour instead of all-purpose in these cookies. It’s much more absorbent that regular flour, so you’ll only use a third of the amount. That really helps cut out carbs! I also use a combination of agave and no-calorie plant-based sweeteners, so you won’t experience the same sugar high (and crash) as with regular cookies.
2) Protein powder. Since I still had lots left over from these healthy muffins, I used a few scoops of this protein powder as the other half of the dry ingredients. It has a sweet vanilla taste and no strange flavors. I promise you can’t tell—they taste just like regular, sunshiny lemon cookies!
3) Chia seeds. For an extra nutritious boost, I added a tablespoon of chia seeds to the cookie dough. They’re full of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3’s, as well as other micronutrients, and the cookies are a fun way to sneak all of that in!
Because both the coconut flour and chia seeds are fairly absorbent, the cookies don’t spread during baking, so it’s important to flatten the cookie dough to your preferred thickness and width before popping the pan in the oven. If you prefer thicker cookies, they may need a minute or two more than the bake time called for in the recipe.
Just look at these sweet, sunshiny beauties! And the fact that they’re healthy enough for breakfast? Yeah… I’m probably not sharing a single one. 😉
| Lemon Chia Seed Protein Cookies | | Print |
- ¼ cup (28g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- 2 scoops (84g) vanilla whey protein powder (I used Jamie Eason's Lean Body for Her — see Notes!)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (15g) chia seeds
- 1 tbsp (3g) lemon zest (about 1 medium)
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 medium)
- ¼ cup (60mL) agave
- 2 tbsp Swerve
- 2 tbsp Truvia
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, chia seeds, and zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the lemon juice and agave. Mix in the Swerve and Truvia until completely dissolved. Stir in the coconut flour mixture until completely incorporated. Let the cookie dough rest for at least 10 minutes.
- While the cookie dough rests, preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width. (Between ¼” to ½” is best.) Bake at 325°F for 11-13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Not all protein powders absorb liquids equally. If the cookie dough looks too dry, add 2 teaspoons of milk at a time until everything comes together. If it looks too wet after letting it rest, add 1 teaspoon of coconut flour at a time until the texture is thicker.
Xanthan gum helps hold the cookies together and make them chewy.
Swerve and Truvia are both no-calorie, Stevia-based sweeteners. You may use all of one or the other, or you may substitute your preferred granulated sweetener instead.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, high protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
When I was younger our morning church tradition was to go to McDonald’s right next to the church and get an egg mcmuffin. AHH I cringe even typing that, but boy did I love it as a kid! These are making me SO excited for summer.
I love it Brittany!! Church and food go together like two peas in a pod… Even if it was unhealthy bribes to get us to sit still and behave. 😉 I can’t wait for summer either!
What can I use to replace Xanthan gum? I have never seen it on a store
You can try making the cookies without the xanthan gum, Nicole; they’ll just be slightly less chewy. Most health-oriented grocery stores (i.e. Whole Foods) carry xanthan gum on the baking aisle, usually near the GF flours but sometimes a little further down the aisle. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Lemon treats are so happy! Cookies for breakfast?! YES!
Thanks Andrea! Not quite cheesecake for breakfast, but pretty close, right? 😉
Those look wonderful! Never would have thought of substituting poppyseeds with chia seeds–great idea 🙂
Thanks June!
Amy, I just made these and they are DELICIOUS! I can’t even tell they have no granulated sugar nor all-purpose flour. I splurged on that xanthum gum and nearly choked on the price, but I figure now that I have some and have actually made a recipe using it, I’ll try some of your other recipes that use it, too. I used my small cookie scoop and got 24 2-inch cookies–pop-in-your-mouth size! Oh, I also wanted to let you know that I bought the protein powder from the bulk bins at Sprouts. I bought what I thought would be a close amount, but when measured, I only had 31 grams. I went for it anyway, and it worked out perfectly!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Maria! The xanthan gum lasts forever. I bought mine almost 1.5 years ago and have barely made a dent! I’m excited to hear what other recipes you try with it! (And it’s the BEST for adding into frappuccinos and blended ice drinks to prevent them from separating!)
we usually had a pancake breakfast after church, but I am totally down with cookies for breakfast too 🙂
I’ll never say no to pancakes Heather! 😉
Dear Amy, these cookies look so pretty. Pinning for later. xo, Catherine
Thank you so much for your sweet words and pin Catherine!
Hi Amy, if I were to substitute the coconut flour with all-purpose, what’s the amount/ratio to use? Thanks! 🙂
I haven’t tried it myself Krystal, but I think you’ll need about ¾ cup of all-purpose flour. To be safe, start with ½ cup of all-purpose and mix in an additional 1 tablespoon until the mixture has the consistency of regular cookie dough. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
You’re making my breakfasts WAY better. Cookies for breakfast now? In the words of my toddler self: How about TWO cookies for breakfast? These sounds incredible – I love the bright yellow lemony color!
Of course I’ll give you TWO cookies for breakfast — it’s double the protein! 😉 Thanks Sarah!
These are so delicious! I would not even call myself a huge lemon fan, but I have a huge bag of chia seeds sitting around and was aching to bake. I used Protein Milkshake powder and it worked great! I made them last night and the batch is already half gone — they’re still as soft as last night!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Erin! Soft cookies are my favorite. I’ll have to come up with a few more chia seed recipes so you can finish off the rest of your bag! 😉