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
Hey there Amy,
Thanx for sharing the recipe – since I didn’t have a few of the ingredients, I made a “sabo-version” of them and they worked out perfect. So now there is a slightly different german version floating around on the internet 😉
http://www.sabotagebuch.de/wordpress/2015/06/12/vanille-limetten-chia-kekse-low-carb/#
I’m so glad you were able to make a version that worked for you Sabo! Your cookies look phenomenal! 🙂
Hi! I don’t have xanthan gum- can I substitute something for this? Is it a necessary component to the recipe?
The xantham gum imitates gluten and provides extra chewiness to the cookies. If you can’t find it, you can omit it, although the texture will be slightly different. I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them Alex!
What is the reason for using both the Swerve and Truvia? I have seen other recipes do this. I prefer the Swerve, can I just swap out the Truvia for Swerve or is there some other reason? These look great and I can’t wait to try them.
I like to use both because Swerve products tend to be rather expensive, whereas Truvia is less so and easier to find as well. They’re interchangeable at a 1-to-1 ratio, so you’re welcome to use all Swerve if you prefer! I hope you enjoy the cookies Kelly!
That’s an awesome reason!! Thanks!!
My pleasure Kelly!
How do I substitute the agave for Truvia? Do I need more liquid? Tia!
If you’d like to use more Truvia in place of the agave, use an addition ¼ cup of Truvia plus 2 tablespoons of milk. (Any milk will do!) I hope you enjoy the cookies Jennifer!
Hi, Amy,
I’m allergic to coconuts, so I was wondering what your thoughts would be on substituting the coconut flour for flaxseed meal, which is also super absorbent, (and also really healthy)???? And I don’t have that brand of protein powder; I use a vegan one that’s simply pea protein powder, pea starch, and natural vanilla flavor. That would probably work in this recipe, right? I also have a Mercola brand vanilla whey protein-based powder, and it’s mostly whey protein concentrate, maltodextrin, sweet whey powder, chia seed powder, and probiotics, but I’m not sure which would be better to use.
Thanks for your recommendation in advance! I’d really love to make these–who would pass up cookies for breakfast? 🙂
I’d definitely recommend using the second protein powder that you used that’s whey-based. Plant-based protein powders are generally much more absorbent than whey-based ones, so the cookies would probably turn out dry and crumbly with your vegan protein powder. I haven’t tried substituting flaxseed meal for coconut flour before, and I’m not sure what ratio to use if substituting. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try the cookies Perpetua! 🙂
Hi, Amy- Can you state that brand of vanilla protein powder you like so much? I’ve never bought any protein powder before and I want to make sure I got a good one. I tried all of the links you left but they were no longer working. Thanks!
Thanks for letting me know Elizabeth! Apparently Amazon stopped selling that particular type I bought. Whoops! I’ve updated the link, so it now takes you directly to the brand’s protein powder that I used. It’s Jamie Eason’s Lean Body for Her in vanilla. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
How about using honey in the cookies instead of trivia or swerve?
I’d recommend substituting a granulated sweetener in place of the Truvia and Swerve instead of honey. The honey will make the cookie dough too wet to work with, closer to the texture of muffin batter rather than cookie dough. I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them Marcia!
This cookie is awesome in taste and goodness. Even my hubby loves these. I have some in the oven now for the second time of making.
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies Ann!
Yum! I made these and even my husband said they’re good (he’s wary of my gluten-free healthy treats). I didn’t have xanthan gum so I mixed 1 tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water and let it gel. This is in addition to the original 2 tbsp chia seeds the recipe calls for. They’re delicious. I’d love a chocolate version 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Susan! That’s quite a compliment if your husband liked them too — thanks for sharing that! I hadn’t thought to do a chocolate version yet… Surprising, since I’m such a chocoholic! 😉 But I’m adding that to my recipe To Do list!
I made a chocolate version tonight! So so so good. I left out the lemon juice and lemon zest and added 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder along with enough non-dairy milk to get a good consistency (probably about 1/4 cup), some extra Swerve, and a handful of cacao nibs.
That sounds wonderful Susan! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
If we’re to substitute sweetner for stevia powder, how much would you recommend?
It depends on the specific sweetener Georgia! What did you have in mind?