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
How much calories are there per cookie or serving ? And are they suitable for children?
The full Nutrition Information for all of my recipes is included beneath the recipe box Cee! 🙂 Because I’m not a health professional, I don’t feel comfortable answering whether they’re suitable for children. I’d recommend talking to your doctor if you’re concerned about that. I’d love to hear what you think of the cookies if you try them!
Hi Amy! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I found that mine stuck to the sheet a lot – any tips for that?
Yikes! When you say that they stuck to the sheet, are you referring to the baking sheet itself or the parchment paper/silicone baking mat that the Instructions include in Step 2?
I really want to make these but am confused about the stevia sweetener amount; I have PureVia packets, can I use 4 tablespoons worth of the those? It seems like a lot so I just want to make sure! They look amazing.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Erika! If you’re still using the agave and just want to replace the Swerve and Truvia, then yes — you can use the PureVia packet’s equivalent of 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar. However, most sweetener packets have much less volume, so you may need to add a little milk if the cookie dough seems too dry once it has rested for 10+ minutes. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Found you for the first time today when I googled the recipe. LOVE IT! I used Quest multipurpose protein powder (two scoops= 56 grams) and they came out very tasty! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved these cookies, Pam! That means a lot to me! 🙂 I have a few other protein cookie recipes here that might interest you, once you finish enjoying this batch!
I would love to make these as I’m into chia seeds on my keto WOE. But the Agave is way too many carbs for me. I googled to see how to substitute with sugar but the answers were kind of involved, lower temp, less liquid etc. Do you have any suggestions when not using agave?
Thanks!
I’m honored that you’d like to make these cookies Joyce! If you’d like to use granulated sugar, then use ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons of milk (any kind will work!). I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies! 🙂
Hi there,
these came out amazing but… like bread more than cookies? I don’t know what i might have done wrong. The only alteration i made was in the protein powder which i used the Bulk Powders Vanilla . They’ve just puffed a lot and look like little bread bites. Even so super tasty!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lia! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor, at the very least! 🙂 How did you measure the coconut flour? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe in detail how you measured? Did you make any other modifications, including those in the Notes section? (Just wanted to double check!) Also, did you flatten them before baking? We should be able to fix that texture once I know all of this info!
Hi Amy, these look amazing! Instead of using the swerve and truvia can I just add more agave (or I usually use pure maple syrup)? Or does it need to be granulated? Could I use coconut sugar? Thanks:)
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Katie! Because agave or maple syrup would add extra volume, you’re correct in that coconut sugar would be a better substitute for the two granular no-calorie sweeteners. Just remember that your cookies will turn out a dark brown color because coconut sugar is so dark in color! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
It’s my pleasure Vanessa! I’ve actually included how long they’ll keep in the text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. (I know it can be easy to miss!) If you store them in the refrigerator, then they’ll keep even longer than that. These cookies also freeze well! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!