Last summer, my mom fulfilled a dream she had been chasing for over a decade: she bought a cabin in the woods on a lake. After searching in three different states and countless different zip codes, she and my dad finally found the perfect little home-away-from-home last June.
Because most previous owners include all of the furniture, appliances, dishes, and linens when selling their cabins in that particular neighborhood, my parents had very little to purchase after receiving the keys. Mom added moose-themed towels and a few paintings of aspen trees to turn it into the exact rustic cabin she had imagined, but our entire family could tell she was completely smitten from the first moment she stepped foot inside.
My parents gave both my brother and me a key to the cabin in case we wanted to visit one of the weekends when they stayed home, so last month, my brother and his best friend headed up to the mountains to escape the scorching hot 110° weather in our hometown. Even though the forest expected temperatures around 90°, the lake nearby made that much more bearable!
They planned a few hikes for their trip: a leisurely one to the aspen-lined meadow a mile away from the cabin; another down to the beach for an afternoon of swimming in the refreshing, icy cold lake; and a third steep trek up the side of a mountain to see an impressive set of waterfalls crashing over the top.
With so much exercise packed into one weekend, I thought the boys could use a sweet yet healthy treat to make it through their sun-drenched hikes. Because my brother loves anything lemon-flavored, I baked these Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Cookies specifically for him!
Protein cookies… That sounds a little bit like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But I promise it’s not! These gorgeous treats are lower carb, lower sugar, and packed with 5 grams of protein! Moreover, they’re gluten-free and clean eating… And basically healthy enough for breakfast too!
The base of these cookies consists of coconut flour and vanilla protein powder. Coconut flour behaves very differently than other flours! It’s about 3 times as absorbent, so we’ll only use about a third of how much flour you’d expect in a cookie recipe. We’ll also give the cookie dough time to rest to allow the coconut flour to absorb the moisture from the lemon juice.
This recipe is designed for whey-based protein powder. I used Jamie Eason’s Lean Body for Her vanilla whey protein powder, and I loved how its whey taste was less noticeable than in some other brands. Unfortunately, it’s no longer sold in stores, but this protein powder (another one of my favorites!) and this protein powder are very similar.
Other brands of whey-based protein powder may work, but remember, many protein powders behave differently in baking recipes! They usually absorb different amounts of moisture, and they often result in varying textures too. Some are slightly more absorbent and will require a touch more milk; others are less so and may need a bit more coconut flour. See my Protein Powder FAQ Page for more information!
Note: I do not recommend using plant-based protein powder in this recipe. In general, plant-based protein powders are much more absorbent than whey-based protein powders, so the cookies would most likely turn out dry and crumbly.
These cookies are sweetened with a combination of agave and stevia. Stevia is a no-calorie, plant-based sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. Because stevia sometimes has a funny aftertaste, I used a mix of two different kinds—Truvia and Swerve—to minimize any strange flavors. If you can only find one or the other, that’s fine! Just substitute it for the other as well.
After letting the cookie dough rest and dropping it on the baking sheet, you must flatten the cookie dough to your desired thickness and width. These cookies do not spread while baking! Use a spatula (I own these—aren’t they cute?) because the cookie dough will stick to your hands.
Here’s my big secret to the chewiest cookies: slightly underbake the cookies; then let them sit on the warm baking sheet for a few extra minutes. This allows the centers to continue to cook through without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy. This little trick keeps your cookies chewy for up to a week, if they last that long!
So here’s to sunshine, summer days, and sweet hiking treats! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your lemon poppy seed protein cookies!
Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (28g) coconut flour (measured like this)
- 2 scoops (84g) vanilla whey protein powder (really important – read Notes before beginning!)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (9g) poppy 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 white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 medium)
- ¼ cup (60mL) agave
- 2 tbsp (24g) Swerve granulated erythritol
- 2 tbsp (24g) Truvia
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, poppy 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 between ¼” to ½” thick. 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.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Loovvee lemon poppy seed! In college I probably had a lemon poppy seed muffin for breakfast every time they made them in the dorm cafeteria! Those were certainly NOT healthy, nor packed with protein 😉 I love all of your healthy baking treats! I’ve made your lemon protein muffins and they were great. Loved having them as a low carb snack mid morning 😀
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my muffin recipe Ashley! I agree, lemon poppy seed muffins were always my weakness. I probably would’ve had one every day they made them just like you!
THE CABIN!! I must see it!
You’re welcome to come ANY time you want!! I’ll try to post pictures soon, but in the meantime… Here’s the view from the front porch! 😉
yummm these look super lovely! I went hunting for the protein powder and found that I only have chocolate protein powder in the cupboards.. so we’re going to try the same recipe with some choc protein powder and orange peel and juice and see how it turns out!
That sounds lovely! I really hope you enjoy the cookies Christina!
Love that these are gluten free! As someone who is allergic to dairy and casein, is there a modification I can make so that I can use my vegan protein powder (Vega Sport)? I would love to try this recipe!
Thanks Stephanie! You’re welcome to try, but I can’t guarantee the results. I suggest starting with 1 scoop instead and adding more if the muffin batter is very wet. I hope you enjoy the muffins if you try them!
I used butter, a whole egg and didn’t have poppy seeds, so I used black sesame seeds – and I used honey. These turned out amazing. Moist, tender, full of lemony vanilla flavor. didn’t taste low carb – my only concern is the honey. Trying to think of a substitute for honey to be truly low carb.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Jenny! It’s possible to substitute a stevia-based sweetener in place of the honey to make the cookies lower in carbs, but you’d need to add some milk to the cookie dough to compensate for the missing liquid.
Addicted to this poppy seed lemon cookies!!!
I’m so touched that you’re enjoying the cookies that much! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I just wanted to say, I tried this recipe with a plant based vanilla protein powder and the cookies still turned out delicious! They looked a bit dry on the outside, and doughy in the inside (so not quite like pictured) but still good ! I used a little less powder (70 grams) since my scoops were smaller. Used half honey and half sugar because I didn’t have agave and was worried the honey flavor would be too strong. Added water till the dough was to consistency since my powder was more absorbent. Also added butter extract! So for anyone wondering if a plant based protein will work… just give it a go and try it out! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your experience Carlyn! I always love hearing what modifications work, and I’m especially glad that you were able to make the recipe work with plant-based protein powder. So happy you enjoyed the cookies!!
I’m so excited to try these, but I’m on the smallest of all college budgets and I was wondering if there was some way to substitute the Xanthan Gum??? I heard somewhere that egg whites would work but would make the cookies rise, which doesnt sound fun. Do you have any other suggestions?
I remember those college student budget days quite well Katy! 🙂 The xanthan gum is what imitates gluten’s structural properties and makes these cookies a little chewier, so I don’t recommend using egg whites since they perform a different role in cookies. You can omit it, and the cookies should still turn out. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
You can buy small pkgs of xantham gum in Walmart for about 89¢. Ask someone where it is, it’s easy to miss. It’s the size of a yeast pkg. I’m dying to try this recipe!
Thanks for sharing that tip Ann! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies! 🙂
Wondering if I could replace the protein powder with more coconut flour ?
That could work Erica! I haven’t tried it and can’t guarantee how much you’d need or how that would affect the taste and texture of the cookies. You’d probably need to add a little more sweetener (preferably the Swerve or Truvia) as well. I’d love to hear what you try and how the cookies turn out!
My boyfriend is allergic to coconut, how would I adjust this recipe for him? He LOVES lemon poppyseed and he works out a ton so if I could change it a bit, it would be perfect for him!
You’re so sweet to want to bake these for your boyfriend — he’s so lucky to have you Stephanie! 🙂 To adapt this recipe for him, start by using the butter instead of the coconut oil. For the flour, you could substitute just about any other kind, and if it wasn’t gluten-free (aka wheat-based flour!), then you could also omit the xanthan gum. However, coconut flour is about 3 times as absorbent as any other flour, so you’ll need to add about 2-3 times as much of your preferred substitute flour. Start with ½ cup, and add more 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky. Another option would be to use this lemon cookie recipe of mine and simply add poppy seed (it doesn’t contain protein powder though!). A third option is to make these lemon poppy seed energy bites, which contain protein powder but not coconut. I’d love to hear what you end up trying and what you think of the recipe!