My guy and I celebrated the 4th of July in our state’s capital this year. With plenty of fireworks shows to choose from nearby, I picked the one set off from the minor league baseball stadium (no surprises there—I’m a huge baseball fan!), located right next to the Sacramento River.
We arrived fairly early to find a good parking space, so when we realized we had lots of time to spare before the start of the show, we walked over to Old Sacramento to explore the railroad tracks and various restaurants and stores lining the cobblestone roads.
We first stopped at the candy store, and upon stepping inside, the employees greeted us warmly by inviting us to taste a few free samples from specially marked bins—yes, whatever we wanted!—including the large taffy section in the back. Because my guy is a huge candy fan (but not baked treats… go figure!), we took our time wandering around the store.
We paused at the root beer barrels (his favorite), exotic flavored gummy treats, fruity candies from our childhood, and the big display of Pez dispensers. We eventually ended up among the rows and rows of taffy boxes, and I slowly strolled past each one to read the names of the flavors.
They sold all of the stereotypical flavors like cherry, grape, strawberry, orange, watermelon, and peppermint. But then I spotted the fun ones… Blueberry muffin. Pumpkin pie. S’mores. Frosted cupcake. Cheesecake. Cinnamon roll. Maple Bacon. Chocolate chip cookies!
My guy bought a few of the more traditional flavors, but I couldn’t stop thinking about those intriguing ones as we walked back to the baseball field for the fireworks. Taffy that tasted like chocolate chip cookies?? Never in a million years would I have expected to see that! (Or maybe I just don’t get out enough…)
But that candy served as the inspiration for today’s recipe. If people make taffy that tastes like chocolate chip cookies, then why not something else… Like these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars! They have the same flavor as cookie dough snuck straight from the bowl, but they contain no eggs and a big protein punch instead!
Unlike grandma’s cookie dough recipe that starts with all-purpose flour and baking powder, these healthy protein bars skip that stuff in favor of coconut flour and protein powder. Remember, coconut flour is very different from any other flour! It’s about 3 times as absorbent, so we use a lot less. Because it soaks up a lot more moisture, it’s really important to measure it correctly. I highly recommend a kitchen scale! (I own this one.) They’re really inexpensive and worth their weight in gold. I use mine for every baking recipe I make!
As for the protein powder, I used Bob’s Red Mill soy protein powder. No, this isn’t a sponsored post—I just really, really love it! I’ve mixed it into my smoothies every single day for over a month now… And I sometimes make multiple smoothies a day. You could probably call me obsessed.
But anyway, back to this recipe. I love the soy protein powder because it only includes one ingredient: soy protein. No sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings, or artificial ingredients. That makes it the perfect canvas for just about any recipe, including these fun protein bars!
They’re sweetened with stevia, a no-calorie plant-based sweetener. Stevia can often have a strange aftertaste if you haven’t consumed it before, so I use a combination of two different kinds to minimize any funny flavors: Truvia and SweetLeaf. You can find Truvia at almost any grocery store (at least here in the US!), and most health-oriented grocery stores stock SweetLeaf as well.
To shape the bars, line a loaf pan with parchment paper. I hold mine in place with colorful bag clips, like in the picture above. (Note: I made a smaller batch in these photos, but the recipe below yields enough dough to fill the entire loaf pan!) Press a few chocolate chips on top for a prettier presentation; then chill the pan for at least 2 hours to make the bars firm. They should be stored in the fridge to ensure they hold their shape. Finally, after all of that [im]patient waiting… Slice and eat!
I think I just found bliss! ?? 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 protein bars and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars | | Print |
- 6 tbsp (42g) coconut flour (measured like this)
- 6 tbsp (30g) soy protein powder (I love Bob’s Red Mill!)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp (4g) coconut oil, melted
- 9 tbsp (135mL) unsweetened cashew or vanilla almond milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (37g) Truvia
- 1 ½ tsp (6g) SweetLeaf powdered stevia
- 2 tbsp (28g) mini chocolate chips
- Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper. (See the photos in the blog post above.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, soy protein powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the Truvia and SweetLeaf until fully incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Fold in 1½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Pour the crumbly dough into the prepared pan, and gently press it across the bottom using a spatula. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the top. Chill for at least 2 hours before slicing into bars. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to eat.
Any sweetener may be substituted in place of the Truvia and SweetLeaf. You may need to adjust the amounts to taste. If using a highly different amount, you may need to adjust the amount of coconut flour or protein powder if the dough is too wet OR more milk if the dough is too dry.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein, sugar-free}
UPDATE: In January 2016, I started making these protein bars with this vanilla crème stevia instead of the Truvia and powdered stevia. To use the vanilla crème stevia instead, do the following: omit the Truvia and powdered stevia, increase the cashew or almond milk to ¾ cup, and use 1 teaspoon of vanilla crème stevia.
Everything besides the soy and stevia sound good. Soy is a big no no it reeks hormonal havac on the body. Any zero calorie sweetner throws off our metabolic rate by confusing our bodies. So I would opt for organic whey protein and raw honey instead.
You’re welcome to substitute whatever ingredients you feel most comfortable consuming Lindsay. However, I would recommend avoiding whey protein powder because these bars will not set and remain liquidy if made with it.
Hi, did the whey protein work? My partner always buys huge bags of whey powder and I would hate to have to buy a small bag of plant protein just to make some bars. Also wonder if I could sub the gluten free flour for ordinary flour or cornflour, seems daft to buy a kilo bag of coconut flour when it’s not cheap and you only need a tiny bit. Would appreciate any feedback thanks
Hi Jo! If you scroll up to comments made by Jenny and Michelle, they explain how they adapted the recipe to work with their whey protein powder. I hope that helps!
I love these bars!!! I have made them four times now! I do think recipes using almond flour taste much more like cookie dough, but these are MUCH larger for the SAME calories due to the coconut flour. I wish you would do slight Variations on your blog — last night I added some butter extract to make them taste a little more like cookie dough. You could do butter and almond extracts with sprinkles for Cake Batter. You could do butter and almond extracts for Sugar Cookie. And try cinnamon, butter extract, almond extract, and sprinkle TINY bit of Raw Stevia (or actual sugar) on top (and press it in before putting in fridge/freezer) for Snickerdoodle. Of course, only AMY can perfect those options!!! (but it’s a thought!) Next time, I am going to switch the vanilla out for my dark chocolate protein powder – with the mini chocolate chips – and see if they taste double chocolate (I am very sadly unable to eat cocoa powder – Especially uncooked!). Thanks for the great recipe!!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the bars Shawna, and I’m touched that you’ve made them so many times! Thank you for sharing all of your creative ideas for flavor twists. They’re brilliant! 🙂
Because I am that type when someone tells me I can’t, I say watch me, I made these with whey. ;). My changes were I used the same weight of coconut flour and whey protein powder as in the recipe. I substituted 2T of pure maple syrup grade B and 4T of almond milk. I added a pinch of baking soda for that cookie flavor. The dough was crumbly, not liquidy. They are in the fridge. They are soft but hold together. In the past I’ve put homemade protein bars in the freezer when I’ve substituted for whey. So for those who want to substitute just experiment by starting slow. They taste great, thanks for the recipe, Amy ✌
I’m glad that worked for you and enjoyed the bars Jenny! Thanks for sharing!
Just made these tonight with what I had on hand; coconut flour, vanilla whey protein powder, coconut milk and ff milk. Put them in the freezer for 2 hours, popped them out, cut in 6 equal portions then ate 3 bars. ? These were amazing! And they firmed up great with the whey protein. I did what an earlier commenter said and put equal whey to coconut. I didn’t add any sweetener since my whey was already sweetened. Thank you for sharing such a yummy and healthy recipe!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the protein bars Michelle, and thank you for sharing what works! I really appreciate knowing how to adapt the recipe to fit whey protein powder. 🙂
Amy – I have now made these bars many many times! They give me a quick burst of energy, and they simply taste good! 🙂 I ran out of my Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour today, and switched to Hodgson Mill coconut flour. I purchased it because I was actually at a store with two options, and it had 80 calories per quarter cup instead of 120. I just wanted you to know that, all other factors being the same, this other coconut flour refused to be anything but crumbs in the bowl, and using the same sweetener that seemed almost excessive before did not taste very sweet. I was able to press them down into a rectangle and make solid bars in the freezer (my preferred way anyhow). However, they can’t compete with the others. I will go back and get my old brand of coconut flour. I just wanted you to be aware of this as it MAY be the problem some people are having as opposed to the type of protein – although different types and brands of protein definitely behave differently as well!
Thanks for letting other readers and me know Shawna! I always use Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour, so that’s great to know about other brands. I’m really glad that you’re enjoying the protein bars so much too! 🙂
I just tried this recipe using vanilla whey protein powder and I realize now why she said it wouldn’t work 🙁 I followed the instructions but my batter was super runny not crumbly at all. So to make the most of it I threw the batter in a blender with some extra milk to make myself a protein shake. It was delicious!
That sounds like a wonderful Plan B Lindsay! 🙂 If you’re able to find plant-based protein powder, I hope you enjoy the bars as much as your shake!
I have some leftover protein powder from this miserable 10-day diet I did, and I’ve been waiting for a recipe like this to come along so I can use it up! Bonus: the protein powder already has stevia in it!! Knowing that, I will be sure to adjust the amount of sweetener I add–if any–stevia is pretty powerful stuff. Not sure how I feel about the aftertaste yet. It was pretty bad when I was using that protein powder in smoothies, but I don’t mind it quite as much in the Zevia I tried recently.
I hope you enjoy these protein bars more than your 10-day diet Carolyn! I think you’ll still want to add at least a little bit of sweetener. If you’re sensitive to the taste of plain stevia, then the vanilla creme stevia is a great option because it has a much warmer, fuller sweet taste! Truvia would be another good option for you; it’s stevia-based yet doesn’t have that funky aftertaste. 🙂
Dear Amy,
This recipe sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if there is a way to add more protein powder so that each bar yields more protein without messing up the recipe? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!
Thanks Nellie! If you wanted to add more protein powder, you could decrease the amount of coconut flour. However, coconut flour is generally more absorbent than protein powder, so you’d have to play with the amounts a little to reach the proper texture. I hope you enjoy the protein bars if you try them!
Can you recommend substitutions for the coconut oil and flour, I have a coconut allergy
Any oil will work in place of the coconut oil. However, substituting for the coconut flour is much trickier. Coconut flour is about 3 times as absorbent as any other flour, so when you substitute your preferred flour, you’ll need to add 2-3 times as much as the amount listed in the Ingredients. I hope you enjoy the protein bars if you try them Katie!
Do you know what the calorie count per bar ended up being?
The full Nutrition Information is included beneath the recipe Brittney! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the protein bars!