Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites

 
Partway through 4^th grade, I joined one of the larger Girl Scout Troops at my elementary school because my two best friends belonged. The leaders and other girls’ mothers really enjoyed arts and crafts, so at my first meeting, they taught us to paint an underwater ocean scene on small planks of wood, followed by putting together homemade mason jar snow globes and snowmen decorations from tiny terra cotta clay pots at the next few gatherings.  

But a few months later when cookie season rolled around, I wanted to stop attending troop meetings altogether… As a shy introvert, I hated walking door-to-door to try to sell Thin Mints and Samoas to complete strangers! When the time came to turn in our order sheets, I had collected checks for a grand total of 13 boxes between my parents and grandparents, and I’m pretty sure I got in trouble with the troop leaders for not selling enough. Whoops!
 

 
Shortly afterward, my mom decided to start her own troop for four of my friends and me, and we mainly focused on camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. We headed to a rock climbing gym for our first meeting (where I first discovered my minor fear of heights!), kayaking on the lake in the next town over for the second, and excitedly looked forward to Camporee in the spring.

For one of our meetings in between, my mom thought it would be a good change of pace—and help us out with a badge or two!—to teach us table manners and proper dining etiquette. One of the other mothers cooked a four-course dinner, brought it over to our house, and started explaining the different forks, spoons, knives, and glasses once we sat down at the dining table.
 

 
For dessert, that mother planned to let us bake our own chocolate chip cookies so we could enjoy them warm and gooey, fresh from the oven. To save time, she mixed up the dough at home and drove over the big bowl of it along with the rest of the meal. Although we were supposed to simply drop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets once we cleared our dinner dishes, we actually ended up eating more than we baked…

Because that mother had followed an egg-free recipe!
 

 
Even though no childhood feels complete without eating cookie dough straight from the bowl, my adult side says I probably shouldn’t do that so much anymore… Especially if it’s that butter-laden recipe from the Girl Scout dinner date! But because I’m a kid at heart and still obsessed with cookie dough, I created these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites instead. They’re a healthy snack packed with wholesome, good-for-you ingredients—and absolutely no butter or eggs!

In other words… They’re pretty dangerous.
 

 
These energy bites start with two main dry ingredients: coconut flour and protein powder. Coconut flour behaves very differently than any other flour. It’s about 3 times as absorbent, so we only need a few tablespoons. I buy Bob’s Red Mill, which you can find at some regular grocery stores, as well as online.

However, it’s incredibly important to measure the coconut flour correctly using either the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. Because it’s so absorbent, too much will quickly turn your bites dry and crumbly! I highly recommend a kitchen scale. This is the inexpensive one that I own, and it’s worth every penny. I use it to measure ingredients for every recipe that I make for this blog!
 

 
As for the protein powder, this recipe was specifically designed for soy protein isolate. I absolutely adore Bob’s Red Mill, which I buy online here, and I use it to make this protein smoothie every single day! Unlike many other protein powders, it only contains soy protein and no other sweeteners or strange ingredients. It’s also flavorless, so it’s the perfect protein powder for these bites! (And you’ll use it in these recipes of mine, too!)

You may try substituting other plant-based protein powders, but remember that not all protein powders absorb equally! If the mixture seems too dry after stirring together all of the ingredients, add a little more milk. If it seems too wet, add more protein powder or coconut flour. However, do not use whey-based protein powders because the mixture will be too sticky and will refuse to set.
 

 
The energy bites are sweetened with my new favorite ingredient: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! This is the kind that I buy, and it’s sold in a small bottle with an eyedropper. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Don’t forget the best part—the chocolate! You’ll use miniature chocolate chips in these energy bites. If you try substituting regular sized ones, the little spheres will fall apart while rolling and refuse to stick together because they’re just too big. I like to save some to press into the tops of the bites for a cute finishing touch!
 

 
Now who’s ready for some healthy cookie dough??
 

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