Partway through 4th 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??
| Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites | | Print |
- 6 tbsp (42g) coconut flour (measured like this)
- 6 tbsp (30g) soy protein isolate (I love Bob’s Red Mill)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
- ¾ cup (180mL) unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) miniature chocolate chips
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, soy protein, and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cashew milk, and stevia. Pour the cashew milk mixture into the coconut flour mixture, and stir until just incorporated. Mix in half of the chocolate chips. Chill the mixture for 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully shape the mixture into spheres, and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the bites. Transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate.
Any milk may be substituted for the cashew milk.
Any sweetener may be substituted in place of the vanilla crème stevia. However, you may need to adjust the amount of coconut flour or soy protein if the dough is too wet OR more milk if the dough is too dry. You’ll need the equivalent of ½ cup of granulated sugar.
If you prefer to make bars instead of bites, line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper (see the photos in this blog post). Skip the 15-20 minutes of chilling in Step 2, and press the mixture into the lined pan. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top, and chill for at least 3 hours before slicing into 6 bars.
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}
Protein bites are my favorite, and these look amazing as usual!! If I use vegan vanilla protein powder, could I just adjust the milk/protein powder level as needed?
Can’t wait to make these <3
Yes, you’ll most likely need to tweak the amounts of ingredients if substituting your different protein powder. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the bites Marina!
You are 100% correct in saying these are dangerous…. cookie dough is one of my weaknesses! So good 🙂
So glad I’m not the only one Melissa! 😉
I totally emphasize with your thin mint story. Back in high school, we had to sell Little Debbie snack cakes, and it was such a struggle. I’m impressed that you managed to make protein powder and coconut flour into cookies, and they’re so cute!
Thanks Elaine! I loved Little Debbie snack cakes as a tiny girl… I probably would’ve been tempted to eat them all instead of selling them! 😉
These sound and look fabulous, but I can’t use anything coconut. Would a substitution be possible?
I’ve been running into this issue a lot as I search for healthier treats to make for myself and my children.
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 bites if you try them!
Can I use an egg protien? I can’t have soy or whey.
I’ve never worked with egg protein before and can’t predict or guarantee the results. I’d love to hear what happens if you do try the recipe Lori!
Can I use skim or soy milk? I’m not a fan of cashew milk!
Yes! I actually answered that already in the Notes section beneath the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the protein bites Jessica!
Can they be made workout any type of protein powder
What alterations to tge recipe will be required
I address this in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the protein bites if you try them Aaron!
I bought rice protien as I can’t have peas. Will rice protien be okay to use?
Yes, it should be okay Lori! You may need to slightly tweak the amount of liquid and/or protein powder, as I mention in the Notes section, but the bites should still set. 🙂 I’m excited to hear how they turn out!
Although these don’t taste like chocolate chip cookie dough to me, they are absolutely yummy. The coconut flavor comes through too much to taste like cookie dough. I’m reminded of an Almond Joy or Mounds bar instead, which i love! In fact, I may experiment with added shredded coconut and almonds.
Directions are excellent and easy to follow. I really appreciate the tips on protein powder types.
I’ll be making these often! They perfectly suit my needs for a nutritious tasty sweet snack. Thank you, Amy!
I forgot to add that these also remind me of cannoli filling. I might try adding some almonds and making it a little more moist to use in cannoli. My Sicilian family prefers using cream puffs for cannoli over the crunchy tubes. Any ideas on how to make healthier crwam puffs? Or, for that matter, cannoli tubes?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the protein bites Sue, and that means a lot to me that you found the recipe and protein powder tips so helpful! 🙂 I’d love to hear how they turn out when you add shredded coconut and almonds — that sounds so fun! And I actually have cream puffs on my list of recipes I’d like to “healthify,” so hopefully I’m able to do that sometime soon!
Sorry Amy, but I didn’t like the first version. I realized I don’t like stevia. So instead I used vanilla agave syrup and added more chocolate chips. I think the recipe can be tweaked for nutritional goals and taste preferences. Worth experimenting with
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Marisa, and I’m so glad you were able to find a sweetener that you enjoyed and modify the recipe to make it work! 🙂