While I worked in an organic chemistry research lab during my undergraduate years in college, the department arranged for our group to shift from our original medium-sized lab space to a much larger one on the other side of the building. As part of the move, they also converted an unused area into a break room for us at the end of the hallway adjacent to the new lab.
When that remodel finished, the professor in charge of our group outfitted the new break room with a full-sized refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker (he brewed at least two pots of coffee each day for himself, and almost all graduate students in the chemistry department depended on similar amounts of caffeine too!), and convection-style toaster oven. He also brought in plenty of shelves for us to store plates, mugs, silverware, and nonperishable food.
Around lunchtime every day, as well as during the late afternoon lull, I always found at least a handful of the grad students in our group sitting around the large table in the break room. With the huge refrigerator, many of them started to bring in home-cooked entrées to reheat, rather than walk across campus to the student-run “restaurant” area to grab a hot meal like pizza, chili, or burritos from one of the dozen food stations.
One day, one of the oldest grad students carried in a package of premade cookie dough and aluminum foil from the grocery store along with his lunch. Partway through the afternoon, he stopped by the break room, tore off a sheet of the foil, and placed one of the balls of cookie dough on top. After his phone timer rang, he pulled open the door of the convection toaster oven and enjoyed a warm cookie full of rich, melty chocolate chips with his afternoon coffee pick-me-up.
What a smart guy!!
During one of my recent afternoon coffee breaks, I remembered what my friend had done, and although I was highly tempted to do the same… I didn’t have the patience to wait for the cookie to bake! So instead, I did the next best thing and whipped up this Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Dough. It tastes just like a cookie dough snuck straight from the bowl, but it’s entirely safe to eat raw (no eggs!) and contains 17g of protein!
Basically… It’s a dream come true for both my sweet tooth and my waistline!
This super easy recipe starts with two important ingredients: peanut flour and protein powder. Peanut flour is made from finely grinding partially defatted peanuts, so it has the same flavor as regular peanut butter but a lot fewer calories! I absolutely love Protein Plus because it only contains roasted peanuts. (I always buy my peanut flour online!) Other brands also add in granulated sugar, which we’re avoiding in this healthy, clean eating recipe.
This recipe was specifically designed for soy protein powder. I’m obsessed with Bob’s Red Mill soy protein powder, and I use it every single day. (It’s especially good in this smoothie and these cookie dough protein bars!) Unlike many other companies that also add refined or artificial ingredients into their protein powders, Bob’s Red Mill only includes one ingredient in that protein powder: soy protein. This makes it entirely clean eating friendly, and because it’s basically flavorless, it’s the perfect backdrop for our cookie dough! (I always buy my soy protein powder online too!)
Note: If you’d like to use a different protein powder, I’ve included the best substitutes in the Notes section underneath the recipe Instructions.
To sweeten your protein-packed cookie dough, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you’ll only need a generous ¼ teaspoon for this entire recipe! I prefer SweetLeaf because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like some other stevia products have. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, and I also purchase it online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
As a chocoholic (it’s why I wrote my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!), the best part of the cookie dough is the chocolate chips! I always use mini chocolate chips because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains a morsel of chocolate… Which is basically a necessity if you love chocolate as much as I do! I’m obsessed with Ghirardelli’s mini chips because they have a wonderfully rich flavor. And if you use warm milk to mix up this cookie dough, they’ll start to melt when you stir them in. You have to try that—it truly makes this cookie dough that much more irresistible!
Total and complete 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 that I’ll see the notification from you! ?) I’d love to see your cookie dough and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Dough | Print |
- 3 tbsp (22g) peanut flour (measured like this)
- 1 tbsp (5g) soy protein powder (measured like this)
- itty bitty pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- ¼ − ⅜ tsp vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- 1 tsp miniature chocolate chips
- Whisk together the peanut flour, protein powder, and salt in a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk and stevia. Stir until fully incorporated. (The mixture may look crumbly!) Fold in the chocolate chips. Using a spatula or the back of a fork, gently press down on the mixture until it sticks together. Serve immediately.
This recipe was specifically designed for this soy protein isolate (powder). Most protein powders behave differently, especially when it comes to absorbing moisture. If you substitute a different plant-based protein powder, you may need to add more protein powder if the dough is too wet OR more milk if the dough is too dry. Do not substitute whey-based protein powder; the cookie dough will be a sticky, gooey mess. For more information on protein powder substitutes, see my Protein Powder FAQ page.
I absolutely love this peanut flour, and it's the only one that I use. PB2 may be substituted, but you may need to adjust the amount of milk since it doesn’t absorb the same amount of liquid.
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 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
I highly recommend using really warm milk! If you use the chocolate chips linked to in the Ingredients list, they’ll start to melt a little when you mix them in. That really takes this cookie dough over the top!
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, low sugar, high protein}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie Dough
♥ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites
♥ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars
♥ Fudgy Brownie Batter Protein Bars
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Bars
♥ Brownie Batter Protein Bites
Could you please sign me up for your emails.
I have trouble with Gmail because of my school account.
It wants me sign in for school account and not home account.
Thanks for any thing you can do.
Can’t wait to make your brownie recipe.
I really appreciate that you want to receive my emails Nancy! To do so, click here and type in the email address where you’d like to receive my emails. Enter in the captcha letters, then click “Complete Subscription Request.” You should receive an email from FeedBurner soon after (that’s the service that delivers my emails to you!). If you don’t see it, check your spam folder. Once you click on the link in that email from FeedBurner, you’ll be all set! 🙂
Thank you for the time you spent.
It still goes to my school account–I have one messed up Kindle.
I will just go through the web to see your new postings.
Thank you for sharing your recipe on Andie’s blog because that’s how I found you.
That’s so strange Nancy! Is the email address you included with your comment (the AOL one) the email address where you’d like to receive my email updates?
Yes the aol account is my home address but when I put it into your
Subscribe box my school Gmail box comes up. Even the link you sent.
I don’t know why this happens but then I have the kids at school help me with my Kindle–I’m not very good at this stuff.
Thank you for responding.
You’re welcome Nancy! I just entered your email address into the subscription service on my end. Please check your AOL inbox to look for that verification email from FeedBurner. Hopefully it works! 🙂
Hi Amy, I just read on Huffington Post to stay away from soy protein isolate, which is the most highly processed form of soy. Lots of mainstream protein powders are packed with sucralose, aspartame, and crazy artificial colors. What is your opinion about it?
I’m honored that you’d ask Mita! I’ve spoken with my doctors about soy, and they say it’s perfectly safe to consume (as long as you don’t have an allergy or something like that!). The soy protein powder that I use (and link to!) in this recipe only contains soy protein isolate — no sucralose, aspartame, or artificial colors/ingredients. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this cookie dough!