These Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls taste so much like you’re eating cookie dough you’ll be transported back to licking the spoon as a kid. 🥹 It's a simple no-bake recipe and adding some protein powder I like to make a batch, store them in the freezer, and microwave one for about 20-30 seconds for a gooey snack! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review "Literally exactly what I was looking for! I just started working out more and I'm trying to do more protein but I don't really like protein shakes so this was perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!" -Kim
As a dietitian, I love that these chocolate chip cookie dough bites are made with nutritious ingredients, but taste like regular cookie dough (and without the raw eggs). 😊 The perfect treat with nearly 5 grams of protein in every ball, and a delicious recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth without going overboard on refined sugar.
If you like this protein cookie dough recipe, you may also enjoy my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Balls, Chickpea Cookie Dough with Banana, Date Banana Protein Smoothie, or Frozen Greek Yogurt Bites.
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What Works About This Recipe
- Easy - This recipe is as easy as mixing a few ingredients and forming it into balls. You don’t even have to bake them or pull out a food processor.
- Nutrition - Compared to regular cookie dough, these have less sugar and extra protein to help you meet those protein goals. They also contain complex carbohydrates with dietary fiber for gut health and healthy fats to support brain health and hormone health.
- Meal Prep - Great to prep at the start of the week and enjoy when a sweet craving strikes.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
These protein cookie dough bites are made with simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Check the recipe card at the bottom for measurements.
- Oat Flour - oat flour is perfect for no-bake recipes like this because it's safe to eat raw and adds great texture. Nutritionally, it adds fiber and is higher in protein than other flours.
- Vanilla Protein Powder - use your favorite protein powder based on taste because it will make or break these cookie dough balls! I prefer to use plant-based protein powder, but you could also use whey protein powder.
- Pure Maple Syrup - A small amount of maple syrup adds some extra sweetness with natural sugars. Feel free to substitute with honey or agave syrup.
- Nut Butter - I prefer to use either natural peanut butter or almond butter. Natural nut butter has a more runny consistency and I find they mix easier into no-bake snacks like this edible cookie dough. Justins or MaraNatha are my go-to brands. You could substitute with cashew butter. Or for a nut-free option, use sunflower butter.
- Milk - Just a small amount milk is needed. I use sweetened vanilla almond milk, but you can substitute with any kind of plant-based milk or regular milk.
- Mini Chocolate Chips - I use mini chocolate chips for this recipe so that I get a little chocolate in every bite. Dark chocolate or semi-sweet work. I'm a big dark chocolate fan so that's what I use!
- Vanilla Extract- vanilla extract amps up the sweet flavor and ties everything together.
- Optional: Sea salt - A pinch of sea salt is optional, but I find it enhances the flavor.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Below are the directions for how to make this easy recipe with photos that I hope are helpful! Check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including almond flour, protein powder, chocolate chips and sea salt.
Step 2: Add in the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, milk, nut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine until it forms a dough-like consistency.
Step 3: Shape about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into a ball using your hands or a cookie dough scoop. Place each ball on the parchment lined baking sheet. There will be about 12 balls. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the dough off the sides of the bowl.
Step 4: For best results, refrigerate the balls for about 10-15 minutes before eating. This will help give them more of a raw cookie dough consistency.
Hint: Wet your hands before shaping these cookie dough bites - it will help them be less sticky and easier to form into balls! I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.
Dietitian Tip
One of the best ways to ensure you fill your day with nutrient-rich foods is to have them prepped and ready! By keeping these satisfying cookie dough bites in your fridge or freezer, you give yourself a good option to have on hand for when you get a sweet tooth.
Variations for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
The best part about this no bake snack is that you can easily customize them with different flavor combinations to your taste. Below are a few ideas for variations.
- Monster Cookie Protein Balls - use a combo of m&ms and chocolate chips and double up on the peanut butter to give these more of a monster cookie flavor.
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Balls - give this protein ball recipe a snickerdoodle flare by adding ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the rest of the ingredients and topping them with a cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Peanut Butter Balls - amp up the peanut butter flavor by using 2-3 tablespoon of peanut butter and replacing chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Energy Bites - in the fall, I love adding pure pumpkin puree to make these pumpkin chocolate chip protein balls!
Storage for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer - store in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the protein balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or microwave 20-30 seconds. You can eat them at room temperature, cold, heated, or even frozen.
Expert Tips
- Wet your hands before shaping them into balls. This will help prevent them from sticking to your hands.
- Be sure to use a protein powder that you like the taste of.
- Double up on these and freeze half of them to have a healthy snack on hand for busier weeks.
FAQs
While healthy means something different to everyone, these protein cookie dough balls are a nutrient-rich option. They contain protein to keep you full longer than a typical cookie and heart-healthy fats from the nut butter that supports brain health and hormone health. Almond flour provides fiber for gut health and antioxidants. From a nutrition standpoint, these are a healthier alternative compared to regular cookie dough or cookies. They contain less added sugars and saturated fat than regular cookie dough are also higher in heart-healthy fats and fiber.
If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, there are many great-tasting vanilla protein powders on the market with minimal or no added sugars. Some brands of protein powder that I like are Orgain or Truvani. You can also use collagen powder.
Yes, absolutely! To make them into bars, simply shape the dough into a square which can be easily done in a bread pan or on a baking sheet. Then, refrigerate it for about 20-30 minutes and cut it into bars.
Related
Looking for other dietitian recipes like this? Try these:
Perfect for Pairing
Here are some of my favorite recipes to pair with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram. Your reviews help support me and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love. 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls
Equipment
- cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini dark chocolate chips
- pinch of sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including almond flour, protein powder, chocolate chips, and sea salt.
- Add in the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, almond milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine until it forms a dough-like consistency.
- Shape about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into a ball using your hands or a cookie dough scoop. Place each ball on the parchment lined baking sheet. There will be about 12 balls. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the dough off the sides of the bowl.
- For best results, refrigerate the balls for about 10-15 minutes before eating. This will help give them more of a raw cookie dough consistency.
- Hint: Wet your hands before shaping these cookie dough bites...it will help them be less sticky and easier to form into balls! I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.
Notes
- Wet your hands before shaping them into balls. This will help prevent them from sticking to your hands.
- Be sure to use a protein powder that you like the taste of.
- Double up on these and freeze half of them to have a healthy snack on hand for busier weeks.
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer - store in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the protein balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Kim
Literally exactly what I was looking for! I just started working out more and I'm trying to do more protein but I don't really like protein shakes so this was perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!
shawnna
ah-mazing! this dessert spoke to
my soul 😍 it’s easy, has protein, and most importantly, hits the spot. plus on the healthier side of desserts so you
can enjoy without all the guilt. a must try. more of these please mallory!
Mallory
Hi Shawnna,
Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review, it truly means SO much to me! 🙂 It makes me so happy you loved this recipe!!! I am working on a pumpkin spice version with you in mind my sweet friend. Let me know if there are any other kinds of recipes you want me to share, I love getting ideas from my readers -- especially my favorite taste-tester! 🤎
Have a great day,
Mal
Brigitte
Hello, these sound great and I will try them. Would you know the calories per serving and protein per serving. Just looking for the nutrition content. I see it's missing on some of the recipes. Thanks
Mallory
Hi Brigitte! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment! I went ahead and added the nutrition info for you to the recipe card! Sometimes I don't add it if it varies depending on what brand of ingredient you use (for example, it depends on which vanilla protein powder you choose to use for this one) but I did the nutrition info using Orgain! I hope that helps! ❤️ -Mallory