Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

4.48 from 17 votes
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These delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookies pack in 14g protein per cookie. They’re gluten-free, grain-free, and made with your favorite protein powder.

Oh, did we mention that the chocolate + peanut butter combo really makes these the BEST protein cookies on the internet?!

protein cookies stacked
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We published this recipe back in 2014 and it’s still my favorite protein cookie EVER. I currently a bag of frozen ones in my freezer at both my house and the Fit Foodie studio! They’re chocolate-y, chewy and pack 14g of protein PER COOKIE. Homemade nut butter-based protein cookies are the best thing that ever happened to the internet and that’s a fact.

Our Favorite Protein Cookies

Today we’re teaching you how to make the most delicious chocolate protein cookies made with just 6 ingredients. AND, they are just under 300 calories each with a whopping 14g protein per cookie, making them a great post-workout snack or anytime sweet treat. Let me repeat:

  • 6 Ingredients
  • 14g protein/cookie
  • Oh so delicious!

This protein cookie recipe is actually a spin-off recipe of our Grain-Free Protein Peanut Butter Cookies, but we decided to use slightly less sugar and add in that chocolate-y goodness. Don’t skip the flakey sea salt on the top — you can’t beat that salty, sweet combo 😉

Collage showing the cookie-making process: ingredients, mixing, shaping dough on a tray, unbaked cookies, baked cookies, and a hand holding a finished cookie with salt.

Chocolate Protein Cookies Ingredients

As mentioned above, the basis of these protein cookies is nut butter. The fat and creaminess in the peanut butter is really what makes them soft and chewy and the eggs allow you to omit any kind of flour. Here’s what you need:

All-Natural Peanut Butter: make sure that you use all-natural, drippy peanut butter. Our favorite brands include 365, Smuckers, and the Fresh Thyme brand. Can’t have peanut butter? No worries! These cookies will work with any drippy nut butter such as cashew or almond butter.

Can I swap the peanut butter for something lower in fat?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I repeat, do NOT swap the nut butter for something such as peanut flour or almond flour. The nut butter and the oil in it are the basis of this recipe and you absolutely CANNOT omit it or these cookies wont work.

Brown Sugar: we love the flavor of brown sugar, but if you prefer coconut sugar for whatever reason, we’ve tested this and it works just great.

Cocoa Powder: make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder so that there is no added sugar!

Eggs: The eggs in this recipe not only add protein but also act as a bind for your cookies. If you’re looking to omit or swap the eggs, I suggest finding a whole different recipe that is made without eggs altogether!

Check out some of our favorite vegan cookies: (vegan peanut butter banana cookies and oatmeal banana cookies).

Protein Powder: We’ve made this recipe with both a plant-based protein powder as well as a whey protein powder and they both work.

Our recommendation? Whey protein powder takes the gold medal here because it leaves your protein cookies with the best texture. We’re specifically loving Simply Tera’s Chocolate Whey Protein — it’s not chalky at all and you can’t taste the stevia.

Best Protein Powders

Check out our top protein powder recommendations for baking, smoothies, and everything in between.

A glass bowl filled with thick, chocolate cookie dough and a gray spatula resting inside.

More on Protein Powder

I thought I’d take a second to chat all things protein powder. We’ve done an extensive protein powder review on Fit Foodie Finds and I don’t want you to miss it! Protein powder is such a great way to amp up your protein intake if you find yourself not able to eat enough during the day.

That’s why YOU NEED to make these protein powder cookies ASAP.

remember…

Make sure you like the taste of the protein powder you are using as well as how sweet it is because it can definitely change the taste of your chocolate peanut butter protein cookies.

Close-up of a chocolate cookie with a bite taken out, topped with chocolate chips, resting on parchment paper.

Protein Cookies Storage

Protein cookies will stay best stored in the refrigerator or freezer, but will also last up to 3-5 days in a cool, dark place.

Let your protein powder cookies cool completely and then transfer them into an airtight container.

Freezer Directions

If you want to keep these cookies on-hand at all times, I highly recommend storing these in the freezer. That’s what I do, at least.

Place your cooled chocolate protein cookies on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for one hour. After they’ve hardened, transfer them to a freezer-safe gallon-size bag for later.

These cookies should last up to 3 months in the freezer.

garden of life whey protein powder.

5 Stars

Garden of Life Whey Protein Powder

21g protein // 2g sugar// 120 calories// $2.50 per serving// gluten-free// non GMO // grass-fed // organic

A hand holds a large chocolate cookie sprinkled with sea salt and chocolate chips on a white background.
4.48 from 17 votes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookies are an OG Fit Foodie recipe! They're made with minimal ingredients and have 14g of protein in them.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 21 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cup drippy, all-natural creamy peanut butter*
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, or coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup chocolate whey protein powder*, we recommend Simply Tera's
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips
  • optional: flakey sea salt

Instructions 

  • First, preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a baking sheet with coconut oil cooking spray.
  • Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine. The consistency should be similar to cookie dough. It should NOT be crumbly and if it is, this is a sign your peanut butter is not drippy enough and we recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil.
    A glass bowl filled with thick, chocolate cookie dough and a gray spatula resting inside.
  • Spoon out 3 tablespoons of dough into your palms and roll into a ball. Flatten cookie dough between your palms, creating a cookie shape and place it on a baking sheet. Note that your cookies won't expand a lot, so flattening is important.
    A person shaping a ball of dark brown dough in their hands against a neutral background.
  • If desired, place mini chocolate chips on top of each cookie.
    A hand presses down on a round chocolate cookie dough piece on a baking sheet.
  • Bake chocolate peanut butter protein cookies at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes.
    Unbaked chocolate cookies arranged on a baking sheet, topped with chocolate chips.
  • Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan so that the protein cookies can set. If you remove them too soon, they may break in half. Top with flakey sea salt.
    A baking sheet with eight large chocolate cookies, some topped with chocolate chips.

Tips & Notes

  • This recipe was updated on November 6, 2024.
  • Peanut butter: make sure that you use a drippy, all-natural peanut butter such as Smuckers, 365 or Kirkland.
  • Protein Powder: for this recipe, we recommend whey protein. Our favorite is Simply Tera’s Whey Chocolate. We HAVE tested this with plant-based protein powder, but we much prefer the texture whey gives these cookies.
  • Nutrition information is without mini chocolate chips. the protein per cookie will vary based on the protein powder you choose to use.

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”6o16RCEi” upload-date=”2020-04-15T17:18:44.000Z” name=”Chocolate Protein Cookies” description=”Have your cookies and protein too with our favorite Chocolate Protein Cookies. These delicious chocolate peanut butter protein cookies are gluten free, grain free, and made with your favorite protein powder. Bonus! They are under 200 calories and you get 10g protein per cookie.”]

Nutrition

Calories: 291 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 14 g, Fat: 18 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 17 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Aubin
Aubin
December 4, 2024 3:29 pm

Pretty solid cookie and a good way to sneak in some extra protein! Consistency was similar to a muffin top for me vs a cookie, but overall really good!

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Manjiri Satarkar
Manjiri Satarkar
August 8, 2023 8:35 pm

5 stars
I added 2 spoons of jaggery instead of coconut sugar. And 1/4 cup oats too !

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Angel
Angel
April 25, 2022 9:02 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Damn! I made these, and I ate them all!
I used Mutant Mass Protein Powder in strawberry banana flavour, with crunchy peanut butter, brown sugar and 2 eggs.
Mixed and got 5 circles ~ boom bam bing! I smoked a ding! And then the timers went โ€˜bing!โ€™

All gone, but damn! Thank you for this idea ๐Ÿ™Š

E7107C6A-BB81-46DA-9949-CF5A66430671.jpeg
chelsea
chelsea
November 30, 2022 5:47 pm
Reply to  Angel

5 stars
HA this is the best comment I love it so much!!!! also made this smoked no ding but boom bam bing they were gone

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