Delicious Toll House Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe!

By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified trainer, USATF-, RRCA-certified running coach

If you want to know how to make protein cookies, there are so many different recipes and conflicting advice online. As a trainer and lover of old-school, homemade cookies, I have to say a lot of the recipes look pretty unappetizing. Raw sugar-free cookies with bananas? No thanks! Honestly, if I am making protein cookies, I want them to taste like cookies, otherwise, I’d just eat oatmeal and fruit. I did a lot of research and trial of recipes for this article and am excited to share my findings.

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I am including the best methods I’ve found on how to make protein cookies that you can use with any of your favorite cookie recipes. I’m also sharing my own recipe for Toll House Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies that are so tasty, you’ll have trouble not eating them all. Of course, they are still a snack and dessert, but with the protein boost, they’re more filling than regular cookies and a lot cheaper and healthier than many that you’ll find at the store, with huge lists of ingredients, additives, and chemicals.

How to Make Protein Cookies: Using Protein Powder

The key when you are learning how to make protein cookies is protein powder. I used whey protein for my cookies, in a plain variety with no additives. I recommend using plain or vanilla whey. If you want double chocolate chip cookies, you can use chocolate protein powder.

Whey protein is derived from dairy (check out my article on whey protein for more on the benefits and components of whey protein), and it is an easy-to-absorb, complete protein that your body can use to maintain and repair muscles. Note, if you are lactose intolerant, do not use whey protein. There are also many vegan protein options available.

Protein powder offers many benefits, helping you recover faster from workouts, maintain lean muscle, prevent loss of muscle that occurs with aging, and also makes you feel more full than just carbs or fats. So homemade protein cookies are a tasty way to get a protein-rich snack without a lot of junk and additives that are often in store-bought protein cookies.

Substituting Protein Powder for Flour

When you’re making protein cookies, you can substitute protein powder for some of the flour in your favorite cookie recipes. Protein powder does not have the exact consistency of flour so you have to be careful not to use too much and take measures to make sure your cookies remain moist. A good rule of thumb is to substitute one-fourth of the flour in a cookie recipe with protein powder. If you add more protein powder than this, you run the risk of having dry, chalky cookies.

In this chocolate chip protein cookie recipe, I took the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe - one of my favorites growing up - and substituted whey protein powder for part of the flour in the recipe. I also used dark chocolate chips as dark chocolate has more health benefits - and tastes better to me - than regular chocolate. Otherwise, I kept the original recipe and the cookies taste so good, you don't even know they’re protein cookies. I used plain whey powder with no additives or flavors and this helped to keep the protein virtually tasteless.

Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup protein powder (plain or vanilla)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Warm butter to soften.
Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips.
Add chocolate chips and mix.
Put spoonfuls of batter in rounded mounds on an ungreased baking sheet (use about a tabelspoon of cookie dough to make one cookie). I recommend using parchment paper.
Cook for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool slightly and enjoy!
Makes about 24 medium-sized cookies.

Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze these treats by placing them in zip-lock bags in your freezer to enjoy later. These make a great on-the-go snack after workouts.

Modifications

Adding oats gives you more fiber and whole grains for oatmeal protein cookies. Add one half cup of oats to your cookie dough for oatmeal protein chocolate chip cookies.

For more chewy cookies, add more brown sugar. If you prefercrispy cookies, use morewhite sugar. Another sweetener option is to use maple syrup or honey for a healthier alternative to sugar.

For an even bigger boost of protein, you can add 1/2 cup of peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter to this recipe to make nut butter chocolate chip cookies. Note, you can also increase the amount of protein powder for an extra amount of protein, but do not remove the flour completely as it helps keep the cookies moist and congealed.

Protein Cookies Substitutions

If you are vegan, you can substitute items in this recipe and use an egg substitute such as corn starch instead of eggs, vegan butter instead of regular butter, and use vegan protein powder such as pea protein powder instead of whey protein. If you're vegan, you can use plant-based protein powder. These high protein cookies can be made with plain, chocolate or vanilla protein powder.

If you want to make gluten-free protein cookies, instead of all-purpose flour, you can use oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour. For sugar-free cookies, you can use ripe bananas instead of sugar.

Protein-Rich Snacks

Having protein-rich snacks helps you stay full, prevents hanger, and improves workouts recovery. In general, I (and most trainers) recommend having 20 to 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of hard workouts for optimal muscle recovery and building. A good way to get in more protein with these cookies is to have them with milk - regular, almond, or oat- and grab a handful of nuts for even more of a protein boost.

Here are some protein-rich snack foods to add to your healthy eating plan:

Greek yogurt
Nuts
Hard-boiled eggs
Chia seeds (great on top of smoothies, in yogurt, or in pudding)
Cottage cheese
Quinoa
Hummus
Protein smoothies (Check out my protein smoothie recipes for suggestions)

Let me know if you try these protein cookies or make your own using the 20 percent substitution rule to add your protein powder. Tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your healthy eats and training and get cheered on. Happy eating to you.😊

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.

How to Make Protein Cookies Plus Recipe