Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

These chocolate chip protein cookies are buttery, lightly sweet, packed with 10 grams of protein each, and just enough chocolate chips. They taste like soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies first, and protein cookies second!

Why this recipe works

Most protein cookies rely on nut butter for structure and protein content. These use protein powder instead, so the flavor stays closer to a classic chocolate chip cookie.

Since protein powder can make cookies dry and chalky easily, this recipe uses finely ground oat flour, melted butter, eggs, and just enough sugar to keep the cookies soft and chewy.

The key is pulling them from the oven before they look fully baked so they don’t dry out. When the tops are still pale and the edges are just beginning to brown, take them out, and they’ll finish setting as they cool.

Recipe ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these protein cookies. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

• Oat flour: Provides structure, adds some lightly sweet flavor and density to the cookies by helping them retain moisture better. I prefer to use finely ground and sifted store-bought oat flour here to avoid any added texture, but you can grind old fashioned oats in the blender then sift out any larger pieces. If necessary, be sure your oat flour and/or oats are gluten free, like from nuts dot com or Gold Medal brand.
• Protein powder: Whey protein isolate is a flavorless, nearly-pure form of casein, or milk protein, and is the type of protein that is best for muscle growth (source). It absorbs a lot of moisture, though, so it tends to dry out baked goods.
• Sugars: A combination of white and light brown sugars adds sweetness, some depth of flavor, and helps lock in moisture.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, moisture, and when melted first, adds some pleasant denseness to the cookies.
• Eggs: Bind the dry ingredients together and help create structure so the cookies hold their shape as they cool.
• Chocolate chips: Add rich chocolate flavor and texture to the cookies. You can use any flavor of chip, or chopped semi-soft nuts like pecans or walnuts.

How to make chocolate chip protein cookies (step by step photos)

Here’s a visual overview of how to make these cookies, including the reason behind each instruction:

Mix dry ingredients
Whisk together the oat flour, protein powder, white and brown sugars, baking soda, and salt so there are no pockets of leaveners or salt, and everything is mixed evenly. Break up any lumps in the brown sugar, which tends to clump.

Add in wet ingredients
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, place melted butter and beaten eggs in it, and mix until combined into a thick dough. This helps contain the liquids so there’s no mess, and brings everything together evenly and quickly without overmixing and creating a stringy, tough batter.

Add chocolate chips
Add most of the chocolate chips and mix in until they’re evenly distributed so each cookie has some chips. Reserve some to add to the top of the portions.

Scoop portions
Use a medium spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two spoons to create portions about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, weighing about 2 1/4 ounces. Evenly sized portions bake evenly and are all done at the same time.

Roll dough
Roll each portion of dough into a round between your palms so your cookies have smooth tops and bake into properly shaped rounds. Press some of the reserved chocolate chips into the top of each ball so you can see the chips after baking.

Bake cookies
Bake at 325°F for about 9 minutes, or just until the cookies are almost fully set in the center, but have only visibly browned around the edges. The longer the cookies bake, the more moisture bakes off and the more dry they’ll taste.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

To replace the butter in these cookies, try using block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko’s brand. In place of whey protein isolate, try using collagen peptides Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides and Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides. You can also try using your favorite flavored protein powder, like I like Vega essentials chocolate flavor protein powder like I use in our homemade protein bars. Those protein powders have other added ingredients, though, so it will have more of an effect on the outcome. If you’d like a different kind of dairy free protein-rich snack, try a batch of our protein balls, which have 6 grams of protein each without protein powder.

Oat free

If you can’t have oats at all, you can try grinding quinoa flakes to use in their place or another substitute for oats. You can also try superfinely ground and sifted almond flour in its place like Blue Diamond or Wellbee’s brand.

Egg free

In place of the two eggs in these cookies, try two “chia eggs” (2 tablespoons ground white chia seeds + 4 tablespoons lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel), Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg liquid refrigerated egg replacer.

Can you use sugar alternatives?

You can try using Lakanto brand sugar alternatives, but since sugar locks in moisture and alternatives tend to dry out baked goods, your cookies will end up much more dry.

Storage instructions

Store in a sealed container at room temperature for about 5 days. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe zip top bag for about 3 months. Let frozen cookies defrost briefly so the chips aren’t too hard to bite.