I couldn’t resist just one more Christmas cookie post.
I don’t like using the term “guilt free” because I don’t think we should ever feel guilty about the food we eat or don’t eat. It’s just a choice and not one that should continue to lurk in our mind and emotions long after it’s been digested. So this is a “goodness” cookie NOT a “guiltless” cookie.
It has protein and health fats, no gluten, grains, or added sugar. Whey is a milk protein so this is not technically dairy free, but does not contain the casein protein that is most inflammatory to most people. Read my notes at the end of the recipe about choosing protein powders and using them in baking. *
You can absolutely feel GOOD about this choice this holiday season!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Coconut Oil, cold ( vegan butter substitute or real butter)
- 1 cup Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute
- 3 cups Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 scoops IDLife Vanilla Whey Protein*
- 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
- Optional – 4 tbs Swerve Confectioners Sugar Substitute
Instructions:
- Combine the Swerve brown “sugar” and almond flour in a food processor. Ad the cold coconut oil, pulsing until just mixture is crumbly.
- Add almond milk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until combined.
- Add protein powder and pecans. Pulse until combined.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove from refrigerator and kneed dough into a smooth ball.. Then form dough into small balls (I use a cookie scoop so they are uniform in size). Place on cookie sheet and flatten until about 1/2” thick.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then increase oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 5 minutes or until edges are slightly browned (a lighter cookie will turn out more chewy, the more brown the more crunchy they will be).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Optional to dust the tops with Swerve Confectioners Sweetener.
*Every protein powder will bake differently based on size of the scoop, type of protein, and other ingredients it contains. If you use a different product you will need to experiment with the ratios in this recipe..
For example, mine also contains chia seeds which helps thicken and hold the dough together. It is the absolute best protein I have found to use in my baking for this reason.
If using another protein product, I suggest using a high quality whey protein and use the equivalent to 50 grams of powder. What does high quality mean? Look for grass fed, cold filtered, 100% whey.
Want to try mine? You can find it at the link below⬇⬇⬇
