Cookie Dough Protein Balls

If you guys know me at all, you know cookie dough anything is my jam. But what's better than cookie dough? Cookie dough with protein. Who doesn't want their favorite treat jam packed with protein, am I right?

What may be even better about this recipe, besides the fact that it's made with cookie dough, is that it's 4 ingredients total. Start to finish. It doesn't get any easier than that! The hardest part will probably be locating the cookie dough in the right place in your grocery store. Aside from that, a 5 year old could put these together!

When I eat Them

These protein balls can be enjoyed any time of day! That's what I love about them. Protein balls are the perfect treat, pick me up, pre workout snack, post workout, etc. Any time of day!

mid morning snack
mid afternoon snack
post lunch dessert
post dinner dessert
late night sweet treat
on the go
pre workout snack
post workout snack

Protein Powder

The protein powder you use in a protein ball recipe is actually really, really important. Trust me when I say, I’ve tried them all and they are not all created equally.

Some get extremely clumpy and/or gritty when you combine them with other ingredients. Some don’t combine seamlessly with the peanut butter, some are chunky, etc. There are a lot of reasons certain protein powders don’t work; not all protein powders are great for baking, but IHM is!

The vanilla protein powder I use for all of my recipes is the best protein powder I’ve ever used. It works well in any recipe I’ve ever tried it in, it doesn’t dry things out, and the flavor is amazing. I could go on, just trust me. I have taken the guess work out of trying tons of powders and brands, because once you try IheartMacros, you’ll never go back.

This powder was created for people who have a hard time digesting protein (many people have a whey protein intolerance without even knowing it) so it’s super easy on your stomach if you’ve ever had issues with that! I have yet to have a single person tell me they didn’t love this protein and that is rare when it comes to protein powders!

You can find it here, and my code is KALE20 which will get you 20% off your purchase! Note - this code cannot be used on subscriptions/reoccurring purchases, so if it pulls up as "invalid", make sure you're not choosing that option!

FAQs

There are a few common questions I get asked every time I share protein balls. I figured I would answer them here to clear up any confusion if you happen to have any of the same questions!

What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

The kind of peanut butter you use really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you use creamy. Chunky doesn't work as well, and you have to really adjust the other ingredients in the recipe to make it come together as well as it does with creamy. The brand is totally up to you, I think I've tried every peanut butter under the sun and they all work just fine!

Can I use Powdered Peanut Butter

I get this question a lot. I get it. If you're a macro counter, using powdered peanut butter saves you a lot of fat macros. However, for the sake of this recipe, use the real deal. Powdered peanut butter is so much less sticky than regular peanut butter, and it really takes a ton of trial and error to get the measurements right when it comes to imitating real peanut butter's consistency. Consistency is key in this recipe coming together, so I just don't recommend it. To me, it's not worth the couple of grams of fat you'd save by using it, and it also increases the carb count substantially.

If I don't have IHeartMacros, can I use any other protein powder?

I'm going to be honest, after years of trial and erroring my way through protein powders, I just recommend purchasing IHM. Especially if you're going to be making more than one of my protein ball recipes, because they all call for that specific protein powder. I don't say that just because I love it, but trust me when I say, no protein powder I've ever tried works as well in as many recipes as IHM does. It's not worth wasting time and effort with using another protein powder, just for the recipe to not turn out right. All that to say, you can try another protein powder, I just can't promise it will turn out nearly as well as it would with IHM!

How do you get the balls to come out so evenly?

Another common question! I know a lot of people like to hand roll their protein balls, but to me it's a huge waste of time. It may look more aesthetically pleasing, but let's be honest, all the protein balls are going to the same place. Your belly doesn't care what shape or form they're in, so save yourself the time and effort and use a cookie dough scoop! Using a cookie dough scoop ensures all the protein balls come out evenly, and it takes the effort out of rolling! I'm linking the cookie dough scoop I use here.

Should I keep these in the refrigerator or at room temp?

I keep mine in the refrigerator! They'll likely go bad pretty quickly if you leave them out, and they're not going to be nearly as firm as they will be if they set up and stay cold in the fridge.

Where Do I Find The Cookie Dough Pieces?

The cookie dough pieces can be found in your grocery store in one of two places. It's either going to be with all the other premade cookie dough, or it will be in the freezer section with the novelty frozen items (like TruFru). I know there are a couple of brands who make this item, so brand is up to you! Whatever you can find will work just fine.

What You'll Need

Nestle Tollhouse Edible Cookie Dough Bites
creamy peanut butter
mini chocolate chips
honey
vanilla protein powder
sea salt (optional)

Recipe