Make healthy cookie dough protein bites with chickpea based cookie dough and melted dark chocolate. You’ll love having these on hand for a sweet treat.
I don’t know if this happens to all pregnant women, but I have been craving sweet treats like crazy! As you know, I take a balanced approach to health so definitely indulge from time to time but I also like to enjoy upgraded versions of classic treats! For example, I love cookie dough, but why not improve a few ingredients and make healthy chocolate chip cookie dough bites?!
Rather than eating raw cookie dough (which I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing while pregnant!) that’s loaded with sugar and raw eggs, I whipped up these cookie dough bites with a base of chickpeas and protein powder. We’re basically making a delicious and dessert-inspired treat, but turning it into a filling and delicious snack you can feel good about enjoying.
This recipe is so simple and comes together in a matter of minutes! The only kitchen tool you need is a large food processor.
The base of these balls started with my protein cookie dough recipe. To start, add the chickpeas to the food processor and process until they start to smooth out. If needed, you can use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure all of the chickpeas are blended! Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the mixture forms a ball of dough. Use your spatula to separate the dough a bit, add in the chocolate chips and then pulse a few times so the chocolate chips get dispersed throughout the dough. Once the dough is mixed, remove from the processor.
Roll the dough into bite sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
In the meantime, melt the chocolate using a double boiler or by placing the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave for 30 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted. Use a fork to dip each chilled cookie dough bite into the melted chocolate.
Let the excess chocolate drip off before putting the balls back on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for a delicious snack!
If you make these cookie dough bites be sure to leave a comment and star rating letting me know how they turned out for you! You reviews are so helpful for the EBF team and other readers.
Make healthy cookie dough protein bites with chickpea based cookie dough and melted dark chocolate. You’ll love having these on hand for a sweet treat.
¾ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed)
3 teaspoons coconut oil
Instructions
Add chickpeas to a large food processor and process until they start to smooth out. You may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides.
Add remaining ingredients protein powder, nut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, sea salt and process until a ball of dough forms.
Use a rubber spatula to separate the dough a bit, add chocolate chips and pulse 2-3 times or until chocolate chips get dispersed in the dough.
Remove dough from the processor.
Roll the dough (using a heaping ½ Tablespoon) into balls and place on a small parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Melt chocolate using a double boiler or by placing chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, stir and heat in 30 second increments until chocolate is fully melted. Use a fork to dip each cookie dough bite into the melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off before placing back on parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge or freezer to set chocolate before enjoying.
Store leftover protein bites in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Category:Snack
Method:No Bake
Cuisine:American
Nutrition
Serving Size:1 ball
Calories:111
Sugar:6g
Sodium:16mg
Fat:4g
Carbohydrates:15g
Fiber:3g
Protein:5g
Keywords: cookie dough protein bites
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I used them to serve as a healthy appetizer to some friends.
I loved how easy the recipe was. I had to admit I changed one ingredient: the protein powder. I didn’t have any, so I used collagen instead. That’s probably why the consistency wasn’t dry enough to roll with hands, but with some utensils y was able to do “balls”. Shape didn’t matter, they were delicious!
I never comment on recipes BUT thus is the best chickpea cookie do recipe I’ve ever had! I will be mentioning on my own blog if that’s ok! I am going to take pictures of them today. Great job Brittany 🙂
These are so delicious!!! I’ve made them 3 times in the past month. I use tahini instead of almond butter and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. They seriously don’t taste “healthy” at all!
Definitely delicious. Had to tweak though. The first time I made it it was way too dry so next time I added more nut butter and even some water to make it more dough like. I want to use some PB fit and reg nut butter next time to try and lower the calories. Not sure how youget 28 balls. With the consistency I was getting I had to make them bigger so they’d stick. If your consistency isn’t dough like just add more nut butter or water.
Love these though. They’re good at curbing my sweet tooth and satiating me while I’m studying.
Sorry to hear you had issues with them being dry! Did you used canned chickpeas? It definitely could have been because of your nut butter. Some nut butters are harder and dryer, in which case adding extra water should help. I’m glad you enjoyed these overall!
YUM!!! Made these tonight. I was craving a little sweet but feeling too guilty about hitting the Oreo pack! Had to add a little extra almond butter to get the dough to stick but everything else was exactly as written. Thank you! Delicious! Oreo disaster averted.
Ahh yay!! So glad you enjoyed these cookie dough bites, Ian. Thanks for giving my recipe a try and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
i just tried making these cookie dough bites… they failed lol. the consistency after i added everything was batter-like rather than a dough. i did it in a blend tec because i don’t own a food processor, is that why? if not, what else would it be? thanks!
Hey Paige – I’m so sorry to hear that. It should work to mix this in a blender. Was the batter liquidy where you couldn’t form it into balls? Did you change anything about the recipe?
Hello! These look delicious and I wanted to make these but I only have vanilla almond butter. Should I substitute with regular peanut butter or do you think the vanilla almond butter would be okay?
Hey Carisa – I think the vanilla almond butter would work just fine! You could always reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp since the almond butter already has a vanilla flavor if you prefer. Let me know how they turn out if you try making these!!
Hi! Made these and they turned out absolutely delicious. Quick question – instead of dark chocolate, I used 100% cacao baking chocolate, and my protein powder has 0g of sugar – does this mean the grams of sugar per each ball would be reduced?
Hey Keri Jo – I’d recommend adding some other flour in place of the protein powder, likely oat or almond flour and play around with how much to add. You might need a little more or a little less than 1/4 cup but I’m not 100% sure because I haven’t tested it. Let me know if you try it!
I haven’t tried these, but I probably will. My concern is that most chocolate chips are NOT dairy free. You must be careful to check.Most at least have milk fat, which for someone like my son who is extremely allergic to dairy, is a no-no. I found some really great ones at Costco, but the last time I went to get them, they weren’t available anymore.
Woo-hoo! I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe, Kim. And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it! The ratings are super helpful to other readers.
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I used them to serve as a healthy appetizer to some friends.
I loved how easy the recipe was. I had to admit I changed one ingredient: the protein powder. I didn’t have any, so I used collagen instead. That’s probably why the consistency wasn’t dry enough to roll with hands, but with some utensils y was able to do “balls”. Shape didn’t matter, they were delicious!
★★★★★
I’m glad these bites were a hit!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review, Angela. I so appreciate it!
I made these yummy cookie dough bites last night. I was looking for something sweet and these are pure joy. Thanks so much for another great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed these cookie dough bites, Toni!
I never comment on recipes BUT thus is the best chickpea cookie do recipe I’ve ever had! I will be mentioning on my own blog if that’s ok! I am going to take pictures of them today. Great job Brittany 🙂
★★★★★
Ahh, that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. And yes, that’s okay if you just link back to my blog. 🙂
These are so delicious!!! I’ve made them 3 times in the past month. I use tahini instead of almond butter and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. They seriously don’t taste “healthy” at all!
★★★★★
So glad you’ve been loving these cookie dough bites, Jana! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I so appreciate it!
Definitely delicious. Had to tweak though. The first time I made it it was way too dry so next time I added more nut butter and even some water to make it more dough like. I want to use some PB fit and reg nut butter next time to try and lower the calories. Not sure how youget 28 balls. With the consistency I was getting I had to make them bigger so they’d stick. If your consistency isn’t dough like just add more nut butter or water.
Love these though. They’re good at curbing my sweet tooth and satiating me while I’m studying.
★★★★★
Sorry to hear you had issues with them being dry! Did you used canned chickpeas? It definitely could have been because of your nut butter. Some nut butters are harder and dryer, in which case adding extra water should help. I’m glad you enjoyed these overall!
Looks great. Is there a substitute for chickpeas?
Hey Karin – The chickpeas are a main ingredient to this recipe, so I’m not really sure what would be a good substitute.
YUM!!! Made these tonight. I was craving a little sweet but feeling too guilty about hitting the Oreo pack! Had to add a little extra almond butter to get the dough to stick but everything else was exactly as written. Thank you! Delicious! Oreo disaster averted.
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! So glad you enjoyed these cookie dough bites, Ian. Thanks for giving my recipe a try and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
i just tried making these cookie dough bites… they failed lol. the consistency after i added everything was batter-like rather than a dough. i did it in a blend tec because i don’t own a food processor, is that why? if not, what else would it be? thanks!
Hey Paige – I’m so sorry to hear that. It should work to mix this in a blender. Was the batter liquidy where you couldn’t form it into balls? Did you change anything about the recipe?
Hello! These look delicious and I wanted to make these but I only have vanilla almond butter. Should I substitute with regular peanut butter or do you think the vanilla almond butter would be okay?
Thank you !!
Hey Carisa – I think the vanilla almond butter would work just fine! You could always reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp since the almond butter already has a vanilla flavor if you prefer. Let me know how they turn out if you try making these!!
I made these today 🙂 mine didn’t come out nearly as lovely as yours, but man, they are delicious!! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
★★★★★
Hi! Made these and they turned out absolutely delicious. Quick question – instead of dark chocolate, I used 100% cacao baking chocolate, and my protein powder has 0g of sugar – does this mean the grams of sugar per each ball would be reduced?
★★★★★
Hey Danielle – I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!! And yes, the amount of sugar in your bites would be less if you didn’t use dark chocolate.
Hi,
I’m just wondering if I do not have protein powder, is there anything you’d recommend for a substitue?
Keri Jo
★★★★
Hi Brittany,
Thanks so much for your speedy reply! I was so pumped to see your response the very next morning.
All I had was plain white baking flour. I added about half as much and they turned out amazing! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Oh yay!! So glad these cookie dough bites turned out for you. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, it means the world to me!
Hey Keri Jo – I’d recommend adding some other flour in place of the protein powder, likely oat or almond flour and play around with how much to add. You might need a little more or a little less than 1/4 cup but I’m not 100% sure because I haven’t tested it. Let me know if you try it!
I haven’t tried these, but I probably will. My concern is that most chocolate chips are NOT dairy free. You must be careful to check.Most at least have milk fat, which for someone like my son who is extremely allergic to dairy, is a no-no. I found some really great ones at Costco, but the last time I went to get them, they weren’t available anymore.
Very true, Carol. You do have to look for dairy-free chocolate chips. I really like the Enjoy Life brand.
Turned out well, although my dipping skills need improvement
★★★★★
Woo-hoo! I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe, Kim. And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it! The ratings are super helpful to other readers.
I’ve been making these with your cookie dough recipes and love them!! The crunchy chocolate shell takes the cookie dough to the next level!! Delish!!!
★★★★★
Oh yay!! I love that you were already making these. 🙂 Thank you for leaving a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it, Tammy!