Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls

These chocolate chip cookie dough protein balls will satisfy your sweet tooth and your hunger. Basically they are healthy cookie dough balls. Bet you can’t eat just one!

Foodie Photo Shoots with a Zoey Cat

It’s funny how much my kitten is taking over my life. It’s even crazier how much having one little kitten can change SO much.

I now feel guilty every time I leave the apartment or every time she even meows because I’m typing instead of petting her. This isn’t great for my natural reclusive nature. Thank goodness I work at the café otherwise who knows if I would ever leave the apartment!

It’s also getting a little tricky to do foodie photo shoots. First I thought I would just quickly put a cutting board or something on the couch (right next to one of our two windows in the apartment), set up my white poster board (slash light bounce) and start snapping away.

False.

Zoey was up in the shoot so fast I could barely keep her from licking one of the balls. (giggle)

I’ve since tried setting up in the bedroom and making sure to close the door behind me.

False.

I tried this with a PB+J smoothie (recipe to come!), but moving everything into the bedroom and closing the door every. time. I brought a new item to the “shoot.” This resulted in smoothie all over my shirt and a crying kitten outside the door.

So. I have no perfect solution. I went back to the couch method and just try to embrace the fact that sometimes there will be a fluffy kitten in the photos (sometimes meaning every time so far. ha!).

I just try to keep her from licking things or sticking her cute little paws where they don’t belong.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls

So you came for a recipe, not a cat rant, right? (say that five times fast. catrantright. catrantright. catrantright..)

It’s okay. There’s a recipe. An amazing recipe for a healthy cookie dough protein ball that you can use for workout fuel or as a tasty snack.

If you’re like me, you’re a fan of cookie dough. Like a huge fan. Like when you make cookies, you are secretly making them so you can “test” the dough a dozen times. Letting the cookie dough rest in the fridge over night is really a way to sneak a few more spoonfuls over the next couple of days until you “have time” to bake them.

Yes. I am a tad obsessed with cookie dough. (And cookies for that matter.)

So why not try to make a little healthier version of chocolate chip cookie dough? And why not find a way to sneak in some more delish vegan protein powder? (see a review SKOOP aka the best protein powder ever here.)

These seriously taste like cookie dough..semi-healthy cookie dough! 😉

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls Recipe

 

Ingredients:

Wet ingredients:

2 chia eggs*

1/4 tsp almond extract 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBS brown sugar

3/4 cup smooth natural peanutbutter

Dry ingredients:

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup protein powder

mix-ins:

1/8 cup sunflower seeds

1/8 cup chocolate chips**

Method:

1. Mix together wet ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing each time. Towards the end you may need to dig in and use your hands.

4. You can either mix the mix-ins directly into the dough then roll into balls

OR

you can roll the balls then roll them into the mix-ins. 

*1 chia egg= 1 TBS chia seeds (<-affiliate link) + 3 TBS warm water. mix together separately and allow to sit a few minutes until it forms a gel. Chia seeds can be found in most grocery store health sections or from Amazon using the affiliate link. (I will get a little kickback if you buy using that link within 24 hours of clicking. Thanks as always for your support!)

**I used chocolate morsels which are bigger than chips because it was what I had on hand.

I like to store these in the fridge because cold chocolate is amazing. I also think it helps them hold their form a little better.

These protein balls are perfect to grab as a snack, to fuel up before a run and you could even round up a few for breakfast in the car. Not that I’ve done this…I always have my life together and allow plenty of time for breakfast. #sarcasm

[Tweet “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls! #yesplease #semihealthy”] 

Eat and move happy! Tell me….

Are you training for any races? Which ones?

What is your favorite pre-workout fuel? 

 

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