Cookie Dough Bites were always my favorite movie theater snack. There’s something so decadent about getting to eat straight cookie dough, which I actually secretly like better than actual cookies.
Now that I no longer eat artificial flavors and foods filled with chemicals (wah wah), I knew I had to design a cookie dough that was actually good for me—one that I could eat for breakfast even if I wanted. I developed these based on Monster cookies, which are peanut butter-based with studs of oats and chocolate.
These have a few key ingredients that make them way healthier, and that contribute to that perfectly buttery flavor.
The first is ground flax seeds, which are rich in lignans and ALA fatty acids that have been shown to fight autoimmune disease, cancer, and more. They also taste like a toasty, nutty butter, allowing them to have a lot of the properties of cookie dough that we all know and love. I use Garden of Life flax seeds, which are pre-ground, and the best price I’ve found for a 100% organic version. I store them in the fridge or freezer so the delicate oils don’t go rancid (you can also add them to smoothies!).
The second key ingredient is collagen, which helps these babies be both gut-healing and protein-packed. You’ve likely heard of collagen by now—it’s a flavorless powder that has proven gut, skin, and nail benefits. My favorite collagen powder is Garden of Life, which is grass-fed and also has probiotics, which add to the gut-healing properties of the powder (it’s also on sale on Amazon right now!). Each tablespoon of collagen also has 6 grams of protein, meanin that adding collagen to these essentially turns them into little protein bites that HAPPEN to taste like cookie dough, which I’m very on board with (if you’re vegan, you can just omit the collagen!).
Store them in your freezer, so that whenever you need ’em, you have ’em on hand.
This post is sponsored by Garden of Life, a brand I’ve used for more than three years now. By purchasing products from the links I use in this post, you help keep this site alive. I appreciate the support immensely, and would never recommend anything I didn’t stand 100% behind.
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Gut-Healing, Protein-Packed Monster Cookie Dough Bites
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup oat flour (you can make your own by blending rolled oats in a dry blender, or buy it pre-made)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (I use Garden of Life, which has the best price for 100% organic that I’ve found)
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed collagen (I use Garden of Life, which also has probiotics)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coated chocolate candies (I used this brand, but you can leave these off if you’d like)
- Flaky sea salt, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Stir together the peanut butter, oat flour, flaxseeds, collagen, maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla extract until a dough forms. You want the dough to be dry enough to roll into a ball that doesn’t stick to your hands, and wet enough to not crumble. Because peanut butters differ in consistency, you may need to add avocado oil one teaspoon at a time if your dough is too dry, and oat flour one tablespoon at a time if your dough is too wet to get the proper consistency.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate and the rolled oats until they’re evenly distributed (I use my hands to work them in).
- Use a small cookie dough scoop to scoop bites onto parchment paper, or roll into cherry-sized balls with your hands. Press a few coated candies on the top of each, if using, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Store in freezer for at least 30 minutes, and up to six months. Makes 14 bites.
