A brief overshare
Fun fact, cookie dough is my favorite ice cream flavor, and back in my early teens, it was my go-to after-school snack.
Each day after school, I would walk home from the bus stop, climb through the window of my house (I frequently lost my house keys), unload my backpack, grab the tub of Dreyer’s cookie dough ice cream from the freezer along with a spoon, plop on the couch and flip on whatever show was on at the moment - most likely Boy Meets World.
However, much to my sister’s dismay, once the ice cream had slightly melted I would proceed to use my spoon to go mining for the gold, AKA dig out all the little cookie dough bits I could find, thus essentially leaving plain vanilla ice cream behind.
As you can imagine, this was heaven for me, but quite upsetting for my sister who was hard-pressed to find any cookie dough bits in the ice cream whenever she got home and went for her fix.
Naturally, following this story you can understand why these Tahini Cookie Dough Protein Bites are my new favorite snack of all time.
Yes, ice cream is great and all, but why not just cut to the chase and get to the good part? The cookie dough!
The best part is that these cookie dough bites are vegan, so no need to fear ending up with a nasty case of salmonella.
They’re also gluten-free and made with almond flour, which makes them gut-friendly and lower carb (if you’re worried about that kind of thing).
Recipe notes
Alright, let’s breakdown these ingredients, shall we?
Almond flour - This recipe uses almond flour. I’m sure you could easily use almond meal in its place. I have not experimented with any other flours in this recipe.
Protein Powder - I used Orgain Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder for this recipe, but I’m sure whatever protein powder you have on hand will do. I bet these would also taste great with chocolate protein powder for a chocolate tahini flavor, yum!
Tahini - I love tahini and think it’s frankly underrated and underused. It’s typically a runnier consistency, which makes it great for recipes like this one. That being said, peanut butter, almond butter, or your preferred nut/seed butter of choice will likely work in its place, just know that your cookie dough bites will take on whatever flavor of nut butter you choose to use. Also, if the nut butter is a thicker consistency, you may or may not need to use a little extra almond milk or maple syrup as well.
Almond Milk - I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe, but any plant-based milk will do.
Maple Syrup - I actually used Lakanto’s Monkfruit Syrup to make this recipe sugar-free. However, any liquid sweetener should work - regular maple syrup, coconut nectar, honey (if you’re not vegan), what have you. I do recommend sticking to a liquid sweetener though to help the mix come together and avoid making it overly dry/crumbly.
Coconut Oil - Coconut oil complements this recipe well, but any neutral flavored oil will work.
Chocolate Chips - In my first batch I used a combination of Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips and Trader Joe’s unsweetened cacao chips. In the second batch I used only cacao nibs. Both are great, options. The Enjoy Life chips will taste more like a treat whereas the cacao nibs will taste a bit on the healthier side.
I hope you love this recipe! Be sure to leave a comment below if you give it a try, and tag me in your photos on Instagram @wellismore so I can see all of your delicious creations!
No-Bake Tahini Cookie Dough Protein Bites, Vegan, GF
INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond flour
3 servings (138g) vegan vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup, option to add 1 to 2 tbsp extra depending on desired sweetness
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips or cacao nibs
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients, less chocolate chips, to a mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
Add in chocolate chips. Mix until evenly distributed.
Use your hands to form small ball shapes.
Place the protein balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes or until ready to eat. Allow bites to thaw at least 5 minutes prior to eating. Enjoy!