Eating cookies for breakfast sounds like an over-the-top indulgence, doesn’t it? Or something you might do after a rough week when you’ve fallen off the healthy eating wagon. But it doesn’t have to be! These Keto Chocolate Breakfast Cookies are rich and fudgy, but they’re also packed with healthy fats and protein to energize your morning.
For more ways to kick your day into high gear, check out this recipe for Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes. You may also enjoy this Coffee Protein Shake.
I’ve been eating one of these cookies every day before heading to the gym or on a run. I absolutely adore them! They’re just sweet enough to feel like a treat without weighing me down for my workouts.
It did take me a few tries to get them right. The first batch was tasty but quite dry. I knew the recipe had promise, so I tweaked the ingredients and the baking time until I was happy with the results. And oh my, am I ever happy with the results! These Keto Breakfast Cookies are chewy, chocolatey, and full of wholesome fuel.
Why you will love them
- Quick and easy: One bowl and 15 minutes of prep time, and you’re ready to indulge!
- Soft and chewy: The texture is beyond amazing, chewy and soft, but they hold together nicely.
- Low carb and sugar-free: These keto breakfast cookies have only 3 grams net carbs per serving. They’re also gluten-free and can be made nut-free too!
- High in protein: Each cookie packs in 15 grams of protein for a nutritious start to your day.
- Perfect for meal prep: Make a batch for easy on-the-go breakfasts. You can also freeze them for several months.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond butter: Be sure to mix the oils in well before measuring it out. You can use other nut butters or sunflower seed butter for nut-free.
- Sweetener: I used brown sugar replacement along with a little allulose. I found that kept them softer and more chewy.
- Protein powder: You can use whey, egg white, or plant-based protein powder. I used a chocolate variety but you can use vanilla or plain as well.
- Cocoa powder: Use Dutch process for a deeper chocolate flavor.
- Gelatin: This helps give the cookies more chewiness and prevents them from drying out too much.
- Espresso powder: A little espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor but it is optional.
- Chocolate chips: Sugar-free chocolate chips make the cookies extra delicious!
- Baking staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt.
How to make Keto Chocolate Breakfast Cookies
- Combine the wet ingredients: Beat together the almond butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients: Beat in the protein powder, cocoa powder, gelatin, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add water if the dough is very stiff.
- Form the cookies: Stir in the chocolate chips and roll into 12 balls. Place on a silicone lined baking mat and press down to 1 inch thick.
- Bake the cookies: Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until puffed and firm around the edges.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Do not over-bake these cookies! I’ve noticed that baked goods with a high amount of protein powder tend to dry out easily so err on the side of underbaking to keep them fudgy. You want them to be puffy with set edges, but the center should still be very soft.
Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. It can be hand-held or a big stand mixer. It will take some effort to get the dry ingredients mixed in properly and you won’t be able to do by hand.
The dough may be quite stiff and you may have a bit of trouble getting all of the dry ingredient to incorporate. Different nut butters, protein powders, and even the cocoa powder can affect the dough. Adding a little liquid like water (or even heavy cream) can help.
Sweetener Options: I recommend a brown sugar substitute that is mostly erythritol, with a little allulose to help keep the cookies softer. You can try using just allulose-based sweeteners but the cookies may get much darker on the edges.
Protein Options: You can use whey protein, egg white protein, or plant-based protein for these cookies. The addition of a little gelatin or collagen helps make them chewy but you don’t want it as the main source of protein – it will make the cookies overly soft and gummy.
I used the chocolate protein powder from Just Ingredients. It’s a mix of whey and plant proteins and has great flavor. If you only have plain protein powder, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa powder and another 2 tablespoons of sweetener.
Keto Chocolate Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 g) almond butter, (can sub other nut butters)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar replacement
- 2 tbsp (20.29 g) allulose
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (81 g) chocolate whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp (7.1 g) grass-fed gelatin, or 2 tbsp collagen
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Water as needed, slightly warm
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Use two baking sheets if yours are small (don't crowd the cookies!).
- In a large bowl, beat the almond butter together with the sweeteners until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- All at once, add the protein powder, cocoa powder, gelatin, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until a cohesive dough forms.
- If the dough is very stiff and the dry ingredients won't incorporate well, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. The dough should be stiff but malleable.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
- Roll the dough into 12 even balls about 2 inches in diameter. The dough will seem very oily, this is normal – it will reincorporate as the cookies bake. Press the balls down to about 1 inch thick.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and firm around the edges but still soft in the middle.
- Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes but it tends to thicken more than other nut butters when you add the eggs. I recommend adding an additional tablespoon of oil such as avocado or melted butter.
Yes, just use a protein powder like egg white or pea protein. Hemp protein may also work nicely. Be sure not to skip the gelatin or collagen if you do this, because it will help offset the dryness of the protein powder.
Each cookie has 7.3g of carbs and 4.3g of fiber. If you count net carbs, that comes to 3g net carbs per cookie.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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These are wonderful. Made them for the first time today and will definitely make them again!
Wonderful!
Absolutely delicious!
These cookies were lovely. They have the closest texture to a chocolate chip cookie of any recipe I have tried. I love that they are protein boosting as well as a decadent treat.
I did not need to add any water–dough worked perfectly–I had to squish in the chocolate chips by hand and put the popped out ones back on the cookies–I was funny they way some of them shot out of the dough. Baked 10 min. on an air bake pan in lower oven and they were fully cooked with no burning on the edges.
Two thumbs up!
I don’t use whey protein powder could I use a beef isolate protein powder like Equip instead?
Please read the blog post as I discuss your options. If you choose to use this, please understand that I cannot guarantee the results.
How much extra cocoa powder could I add, since I have only stock vanilla flavored whey?
Try 1/2 tablespoon.
Sure am glad you kept working on this one until you got this results! My husband & I both really like these & love the protein boost. I am making my 3rd batch in 2 weeks right now. Thanks for all the work you put into these recipes, you are a life saver!
I have nature’s truth ultra collagen grass fed peptides – will this work for the collagen 2 tbsp instead of gelatin?
Yes, that would be fine.
I LOVE these cookies! After they are cooled I toss them into zippy bags and throw them all in the freezer! They are great thawed, reheated for a few seconds in the microwave, or straight out of the freezer!