Got a snacky tooth? Yeah, me too, and I am always on the hunt for low-carb high-protein recipes that satisfy. This Protein Cookie Dough Bark is a clear winner! Packed with healthy fats and 10 grams of protein, it’s perfect for a quick snack or post-workout treat.
It can be tough sometimes to get enough protein into your diet. While the bulk of your nutrition should come from well-rounded meals, I do find that having some good healthy snacks on hand can help. Easy make-ahead recipes like Peanut Butter Protein Balls or Taco Bites provide quick protein hits when you need it.
They help fill in any nutritional gaps and round out meals that might be a little short on this vital nutrient. And they’re a great way to ward off cravings for less nutritious options.
Lately, I’ve been munching on this easy Protein Cookie Dough Bark. I keep it in the freezer and grab a piece or two after lunch. It feels a little indulgent but also healthy. That’s my favorite way to satisfy a snack attack!
Why you’ll love this protein snack
- Super easy: This high protein snack takes all of 12 minutes of your time to make. You do need to let it freeze until firm, which takes about an hour.
- Make ahead recipe: Keep the finished protein bark in the freezer, and it can last for up to a month!
- Cookie dough flavor: It really does taste like keto cookie dough, so it’s great for snacking but also for dessert.
- Adaptable: You can use your favorite sweeteners or protein powders for this recipe.
- Great macros: With 9.6 grams of protein, 7.4 grams of carbs and 4.3 grams of fiber, it’s an ideal snack for low carb and keto diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond butter: Nut butter helps provide some moisture and gives this keto snack a cookie dough texture. You can use other nut or seed butters instead of almond butter.
- Butter: A little butter helps with flavor and texture. You can swap it for coconut oil or avocado oil if you prefer.
- Sweetener: You will need a powdered sweetener, to avoid grittiness. You can also use highly concentrated sweeteners like pure stevia or pure monk fruit.
- Protein powder: I recommend a vanilla protein powder for better flavor, but it can be whey, egg white, or vegan. Collagen may also work but the bark will be quite soft.
- Almond flour: This helps stabilize the cookie dough bark. If you need to be nut-free, try using sunflower seed flour.
- Keto chocolate: I like using mini chips for this recipe, as they distribute more evenly. For the topping, I just used Lily’s dark chocolate.
- Coconut oil: This helps the chocolate melt more smoothly so you can spread it evenly over the bark. You can use other kinds of oil.
- Salt: A little salt always helps intensify the sweetness. This protein bark is also great with a little flaked sea salt sprinkled on top.
Step by Step Directions
- Melt the almond butter: In a medium bowl, melt the almond butter and butter together, stirring until melted and smooth. You can do this in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water.
- Add the dry ingredients: Stir in the sweetener until well combined, working out any lumps with a silicone spatula. Add the protein powder, almond flour, and salt and stir well to combine. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Add the chocolate chips: Stir in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
- Roll out the dough: Gather the dough up into a ball and transfer to a large piece of parchment paper. Pat into a rough rectangle. Top with another piece of parchment and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Remove the top parchment and transfer to a cookie sheet.
- Melt the chocolate: In a small bowl, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Spread the chocolate evenly overtop the cookie dough bark.
- Freeze the bark: Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour, then break with your hands or cut into pieces. Store in the freezer.
Tips for Success
Protein Cookie Dough Bark is a highly adaptable recipe, and you can use a number of different sweeteners, protein powders, or oils. But your choice of ingredients will affect the results some so you need to know how to adjust.
Sweeteners: I recommend a bulk powdered sweetener such as Swerve or a powdered allulose, as it will give the bark a little more structure. You can use high intensity sweeteners but you may need to use a little more almond flour to get the right dough texture.
Protein powder: Any whey, egg white, or plant-based protein should work. I used Just Ingredients Vanilla Bean, which is a casein-free protein that contains whey, collagen, and plant proteins. You could try collagen peptides but they may make the bark very soft and a bit gooey.
If you only have unflavored protein, try adding additional sweetener (1 tablespoon or so) and some vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).
Fats/oils: You want a nut or seed butter to give this bark the right consistency but it doesn’t have to be almond butter. It could be sunflower butter (for a nut-free version) or even peanut butter. You can also replace the butter with coconut oil.
Water: I don’t specify a quantity of water because it will depend a great deal on the other ingredients you use. I needed about 2 teaspoons using the ingredients listed. But even that might change if, for example, your nut butter was very oily.
If you find that your dough is too soft and wet, you will need to adjust by adding more dry ingredients. You could use more protein powder or more almond flour. The end consistency should be like a firm cookie dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike wheat-based flour, which must be heat-treated to kill any food borne pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella, uncooked almond flour is safe to consume. It is made from blanched raw almonds, and most people eat raw almonds without any concern.
This cookie dough bark should be stored in the freezer to have some crispness. It gets quite soft when left at room temperature, although the fridge is also an option if you like it slightly softer.
Each serving of this tasty treat has 7.4g of carbs and 4.3 grams of fiber. That means each serving has 3.1 grams net carbs.
Protein Cookie Dough Bark
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) almond butter
- 2 tbsp (28.4 g) butter
- 1/3 cup (63.33 g) powdered sweetener
- 1/2 cup (54 g) vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Water as needed
- 1/4 cup (45 g) mini keto chocolate chips
- 1 ounce (28.35 g) sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) coconut oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, melt the almond butter and butter together, stirring until melted and smooth. You can do this in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water.
- Stir in the sweetener until well combined, working out any lumps with a silicone spatula.
- Add the protein powder, almond flour, and salt and stir well to combine. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. (The mixture should be like cookie dough but should not be sticky.)
- Stir in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
- Gather the dough up into a ball and transfer to a large piece of parchment paper. Pat into a rough rectangle. Top with another piece of parchment and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Remove the top parchment and transfer to a cookie sheet.
- In a small bowl, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Spread the chocolate evenly overtop the cookie dough bark.
- Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour, then break with your hands or cut into pieces. Store in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
This sounds amazing but where I would like to take it I won’t have access to a fridge or freezer. Cans you suggest a baked base to do a similar product? Many thanks as your web page and books are truly my right hand these days!
This is a no-bake recipe… you are welcome to experiment but I cannot advise on that matter.
I make these on repeat! My whole family loves them. So quick and easy to put together and sooooo yummy
Mmmmmm, good.
Simple to make, loaded with protein and tastes pretty yummy. I used Besti allulose/monk fruit sweetener, milk, chocolate chips, and dark chocolate topping.
It was easy and delicious. Making it again with a milk chocolate top. Yum
I love that this is so quick and easy, and it looks delicious! I just printed it out so I can make them.
Why does my chocolate layer on top always have a whitish tint to it when it’s dried? It tastes fine but looks weird.
Erythritol re-crystallizes after it’s been heated and cooled. That’s why!
try this. When you heat it do not let it go over 90°. I use a laser thermometer they’re really reasonable on Amazon around $30. When you get to about 80° only microwave for maybe 5 seconds at a time. leave a little bit not melted and let it melt naturally in the remaining heat, stir gently often. This should give you a pretty nice coating. 🤷♀️ You could also add a very small amount of coconut oil. I don’t remember if that was in the recipe or not. Happy New Year!
This is amazing