I whipped up this protein cookie without whey one evening when I wanted a real cookie, not some dry, "bar-like" thing. The challenge was to keep it delicious (crispy edges, slightly gooey center) while boosting the protein without using whey powder. After a few tries, my winning combination is skyr + eggs + almond flour: it gives it structure, makes it soft, and really fills you up.
For the flavor, I stick with a very classic cookie base: chocolate and hazelnuts. The little touch I love is adding some diced pear. It doesn't turn the recipe into a cake; it just adds pockets of sweetness and a juicy quality that works wonderfully with the chocolate. And since pear is naturally sweet, you can avoid adding too much sugar.
Technically speaking, it's simple: mix, shape, bake. The important thing is not to overbake. When the edges are set but the center still seems a little soft, it's perfect: as it cools, the cookie will firm up on its own.
You can also customize the texture: thicker = softer, flatter = crispier. And if you like contrast, keep some chocolate chips and hazelnuts to stick on top just before baking: it creates beautiful cracked and deliciously tempting surfaces.
Protein cookie without whey
4
people16
minutes28
minutes632
kcal44
minutesThese cookies are wonderfully soft in the center, slightly crispy on the edges, with a true chocolate and hazelnut flavor. The protein comes primarily from eggs, skyr, and almonds, with no whey powder.
Keep your device's screen on
Ingredients
120g of plain skyr
2 eggs
70g of almond flour
60g of oat flour (or finely ground oat flakes)
45g of brown sugar
6 g of baking powder
1 pinch of fine salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (extract or powder)
30g 25g of rapeseed oil)
90g of dark chocolate (chips or chopped)
60g of roasted hazelnuts, roughly crushed
120g of ripe pear, cut into small cubes (about 1 small pear)
Preparation steps
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Roast the hazelnuts in the oven for 8 minutes (during preheating if you are in a hurry), then let them cool slightly and roughly crush them.
- In a bowl, mix the skyr, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until you obtain a smooth base.
- Add the melted butter and mix again.
- Incorporate the almond flour, oat flour and baking powder. Mix just enough: the dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
- Add the chocolate, hazelnuts and diced pear. Mix gently so as not to crush the pieces of fruit.
- Form 8 cookies (2 per person) by placing balls of dough on the baking sheet. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand: they don't spread much.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should be set and golden, the center still a little soft.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet (that's when they finish setting), then transfer them to a wire rack.
📊 Nutritional Information
1 serving (2 cookies, approx. 165g)
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories | 632 kcal |
| Proteins | 27g |
| Carbohydrates | 56g |
| including sugars | 27g |
| Lipids | 35g |
| including saturated fatty acids | 12g |
| Fibers | 10g |
| Sodium | 470mg |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin E | 45% AJR |
| Vitamin B2 | 22% AJR |
| Vitamin B9 | 18% AJR |
| Minerals | |
| Magnesium | 34% AJR |
| Phosphorus | 48% AJR |
| Iron | 22% AJR |
* RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance
📝 Notes
These cookies will keep for 2 days in a tin. If you want them to be soft again the next day, microwave them for 10 seconds (just to warm them up, not to bake them again).
💡 Chef's Tips
For a perfectly soft cookie, bake them for a short time and let them cool on the baking sheet as soon as they come out of the oven. If your pears are very juicy, dice them into smaller pieces and mix them in gently last.
🔄 Variations
- Crispier version: flatten the cookies further before baking and bake for an additional 2 minutes.
- Fruit-free version: replace the pear with an additional 20g of dark chocolate and 10g of hazelnuts.
- For the gluten-free version, you can replace some ingredients, try it out, and let us know
