These triple chocolate hazelnut cookies are a result of trying to make the classic cookie higher in protein. Filled with a gooey chocolate hazelnut centre, they are a chunky cookie that is definitely going to satisfy even the most persistent of chocolate cravings and taste just like Nutella.
Studded with white chocolate chunks at the last moment and with added vanilla protein powder, they make a lovely treat that is a little more balanced than a traditional cookie recipe.
Ingredients you are going to need to make these protein cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: this is basically Nutella, but a vegan version. For this recipe I used the Mindful Bites dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, as this one doesn’t contain added palm oil but I know there are other vegan options available at a cheaper price point. To achieve the gooey centre, teaspoons of this spread are frozen for 1 hour and popped in the centre of the cookie to bake. This is what takes the extra time in the recipe, but is oh so worth it in the end.
Dairy Free Butter: just like you would with a normal cookie mix, this is combined with the sugar and creamed to start the cookie batter. I have just tried to keep the butter and refined sugar content to a minimum to keep them on the healthy side.
Dark Brown Muscovado Sugar: this adds a lovely richness to the cookie that you wouldn’t get from using regular caster sugar, which is all due to the extra molasses added to this variety.
Dairy Free Milk: any dairy free milk will work in this recipe, but I opted to use hazelnut milk to enhance the hazelnut flavour.
Self – Raising Flour: I used a regular white flour in this recipe.
Raw Cacao: raw cacao is the unrefined and unsweetened chocolate powder. It is a little more expensive than cocoa but has a number of added ‘health’ benefits given that it is a good source of magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium whilst also naturally high in antioxidants.
Protein Powder: I’ve used a vanilla protein powder in this recipe but you could also use an unflavoured or chocolate variety too.
Whole Hazelnuts: these are added to the cookie batter roughly chopped, giving the baked cookies a bit of a crunch.
What do you need to consider when adding protein powder to your cookie mix?
So the thing is, adding protein powder to a cookie mix changes its structure quite a bit and if you aren’t careful you can end up with quite a dry dense cookie. This is easily remedied though by applying the few considerations I have outlined below:
- Start by replacing 20% of the flour content with protein powder
- When adding protein powder to a cookie mix you are likely to need to reduce your overall flour content by 10%. So, for example, if the original recipe called for 100g flour and you want to make protein cookies, go with 20g protein powder and 70g flour.
- Creating your own protein cookie mix is a little bit of trial and error, especially if you are trying to adapt your favourite regular cookie recipe to a high protein version. Start with the guidance above in terms of flour / protein ratio and mix up your cookie dough. Once mixed, assess whether you think it might be too wet or dry (or just right). If too wet, add a dusting more flour or if too dry, add a splash more dairy-free milk until you get that familiar cookie dough consistency.
- If you are picking a protein powder that is flavoured you will want to account for this. For example, if vanilla flavoured, you will not need to add additional vanilla extract to the recipe. If chocolate flavoured, you may want to cut down or remove the quantity of cacao.
If you love these chocolate hazelnut protein cookies, why not try these other chocolate baking recipes?
Frequently Asked Questions
You could always have a go at making your own chocolate hazelnut spread i.e. Nutella as it really is simple to make. All you need is a high speed blender, hazelnuts and raw cacao. But you could also swap this for Biscoff spread or a nut butter.
Absolutely! I recommend swapping the chocolate hazelnut spread for Biscoff and not adding the hazelnuts.
Try swapping the regular self – raising flour out for a gluten free variety and just ensure the baking powder you pick is also gluten free.
Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Cookies
Course: CookiesCuisine: Baking, American, Vegan, ProteinDifficulty: Easy6
servings1
hour10
minutesThese triple chocolate hazelnut cookies are a result of trying to make the classic cookie higher in protein. Filled with a gooey chocolate hazelnut centre, they are a chunky cookie that is definitely going to satisfy even the most persistent of chocolate cravings and taste just like Nutella.
Ingredients
6 tsp Chocolate hazelnut spread
90g Dairy free butter
100g Dark muscovado sugar
2 tbsp Hazelnut milk
90g Self-raising flour
30g Raw cacao powder
30g Vanilla protein powder
30g Whole hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Β½ tsp Baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
Dairy free white chocolate chunks to top the cookies
Directions
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and spoon 6 individual teaspoons of chocolate hazelnut spread onto a tray. Pop in the freezer for an hour to harden.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light in colour.
- Add the milk and whisk until combined.
- Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl (excluding the white chocolate) and once combined add to the wet mixture and mix until you form a cookie dough.
- Split the cookie dough into 6 equal pieces, it should be firm, but not too crumbly and not too wet.
- Roll each piece of cookie dough into a ball, flatten with the palm of your hand. Place a teaspoon of the frozen chocolate hazelnut spread in the centre. Wrap the cookie dough around it so it is encased in the mix. Continue to do with the 5 remaining pieces.
- Place the cookie dough well-spaced out on baking trays and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180oc. Take the cookies out whilst they are still a little soft as they will harden as they cool.
- Press the white chocolate chunks into the dough whilst the cookies are still warm and ENJOY!
Notes
- The recipe itself is quick to make and bake, what takes the extra time is the freezing of the chocolate hazelnut spread so you get that gooey centre.
I canβt wait to hear what you think of these Double Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Cookies so please leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations! Iβm @fortheutterloveoffood on Instagram and use the hashtag #fortheutterloveoffood. Iβm also on Facebook β please say hello!
