These Cookie Dough Protein Balls Have Just Four Ingredients and Actually DO Taste Like Cookie Dough

I ate the same protein balls for breakfast every day for years. I had the recipe memorized, I could make them while barely even paying attention. Then I started getting horrible stomach aches, and I remembered: Sometimes my body hates oats. I don’t have a diagnosed allergy or intolerance, mainly because I can treat it by simply not eating oats, and that’s not really hard to do. Plus, it’s not ALL oats! Overnight oats and oatmeal are immediate Bad News, but the oats in my protein balls were okay… until they weren’t.

So my go-to breakfast was making me sick, and I was surprised to learn that it is somewhat difficult to find a protein/breakfast ball recipe that doesn’t contain oats. But I found one, and it is so so easy and also tastes like a forbidden treat AND keeps my satiated for hours and hours. Here’s the recipe (via The Honour System):

1 cup vanilla protein powder (First I just used one from TJ Maxx, now I’m trying this one from Target)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (this one from Costco is my favorite)

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey (I use 1/3 cup of honey, because my recipe ported into Paprika weird and I’m only realizing now my measurement is wrong. They’re still great though! I think I’ll stick with 1/3)

1/2 cup chocolate chunks (I use mini semisweet chocolate chips)

I use one measuring container for every ingredient in this recipe — this ingenious little OXO one. The original recipe page has more tips and substitutions, but basically you just throw all the ingredients in a bowl, mix it up, and spoon balls out onto a cookie sheet (I use a cookie scoop becasue I have one, but you don’t need one). Pop the tray into the freezer for awhile just to get them nice and set, then transfer into an airtight container and keep in the fridge.

My one mixing trick: Put all the ingredients in the bowl, powder on the bottom…

… then fold over so the powder covers all the sticky ingredients. THEN mix. Much easier.

I make them kinda small, and then eat 2 or 3 for breakfast each morning with my coffee. They actually DO taste like cookie dough, something one million protein products claim but can never ever really deliver. I love my morning ritual time and feeling like I’m eating cookie dough for breakfast helps add some decadence and imaginary cheekiness to the whole affair.