PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN COOKIES!

Today I am back with another great #backtolean recipe! Todays recipe are these leanlicious PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! 

This is another easily made, prepped and stored recipe! When you are craving a whoopsie but still want to make a lean choice, these cookies are the perfect solution! With only 4 simple ingredients, you can have these cookies made in no time! 

How are these cookies so high in protein?! I used 2 high protein ingredients, peanut butter and whey protein powder! Peanut butter is one of my go-to ingredients! Especially when I am looking for something sweet yet healthy, my first choice is always natural, no sugar added peanut butter! Peanuts are naturally sweet so no added sugar is needed! Whey protein is another great ingredient that allows you to get a nice dose of protein! If you do not have chocolate flavour protein, you can opt to add in some cocoa powder to your plain or vanilla flavoured protein powder. 

The base of our cookies are made of of 2 ingredients, bananas and quick oats. Both these ingredients are great to use in baking in place of refined carbs, such as flour. Bananas contain high levels of potassium and add some natural sweetness into the cookies. Oats are a healthy carb, they contain high levels of antioxidants and nutrients!

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About the optional ingredients..

All these ingredients are totally optional! Adding these ingredients will add extra flavour and sweetness into your cookies! Chocolate chips are one of my number one ingredients! Zero sugar chocolate chips will add a nice dose of sweetness without any added sugar! Walden Farms maple syrup is another great ingredient. It contains 0 calories! Most sweeteners will add a ton of extra unneeded calories into your dish, but not Walden Farms maple syrup!

LEANGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups (225 g) quick oats
• 2 1/2 (approx. 1.5-2 cups) ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup (125 g) natural peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter of choice)
• ½ - 1 scoop chocolate whey protein (or vegan protein powder)

Optional Toppings: 

• 1 tablespoon Walden Farm's maple syrup *linked in blog to amazon store
• ¼ cup zero sugar chocolate chips *linked in blog to amazon store
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

LEAN-STRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork until them form a smooth paste. 
3. Add all of the ingredients (including the optional ones) to a mixing bowl and mix well. 
4. Drop about 12-16 cookies (depending on size) onto a cookie sheet, shaping each spoonful into a cookie shape!
5. Bake for about 15-18 minutes. You want them nice and firm, while still soft and moist on the inside!! 
6. Tag me on instagram @leansquad when you make the recipe!!!