With a soft texture and comforting warm spices, these gingerbread protein cookies are the perfect holiday treat. Made with vegan protein powder, almond flour, and a tasty cinnamon blend, these cookies pack in 7 grams of protein each!
Learning to enjoy yourself around the holidays while still sticking to your goals is a challenge many moms face. As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I use protein desserts like this to help make it work.
With 7 grams of protein per cookie and only 161 calories, these gingerbread protein cookies make for a healthy snack. Similar to regular cut-out cookies, you’ll want to chill the dough first so they do take a bit of extra time (in comparison to these easy protein cookies) but they’re worth it.
Enjoy them as-is, or decorate them by piping on some protein buttercream frosting. Either way, they’re a tasty way to indulge over Christmas.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Healthy classic: These protein cookies have all the flavor of a classic gingerbread cookie but are ultra-light and protein-packed.
Fun: It’s a recipe you can make and enjoy with your kids. They’ll love helping you cut out the shapes and decorate!
Healthy: Using a vegan protein powder, these gingerbread cookies are naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Below is a quick shot of what you’ll need for the cookies to come together.
Know that the protein powder you choose will determine the texture and a bit of taste of the cookies. I used Thrive protein powder and absolutely loved it. Learn more about how to choose a protein powder.
Both fancy and blackstrap molasses will work for the cookies but know that maple syrup doesn’t sweeten them as well as honey does so I wouldn’t swap that.
Expert Tips To Make Them
When you mix the dough, you want it to be a bit sticky (this is what makes the cookies soft but not dry!) but not so sticky that you can’t roll or cut the cookies. This is why you’ll see “½ cup + 2 tablespoons”.
Peek the video for a better visual but you may need to add 1 tablespoon of protein powder depending on the brand you use. I use a pea protein powder here but if you use a fermented one the cookies will come out too dry.
The cookies when cut are delicate, use a silicone spatula to help lift them onto a lined cookie sheet.
You want to take them out of the oven before they look “done” as they firm up a lot when cooling. So, don’t panic if they don’t look finished. Less is really more.
If you plan to decorate them with dairy-free buttercream, know that the cookies have to be fully cooled first or it will run.
How To Make..
Step 1: In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients then one by one add the wet ones and mix well until sticky looking.
Step 2: Chill the dough in plastic wrap in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling it out between parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness.
Step 3: Use a cookie cutter to make your shapes and move them onto a lined cookie sheet.
Step 4: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and let them cool fully on the tray.
Step 5: Once cooled, frost them as per preference.
How To Store Them
You can store unfrosted cookies on the counter in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If they’re frosted, store them in the container on the counter for 1-2 days.
You can store them in the fridge for up to a week but know that they do firm up a bit. I’d let them come to room temperature before you plan to enjoy them.
Flavor Variations
Though a classic gingerbread cookie is the best, there are lots of ways to adjust the flavor if you want to switch it up!
Chocolate: For a chocolate twist, add in a bit of raw cacao powder to the batter or use mini chocolate chips as eyes before baking the cookies.
Extracts: Adding an almond extract gives the cookies a nutty flavor.
Icing sugar: Instead of frosting the cookies, try dursting the tops with icing sugar for a gingerbread, snowman look.
Fast, crave-worthy snacks that hit your protein goals (without tracking or extra cooking time).
More Protein Desserts You’ll Love
- Protein peanut butter cups
- Single serving protein cookie
- Chocolate protein pudding
- No bake protein cookies
- Snickerdoodle protein cookies
- The best high protein snacks that taste like dessert
Protein Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Video
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Vegan vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons Vegan vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup Almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon Dried ginger
- 1 teaspoon Dried cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Dried all spice
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Molasses
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- ¼ cup Egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
- One by one add the wet ones and mix well until sticky looking.
- Roll the cookie batter into plastic wrap and squeeze it together before placing it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, remove it from the plastc wrap and place it between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it out to ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a cookie cutter to make your shapes and a silicone spatula to move them onto a lined cookie sheet (I use a silicone baking mat).
- Continue the process of rolling the dough and cutting the shapes until you use up all the cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 30-60 minutes on the tray.
- In that time, whip up the buttercream if you’re frosting them. Once cooled, decorate the cookies and enjoy them immediately, or store them on the counter.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Shelby S says
All the flavor of Christmas in cookie form! Love that these hold their shape too!