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These protein boost sourdough chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with melty chocolate chips, but with a little extra staying power thanks to Greek yogurt, oats, and almond meal. They still taste like a proper bakery-style cookie, just with a boost of protein in every bite.
Why Add Protein to Sourdough Cookies?
Well, my regular sourdough chocolate chip cookies actually have 3 grams of protein (which isn’t terrible for a cookie). But my youngest son in particular would live on them, so I wanted a way to increase the protein so I didn’t feel so bad about how many he was eating!
I also did not want to use protein powder because it not only gets expensive, but my kids will generally not eat anything with protein powder added. So I set about trying to increase the protein without turning them into a cakey, healthy bar.
Easier said than done, let me tell you! There were so many tests of this recipe … and indeed many critiques from my family!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
6g of Protein per cookie – this is double my regular sourdough cookies and triple what a regular chocolate chip cookie normally contains.
Big Bakery Style – These cookies bake up thick, chewy, and oversized with crisp golden edges and soft centers. If you love giant bakery-style cookies (like my single serve sourdough chocolate chip cookie), you’re going to absolutely love these.
No Weird Ingredients – I’ve used Greek yogurt, rolled oats and almonds to boost the protein of this recipe rather than protein powder or any other weird, hard-to-source ingredients.
Ingredients
- Salted Butter – You want the butter very soft so it creams easily with the sugars. I use salted butter for extra flavor, but unsalted will also work. Just add extra salt to the dough.
- Brown Sugar – Adds moisture and gives the cookies a rich, caramel flavor, like you expect in a chocolate chip cookie.
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs – I used large eggs for these cookies.
- Greek Yogurt – Adds protein and keeps the cookies soft and tender. I like using a thick, strained Greek yogurt for the best texture.
- Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Discard – Either works great in this recipe. Use whichever you have on hand.
- Almond Extract – I love the bakery-style flavor almond extract adds. You can swap for vanilla extract if you prefer.
- All Purpose Flour
- Almond Meal – Boosts the protein and adds a subtle nutty flavor and soft texture. You can use ready made almond flour or do as I did and just grind up almonds in a food processor until they’re really fine and mealy.
- Rolled Oats – Oats add texture, a bit of extra protein, and help make the cookies more filling.
- Baking Soda
- Cornstarch – Helps create soft, tender centers.
- Salt
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – I love semi sweet chocolate here because it balances the sweetness of the dough perfectly. You can use your favorite type of chocolate chips.
How To Make Protein Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are simple to make and come together like most other sourdough cookies.
You’ll first whisk together the sugars and butter until they’re well combined. Then add the remaining wet ingredients.
Then in a separate bowl, you’ll mix together the flour, almond meal, rolled oats, baking soda, cornstarch, salt and chocolate chips.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Don’t over mix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Chill Time
The overnight rest really helps these cookies. It gives the oats time to soften and helps the cookies bake up thick and chewy instead of spreading too much.
The next day, when you are ready to bake the cookies, use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop out balls of dough. Press the balls down just a little bit.
Bake for 16 minutes in a 175ºC (350ºF) oven. You want them golden brown on top but molten in the center.
Let them cool on the tray for around 10 minutes. They’ll firm up as they cool. After 10 minutes, carefully transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
How To Store + Freeze
These cookies stay soft for a few days when stored in a cookie tin or glass jar at room temperature. I try to avoid plastic containers if I can, as they tend to soften the edges too much.
You can freeze both the baked cookies and the cookie dough balls. I like to snap freeze the dough balls on a tray first, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag once solid. Bake from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Vanilla works beautifully in these cookies if you prefer a more classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
Not at all. They still taste like a proper bakery-style cookie, just with a little extra protein and staying power.
Yes, just reduce the baking time slightly. Smaller cookies will bake much faster than the large bakery-style ones.
Protein Boost Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Cookie Scoop (I've used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 115 g Salted Butter, (very soft)
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 100 g White Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 100 g Greek Yogurt, (thick, pot set)
- 100 g Sourdough Starter, (or Sourdough Discard)
- 5 g Almond Extract, (or vanilla extract)
Dry Ingredients
- 200 g All Purpose Flour
- 100 g Almond Meal
- 200 g Rolled Oats
- 5 g Baking Soda
- 6 g Corn Starch
- 3 g Salt
- 350 g Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Whisk the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until they are well combined.
- Now add the eggs, yogurt, sourdough starter and almond extract to the bowl and whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, almond meal, rolled oats, baking soda, cornstarch, salt and chocolate chips.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Don't over mix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
- The next day, when you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop out balls of dough. I have used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for this recipe. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets (press the balls down just a little bit).
- Place the cookies into the oven for 16 minutes or until they are golden brown on top but still molten in the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for around 10 minutes. The cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven and will firm up as they cool. After 10 minutes, carefully transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Notes
- The overnight rest really helps these cookies. It gives the oats time to soften and helps the cookies bake up thick and chewy instead of spreading too much.
- The cookies will continue cooking as they cool on the tray, so taking them out while the centers still look slightly soft gives you the best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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