Every single time I go on vacation, I come home and bake up a storm. I am not sure if it’s because I missed it so much or if I am anxious to try replicating everything I ate on vacation. Maybe it’s a little of both. But one thing is for sure….I LOVE to create recipes and I LOVE a challenge. It’s what I am passionate about! I want to do study, do my detective work, and figure out how to create copycat recipes.
Months ago, my amazing sister-in-law told me about these popular protein cookies that she couldn’t get enough of. She has been on a macro diet for months now and I covet her biceps and calves every single day. She looks incredible! Since I am such a cookie fanatic, I had to try these cookies. Within about 2 minutes of devouring one, I decided that I needed to figure out how to make them because everyone wants a cookie with less guilt!
If you know anything about me, I have zero fear in the kitchen. I will try anything and everything so I went to the store, bought some Lenny and Larry’s cookies, and went to town. After several batches and tweaks here and there, I came up with the Lenny and Larry’s Protein Cookie Copycat. And honestly…I can eat these all day long!
Here’s the thing about these cookies…..
They promise 16 grams of protein per cookie. That’s almost like drinking a pea protein shake in one chocolate chip cookie!
No dairy.
Vegan.
No Eggs.
No Soy.
Non-GMO.
No High Fructose Corn Syrup.
No artificial sweeteners.
Those are some big claims for a cookie so I had to figure out how to check all of the boxes while still creating a delicious cookie…and I think I did it!
Here are a few things that I discovered while creating this Lenny and Larry’s Protein Cookie Copycat:
- To keep it vegan, they use palm margarine. It’s important to use it cold, straight out of the refrigerator so that the cookies don’t spread too much. If you aren’t worried about keeping them vegan, you can substitute butter.
- There are no eggs in these cookies. We use ground flax seeds and water to mimic an egg. I also tried chia seeds (because I am crazy like that) and they worked well. They were a little more noticeable in the cookies but still worked similar to an egg. You can use either flaxseeds or chia seeds. Let the seeds sit in water for 1-2 minutes to soften before adding to bowl.
- I experimented using both Vanilla Pea Protein Powder and Vanilla Whey Protein Powder. There was a big difference between the two. The pea protein created a sturdier cookie but the protein powder taste was much more pronounced than the vanilla whey powder. My kids could recognize the taste difference between the pea protein and whey protein. The whey protein worked similar to when I use nonfat powdered milk in my baked goods. The whey protein powder cookie did end up to be slightly flatter but the taste was better, in my opinion. If you want to keep the cookies vegan, then pea protein is your best bet. I would recommend using pea protein brown rice protein powder blend for my vegan friends. For my non-vegan friends, I would suggest using vanilla whey protein.
- Use Whole Wheat Pastry flour. Pastry flour is finer and creates a more tender cookie. You can substitute white pastry flour as well.
- There are dairy free chocolate chip options available that taste really incredible. I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks. If you aren’t worried about keeping the cookies vegan, then you can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks.
- Flatten the dough before putting in the oven. I tried putting them in the oven, rolled tightly in a ball, and they stayed in a ball. These are meant to be large cookies and need to spread some in the oven.
- There are 16 grams of protein per cookie. These are very large cookies and are actually considered 2 servings, according to Lenny and Larry. But heck you do whatever you please and eat the entire cookie!
These two photos are the cookies using Vanilla Whey Protein Powder. The cookies spread more, had more crackling to them, but had a better flavor. I didn’t notice the protein powder flavor in these as much as the Pea Protein Powder.
- ½ cup Palm Margarine, cold
- ½ cup Cane Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Flax Seed (or Chia Seeds)
- 2 Tablespoon Water
- 2 teaspoons Molasses
- ½ cup Protein Powder (vanilla pea protein or whey protein powder)
- 1¼ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips (for vegan use dairy free chocolate such as Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks)
- Preheat oven to 370 degrees.
- In large mixing bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- In small bowl, mix together ground flax seed or chia seeds and water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add to butter sugar mixture and mix. Add molasses and stir.
- Stir in protein powder, whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, salt. Mix until just combined, avoid overmixing. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using parchment paper or silpat silicone baking sheets, cover baking sheet. Divide dough into 4-5 large balls. Press down on dough to flatten. Make sure that each cookie has enough room to spread.
- Bake at 9-11 minutes or until golden brown on edges but still soft.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.
Now here’s your chance to eat a cookie without all of the guilt! These Lenny and Larry’s Protein Cookie Copycat are a balance of protein, carbs, and fats while still remaining vegan. Hallelujah! Forget the protein shake, I am eating a cookie.
Hi! I was wondering where you found the Palm margarine? I’m have a hard time finding it. Thanks!
Hi Lauren,
Try Kroger In the natural foods section. Or Whole Foods. Good luck!
Hi thanks for sharing this recipe, have been on the hunt for a protein rich cookie a la Lenny &a Larry so can’t wait to test it out. How much water is necessary to soak the flax seed? I’m using enough for it to retain a stodgy texture so about a teaspoon.
My dough was way too dry – I had to add 1/4 c almond milk to get a cookie dough consistency.
This is just a normal fattening cookie, you have just added protein powder..
Agree with Cookie monster here. Look at the label of a Lenny and Larry’s Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie and what do you see?? 28g of sugar in one cookie!!! That’s more than in 2 glazed Dunkin’ Donuts! Just because you make it vegan and inject it with protein doesn’t make it healthy. Lipstick on a pig as it were.
if you are all that concerned, try experimenting with Brown Rice Syrup or Splenda. That would reduce the carbs in the cookie.
Can you just use an egg/ eggs whites instead of flax seed?
These are awesome! I used whey protein, coconut oil instead of palm oil, white whole wheat flour and a little cream of tartar, dairy free.chips. I did have to add a little rxtra water though. My pocket book thanks you!! 😊
Did you try using baking powder in any of your trial recipes? I’m just wondering if that would help them flatten out less.
I loved this, I will admit I changed it up a bit though and made more of the double chocolate kind. I subbed coconut oil, used honey instead of molasses, only used 1 cup of flour, added 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and used vega protein powder. I’m sure to make it less sugar you could try xylotol.
I love this recipe has a base recipe though I have changed it up a bit. Instead of using butter I use 1/2 of a ripe banana, a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter … heaping meaning it’s probably closer to 2 tblsp … ( I’ve used both creamy and crunchy peanut butter so if you like extra nuts then go with the crunchy ) and a heaping tablespoon of applesauce. I beat that with the sugar for a while before adding remaining ingredients. I also use dark chocolate chips instead of semi sweet. Dark chocolate is better for you. I couldn’t find the particular flour in the recipe so I’ve been using brown rice flour instead. It’s pretty cheap too. So anyways … ya forget the butter.
Oh I forgot to mention … I scoop up dough and make balls about the size of a golf ball … maybe a tad bigger and only slightly touch the tops down with my finger … slightly. The cookies flatten just enough during baking to make good size moist thick cookies. I also set timer for 8 minutes and tend to count about 30 seconds and take them out. Sometimes less. Definitely use parchment paper !!!!! No sticking at all.
Hi do you have the macros for this? Just baked them and almost ready to eat!
Hi Daryl! I just calculated macros for this recipe:
If this recipe serves 5, then one cookie will have 498 cal, 57C, 27F, 13P and 22 grams of sugar. I used sugar free chocolate chips in my calculation. My comment with macros is awaiting moderation. I hope this helps!
Just wondering what to use to make these gluten free? Almond flour, maybe? Or would you try a mix of almond and coconut flour? Also looking for a more Keto friendly sweetener… monk fruit? Suggestions? Thanks
Hi! I used MyFitnessPal to check nutritional value of these cookies. If this recipe serves 5, then one cookie will have 498 cal, 57C, 27F, 13P and 22 grams of sugar. I used sugar free chocolate chips in my calculation. I just thought that this could be helpful for someone. I’m trying to create my own protein cookie recipe, so I’m doing some research and I came across this article. I’m not sure if the author used MFP to check macros. If not, I highly recommend it. The whole point of protein cookies is about high protein + low carb + low fat + low sugar content. I hope this is helpful for some of the readers!
I’m sure these taste great, but they are not protein cookies.
Hi Laura! I have to agree with you! My whole purpose of making this recipe was to be able to give my readers an opportunity to make them just like the Lenny and Larry cookies. My sister-in-law is a macro coach so if I were to make a protein cookie, I would make them much higher in protein and less fat and carbs. I was following their science to make a copycat cookie. My numbers came out a little different than yours which means that we may be using different protein powders or ingredients. The Lenny and Larry’s serving size on their label is only for 1/2 cookie, which can be deceiving. Most people would think it is for the entire cookie! I came up with 400 calories, 55 carbs, 16 grams fat, and 16 grams of protein for the entire cookie. Again, Lenny and Larry show that a serving size is only 1/2 cookie. I will create a protein cookie recipe with more protein and less carbs and fat. I will keep you posted. Until then, thanks for the research and for sharing it. I appreciate it!
what is the grams of protein in the whey powder you used, Melissa?
I love how the people criticizing this the most fail to comprehend that this is a copycat recipe. This recipe is made to be as close to Lenny and Larry’s Complete Cookie as possible. People that do any sort of extended workout understand that having some carbs in a pre-workout snack is an excellent way to keep energy up. I’m not saying to “carb up” with 2 cookies and a bowl of noodles, but a bottle of pre-workout with half a cookie is hardly going to stand up to an hour of lifting followed by an hour of cardio. I tried this recipe with the non-vegan options and will be making it again. Thank you for the time, effort, and creativity you put into this recipe.