Protein Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough (+ Flavor Ideas!)

I kid you not, the viral Protein Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough may just be my new go-to dessert.

Creamy cottage cheese, protein powder, and a few other ingredients make a protein-packed snack that seems to get better with every spoonful.

It's low carb, easy to make, and has endless customization options.

What's to love about viral cottage cheese cookie dough

Cottage cheese cookie dough went viral right alongside cottage cheese ice cream. (Cottage cheese is definitely having a moment as a way to boost protein intake.)

I decided to give both a try and create some recipes, which led to a recipe that will go live next week!

I have to admit, though: I like cottage cheese cookie dough better.

Here's why:

PACKED with protein

Each serving of cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein.

Plus, since I've added protein powder to this recipe, each serving of cottage cheese cookie dough has OVER 24 grams of protein!

Granted, this total protein number can change based on the protein powder you use or the cottage cheese you use. Still, that 24g number isn't too far off.

How's that for a dessert?

Easy to make

This recipe is ridiculously easy. All you've got to do is blend the cottage cheese with sweetener, then stir the smooth cottage cheese in with everything else.

For a protein-packed dessert, it hardly gets easier!

You don't have to freeze it and stir periodically to prevent it from getting icy.

You don't have to wait for it to thaw.

Just refrigerate and dig in when you want a quick treat!

Ingredients needed for cottage cheese cookie dough with protein

— Full fat cottage cheese: I highly recommend using full fat cottage cheese for this recipe, but if you grab low fat instead, it'll still turn out.

Also get a high-quality cottage cheese. If you open up the package and it seems like there's more liquid than curds of cheese, that's not a good sign! There should be LOTS of curds and it should be THICK. I used the brand Good Culture and it was straight up fantastic!

— Maple syrup: One of my favorite non-sugar sweeteners. You can use honey if you'd like, too! Or, if your protein powder is sweet enough for you, try skipping this entirely.

— Protein powder: My absolute favorite protein powder makes both a vanilla and peanut butter protein powder, and those are my picks for this recipe!

— Almond flour: This gives the cookie dough that "dough" texture! If you need a nut free version, you can substitute ¼ cup coconut flour. Avoid super-fine almond flour, as I've heard this gives a gritty texture.

— Vanilla extract: Adds an extra boost of vanilla flavor to make it taste even more like cookie dough.

— Dark chocolate chips: My go-to brands are Pascha and Enjoy Life.

What protein powder should I use?

I'm not shy about my favorite protein powder: Equip Protein!

It's dairy free, gluten free, junk free. And tastes absolutely FANTASTIC.

Equip's Vanilla Prime Protein was an easy choice for this recipe!

For 15% off my FAVORITE protein powder and all other Equip Foods products,
Use code CHELSEAJOYEATS at checkout!
(First purchase only)

That said, if you have a favorite protein powder on hand already, feel free to use that.

How to make protein cottage cheese cookie dough

This couldn't be easier!

BLEND THE WET INGREDIENTS. Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth. If you have really thick cottage cheese, this takes longer than you think!

ADD THE COTTAGE CHEESE MIXTURE TO THE DRY INGREDIENTS. Pour the smooth cottage cheese mixture into a bowl and add the almond flour and protein powder. Stir until fully incorporated, then add the chocolate chips and stir a little more.

REFRIGERATE. Cover the bowl and put into the fridge. After 4 hours or so, give it a good stir and dig right in!

Flavor ideas for cottage cheese cookie dough

This recipe makes a basic chocolate chip cottage cheese cookie dough, but the possibilities are ENDLESS for this treat!

Here are a few ideas to get you going!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: Use peanut butter protein powder. When stirring in dark chocolate chips, also swirl in ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (don't fully blend it in, just swirl it).

Lemon Blueberry: Add ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice when blending. After combining with almond flour, stir in ½ cup fresh blueberries and 1 tablespoon lemon zest.

Strawberry: Use strawberry protein powder. Stir in ½ cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries before refrigerating.

Strawberry Cheesecake: Same as above, but stir in ⅓-1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers (use gluten free grahams to keep this gluten free).

White Chocolate Macadamia: Use white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips, and stir in ½ cup toasted chopped macadamia nuts.

Double Chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the blender with the cottage cheese and maple syrup.

Tips to prevent gritty cookie dough

A couple readers have reached out and said that the finished cookie dough tasted gritty to them. While that was not my experience at all in my tests of this recipe, here's what I think might be going on:

— Make sure to blend the cottage cheese until COMPLETELY smooth. It should be super smooth, like yogurt or a smoothie! Don't turn the blender off too early. You can't "overdo" this part.

— Not all brands of almond flour are the same. Avoid superfine almond flour.

How to make cottage cheese cookie dough without almond flour

I've had several questions asking whether you can use anything but almond flour for this recipe. Here are a couple suggestions!

— Coconut Flour: Since coconut flour absorbs a LOT more moisture than almond flour, start with ½ cup. Note that the overall volume of the recipe will be much smaller.

—Rice flour: Some readers have substituted rice flour and enjoyed the results. I haven't personally tried this one.

Have you tried another substitution? Let me know how it went so I can keep adding notes to this post!

Note: I have tried using cassava flour for this recipe but didn't like the results. It was a little too heavy/not the right texture for cookie dough.

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