Coconut Chocolate Chip Protein Bites
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Prep time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 30 bites
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup vanilla protein powder ((see instructions for notes)
  • ½ cup peanut butter (or 1 cup dry powdered peanut butter)
  • ¼ cup erythritol (or cane sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • almond milk, as needed (see instructions for notes)
  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used reduced fat)
  • 3 squares sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine protein powder, peanut butter or powdered peanut butter, erythritol, and vanilla extract and stir until completely combined. If using regular peanut butter (and not powdered), use your fingers to knead the dough, ensuring that the dry ingredients are incorporated into the peanut butter as well as possible. Now here comes the part where you really have to pay attention. Because protein powders vary so much in texture and ability to hold liquid, add in the almond one one tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition and stopping when you've reached a cookie dough texture. Obviously you will end up using slightly more if you use powdered peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter, as peanut butter is wet but the powder is dry. Stir in the shredded coconut and chopped dark chocolate. Using a heaping ½ tablespoon measure, roll the dough into balls. At this point, I place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet where I stick them in the freezer, freeze until cold, and transfer to a zip-lock bag for long term storage. Again, the texture of the finished bites will depend on what type of protein powder you use and whether you use regular peanut butter or powdered. In my experience, vegan protein powders (such as SunWarrior, which I love) are best able to hold liquid and thus result in the firmest end product. Whey/casein blends tend to be a close second, and plain whey protein tends to be the worst when it comes to absorbing liquid. Regular peanut butter results in a substantially firmer dough than powdered peanut butter, and it also tends to yield more volume and thus more bites. I personally am on a higher fat diet and love using regular peanut butter here. However, if you're restricting your fat/caloric intake, PB2 might be the best way to go, so I want to give you that option. Just be wary if you use whey protein and powdered peanut butter, as the dough can become runny if you're not very careful when adding the almond milk. The addition of coconut here does help firm up the texture though. I actually really enjoy using PB2 with SunWarrior, and do it all the time when making my single serving protein cookie dough. Now that I've given you a novel on what ingredients to use, please make these bites and devour.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 bite Calories: 27 Net Carbs: 1g Protein: 3g
Recipe by Foodie Fiasco at https://www.foodiefiasco.com/coconut-chocolate-protein-bites/