If you’re a fan of the amazing Jumble Lemon Cookies, you’ll love these lemon protein cookies. The only thing missing is the hole in the center, but I figured that was a waste of cookie!
And with just 6 ingredients and a crazy simple recipe, you’ll have 6 buttery lemon protein cookies in no time.
This recipe was inspired by the Wicked Good Kitchen Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies recipe.
Ingredients for Lemon Protein Cookies and Substitutions
I originally posted this recipe on my Instagram and will briefly run through some of the most common ingredient modification questions.
Can I substitute Almond Flour for All Purpose Flour?
This one is always a question when I use one or the other. My typical answer is yes, they can be swapped 1:1 in most recipes.
With a small batch recipe like these lemon protein cookies, however, I wanted to try it for myself. That’s why you’ll find a lower calorie option in the recipe card’s notes section below that uses all purpose flour.
The only changes you’ll need to make for this version is an extra tablespoon of Greek yogurt or butter and a slight reduction in the baking powder.
Does it matter if I use another protein powder for these lemon protein cookies?
You can use any protein powder you’d like, but I’ll leave you with a few important tips for using a different protein powder:
- substitute gram for gram, not scoop for scoop (different scoops are different sizes)
- add the butter slowly to avoid over hydrating the dough to where you can’t handle it
- if the dough is too dry, add an extra tablespoon of butter, Greek yogurt, or a tiny bit of liquid
- the Frosted Cookie protein I used is very similar to a vanilla, for flavor comparisons
Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon zest?
I was concerned the omission of lemon zest might leave the cookies a bit dry, but a member of my Facebook group used 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract and said they turned out great. It’s worth mentioning she used a different protein powder and butter, so you may have to tinker just a little to get things perfect.
Is there a substitute for light butter?
You could use any butter or comparable fat source for these protein cookies.
A common substitute I’ll make for butter in lower calorie desserts is unsweetened apple sauce. Though I could see the cookies being slightly tough with apple sauce instead of butter. If you try this, start small with maybe 2 tablespoons of the light butter and 1-2 tablespoons of apple sauce.
And if you hate apples, there’s always the possibility of using a superstar like canned pumpkin. I used a combo of light butter and pumpkin for my single serving protein cookie dough and you’d never know it’s there in small amounts!
Is the Swerve confectioners sugar necessary?
The recipe calls for Swerve Confectioners which is a zero-calorie, non-glycemic powdered sugar substitute. I use this product for tons of recipes and highly recommend Swerve products. That said, you only need 2 tablespoons and could get away with real powdered sugar if need be.
No matter what you use, I’d recommend using something. Check out the photo below for an example of the lemon protein cookies with and without confectioners sugar.
And if you’re on the fence about buying something like Swerve, just take a look at all my recipes with Swerve Confectioners.
Final Notes for Low Carb Lemon Protein Cookies
I mentioned that I posted this recipe on Instagram first so if you’d like to get in on the action there you can find me @mason_woodruff. Or you can join my free Facebook group and get ideas and tips from other Proton Party members like Natalia’s lemon extract experiment.
Hope to see you there, and I hope you enjoy your lemon protein cookies! You’ll find the full recipe card below.
Low Carb Lemon Protein Cookies
A small batch recipe for soft and buttery lemon protein cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C (56g) Blanched Almond Flour
- 2 scoops (56g) Protein Powder, I used Bowmar Nutrition Frosted Cookie
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp (8g) Lemon Zest
- 1/4 C (56g) Light Butter, I used Land O' Lakes with canola
- 2 Tbsp (18g) Swerve Confectioners, or powdered sugar substitute
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients together before adding the lemon zest and light butter. Stir well until you can form a ball of dough.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces. (Use a food scale to weigh each for accuracy, if desired.)
- Roll each piece between your palms to smooth before rolling each ball in the confectioners sugar. (You can spray your hands with a tiny bit of cooking spray to prevent sticking.)
- Place the balls on the baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to crisp. The bottoms should be golden brown but the centers should still be soft. Let the cookies cool before digging in.
Notes
- Each cookie has 3 Smart Points.
- With the Swerve, each cookie has 3g of net carbs.
- For a lower calorie version, use 1/2 C (60g) all purpose flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder, and add 1 Tbsp (14g) vanilla fat free Greek yogurt.
- If you have ingredient modification questions about protein powder, lemon zest, butter, or Swerve confectioners, I likely answered them in the post above. Check there and if you don't find your answer, leave a comment at the bottom of the post!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 cookies Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 9gCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 9g
More Low Carb Desserts You Might Like
My low carb blueberry cake donuts are protein packed as well and have fresh blueberries baked into every single bite.
And my pumpkin cheesecake bars use a similar combination of ingredients with an almond flour and light butter crust and protein packed pumpkin spice cheesecake on top.
Skip to Recipe
Maria W
Wednesday 15th of April 2020
Mine didn’t flatten out like cookies, so I called them scones. I made the lower calorie version with AP flour. I added a glaze of Swerve confectioners with lemon juice. Next time I would add some lemon extract in addition to the zest, maybe an extra tablespoon of yogurt and shorten the baking time.
Kelly Nasradinaj
Monday 25th of November 2019
If you like lemon then you'll love these! I used about half the amount of butter to save some fats and they still turned out great, just watch them in the oven because they brown pretty quick.
Kelsey
Monday 25th of November 2019
Loved these! I used True Lemon crystals and used about 6 packets for a patch because I have them on hand to add to my water. They tasted perfect with them 👍🏼.
Andrea Fletcher
Monday 25th of November 2019
The lemon flavor in these was perfect. I did use real butter, same amount. Do not skip the step about rolling in the sugar, makes for a better cookie. Also, spray your hands or rub them with olive oil to avoid sticking the dough to your fingers and subsequently eating half the dough before baking the cookies. My husband really liked these too.
Alexandra
Sunday 24th of November 2019
*FOLLOW MASON'S DIRECTIONS* lol do as I say not as I do, I messed this one up but it worked out in the end. I tried using a different brand of protein powder (ON whey vanilla) and added an egg and reduced the butter like someone in the facebook group suggested. I also used cake batter extract and omitted the lemon. The "dough" was super sticky and wet and I didn't have the mental stability that night to deal with rolling them into cookies lol so I decided to just scrape it into a small pan and make "cookie bars". They were SO DRY, almost biscuit like, probably a combo of the protein powder type and my weird substitutions. Rather than trashing them I ended up cutting them into strips and dipping them in egg whites with some cinnamon and swerve and they turned into the most delicious french toast sticks ever so I guess it worked out. Will definitely give this recipe another shot once I have the right protein powder!