Low Carb Lemon Protein Cookies

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. 

4.91 from 22 votes

Servings: 6 cookies

Low Carb Lemon Protein Cookies

By Mason Woodruff

A small batch recipe for soft and buttery lemon protein cookies. 

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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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

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 131kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 9g

Like this? Leave a comment below!

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.