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Healthy Junk Food?

August 12, 2010 – 12:24 pm

But how can cookie dough balls be healthy?…

…When they’re made of peanut butter, hemp protein powder, and maple syrup!  These lovely little treats invented by Averie over at Love Veggies and Yoga have been the perfect little protein-packed morsels for my pregnancy sweet-tooth.  I’m not really letting myself have things like cookie dough, any more than I would when I’m not pregnant (Pregnancy should be a good excuse to eat more healthily than ever, not less.), but I do have this voracious appetite to deal with.  So I try to contain it with ample fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.  And every so often, a little healthy junk food is in order.

Enter, Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.  They’re sweet enough that you can’t (or I can’t) really stand to eat more than one or two, but contain enough protein, fat, and fiber (especially if you make the high protein version) not to give you a huge glycemic spike, from which you’ll crash later.

I used plain hemp protein powder, which is my favorite protein powder on the market.  It’s high-fiber, complete, plant-based protein.  I’ve never heard of anyone who is allergic or sensitive to hemp.  Hemp also has a nice balance of omega fatty acids.  I add it to all my smoothies, and occasionally to yogurt as a high-protein snack.  The only downside to using the hemp in this recipe is that it is kindof a green color, and turns your cookie dough balls that dark green color.  So they end up looking a bit like large deer turds (notice I didn’t include a photo in this post.  I don’t want to put you off making this yummy healthy snack).  Fortunately, that doesn’t put me off, so I’ve been noshing on a couple a day.  They really do taste like peanut butter cookie dough. If you can’t stand your dough balls looking like deer turds, you should choose a different protein powder.

For those who are interested, these are gluten-free (as long as you use a g/f protein).  And if you’re sensitive to peanuts, you can always substitute almond or sunflower butter.  Like Averie, I used crunchy nut butter – I love the crunch of the peanuts.  And, as she mentions, you could substitute carob chips for the chocolate if you have issues with that. Another note: I found it easier to coat my hands in a little coconut oil as I was rolling the balls — much less sticky.

If you make these, let me know if you love ‘em!