Coconut Almond Protein Cookies

Preheat oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Place almond butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until smooth and melted, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add coconut oil, egg yolk and vanilla and beat with an electric hand mixer until mixed and the batter thickens. Add whole egg (see note below) and beat again until the batter begins to smooth out.

Add protein powder, cornstarch, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt and stir until smooth and sticky. Your batter will be a little thinner than usual cookie dough. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips. Place into the freezer for 10 minutes to make the dough easier to work with.

Spread the coconut flakes on a shallow, sided plate. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and roll into 14 tablespoon-sized balls. Roll just the tops and sides of each ball in the coconut flakes and place onto the prepared pan. Flatten cookies about 1/3 inch thick and press in the remaining 1 tablespoon of chips. Freeze again for 25–30 minutes, until they feel hard.

Bake until the tops just feel set, about 11–13 minutes (they firm up a lot once cool.) Let them cool on the pan completely. Devour!

Note: I know this sounds strange to add the eggs separately, but this is how you get a great texture. When I tested adding them at the same time, the cookies were much more cakey.