SUGAR COOKIE COLLAGEN PROTEIN BARS
These Sugar Cookie Collagen Protein Bars remind me of soft-baked frosted sugar cookies from the bakery… Only they’re packed with collagen protein, low in sugar, gluten-free and dairy-free! They taste seriously dreamy and have a wonderfully dense “cookie-like” texture. Add some white chocolate chips or smother with my sugar-free buttercream frosting for an extra decadent treat 😉 Even with all the extras, each bar has only 2 grams of sugar (with all the extras) and 11 grams of protein. Yes please!
Collagen recommendations and substitutions
For added protein, I used LIV Body Flavorless Marine Collagen in the batter, which adds beauty-boosting, gut healing, and joint health benefits! Marine collagen is highly bioavailable and free of contaminants too. If you’d like to pick up some LIV Body products at 20% off, use my code “NOEXCUSES” on their website: https://livbody.com
If you don’t have collagen, you can substitute an additional quarter cup (30g) of gluten free baking flour, or 30 grams of another protein powder (such as whey, whey-casein blend, or plant-based protein). If using whey or casein, you may also want to replace half of the egg white with a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce, buttery spread, oil, or more cashew butter to ensure they stay moist. You simply can’t use as much of these other protein powders (without other modifications) or the bars will come out dry and dense. That’s the “beauty” of collagen!
Flour recommendations and substitutions
I used gluten free baking flour to mimic the texture of traditional sugar cookie bars, sans the gluten. However, you could try substituting half as much (six tablespoons) coconut flour to reduce the carb content, or twice as much almond flour (one and a half cup). You can also swap out the gluten free baking flour for all-purpose flour, cake flour, cassava flour (Paleo), fine oat flour, spelt flour (not gluten-free), sorghum flour, or white wheat flour.
Sweetener substitutions
To add sweetness without any sugar, I used Pyure Organic Stevia Blend, a calorie-free blend of stevia and erythritol that’s twice as sweet as sugar. If substituting baking stevia, granulated erythritol, monk fruit sweetener, or granulated sugar like coconut sugar, you will need about twice as much (one cup) to achieve the same level of sweetness. If using stevia extract or drops, please refer to the brand-specific conversion chart.
Other substitutions
Cashew butter works great in these bars because collagen baked goods need a little extra help holding together, and nut butters are better at binding than butter or oil. For this reason, I cannot recommend a substitute for the cashew butter, except maybe another nut butter, but using peanut butter or almond butter will alter the taste. The egg whites may be substituted for an equivalent amount of vegan egg replacer if you’re allergic to eggs.
The white chocolate chips are optional, but if you’re not going to frost your bars then I would recommend adding the white chocolate chips – or they might be a bit boring 😉
Sugar free buttercream frosting
The sugar free buttercream frosting is SO GOOD! All you need is a powdered sweetener (like Swerve), tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch or cornstarch), unsweetened almond milk (any milk will do), buttery spread (vegan or grass-fed butter), and pure vanilla extract. DO NOT sub baking stevia or any type of granulated stevia here or your frosting will be bitter and disgusting.
If you want to add some fun sprinkles without the artificial colorings, try these! Artificial colors are linked to behavioral disorders in children, so I just avoid them.
Here’s the printable recipe for these Sugar Cookie Collagen Protein Bars! I’d love for you to rate and/or comment below if you try it 😉
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by LIV Body.
Sugar Cookie Collagen Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 90 g unflavored collagen protein* I used LIV Body Marine Collagen (code NOEXCUSES for 20% off)
- 3/4 cup (90g) gluten-free baking flour*
- 1/2 cup calorie-free sweetener* I used one that's twice as sweet as sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt optional
- 1/2 cup creamy cashew butter
- 1/2 cup (4 large) egg whites*
- 2-3 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1.5 oz. white chocolate chips optional
- 2 tbsp. sprinkles optional
Frosting (optional)
- 1 cup calorie-free powdered sweetener* like Swerve Confectioner's
- 2 tbsp. tapioca starch*
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk*
- 2 tbsp. buttery spread*
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
*See blog post above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl (through salt).
- Add wet ingredients (through extract) and mix until smooth and thick.
- Stir in white chocolate chips if desired.
- Line an 8″x8″ baking pan with parchment paper, or lightly coat with cooking spray and spread batter over the bottom of pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out slightly dirty.
- Let pan cool for 10 minutes, then place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes.
- While bars chill, mix frosting ingredients until smooth in a medium bowl. Place in the fridge until bars are ready to frost.
- Frost bars, add sprinkles (optional), and cut into twelve servings. Enjoy!
- Bars will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for one month.
Notes
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