mocha chip protein breakfast cookies

Can we please make cookies for breakfast a regular thing? Aside from being delicious, they're portable, taste amazing with coffee and they are just plain fun. Recently, I've returned to more structured fitness and athletic pursuits.  I'm one year post partum after 2 close pregnancies and healthy deliveries (thank you God). I'm feeling the call to get back to my athletic self.  Fitness has been a regular part of my life forever, minus about a year or so in college when I lost my way on that front and thankfully picked it back up because I would not be able to keep up with my 4 kids (with 2 of them being 2 and under) if I hadn't been healthy enough to keep fitness a priority over the years. The point of this little fitness blurb is that I'm prioritizing protein in my diet as I also work to build strength.  Hence, protein breakfast cookies.

This recipe does not use any sugar.  Rather, the sweetness comes from a coffee flavored protein powder and a small amount of maple syrup.  You can use any protein powder you like.  I used Vega Cold Brew Protein Powder for that rich, coffee flavor. These cookies are soft, flavorful and a nice little pick up in the afternoon too.

Ingredients
-3/4 cup butter
-2 scoops Coffee Flavored Protein Powder (the type I used is here)
-2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-2 cups oats
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or parchment paper. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and protein powder together.  Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla.  Combine. Pour the oats, flour, salt and powder on top of the wet ingredients.  Mix lightly on top of those ingredients with a fork.  Then use the stand mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips and chill the dough for 20 minutes.

Scoop out the cookies into tablespoon sized balls of dough.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack as cookies are super soft out of the oven.  Enjoy!