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Soft, chewy, and packed with cinnamon flavor – who doesn’t love snickerdoodle cookies? We wanted to create a healthier alternative to our favorite cookie, so we developed these delicious snickerdoodle protein balls to satisfy our sweet tooth.
Like overnight oats and chia pudding, protein balls are a trendy healthy snack food that has stuck around – for good reason! Protein balls (or energy bites) are easy to make, endlessly customizable, and good for you too.
We seriously can’t stop snacking on these snickerdoodle protein balls that taste just like the popular cookie.
These energy balls are made with healthy ingredients like oat flour, almond butter, maple syrup, and your favorite protein powder. We usually have some almond extract in the pantry from holiday baking and it’s the secret to making these bites truly taste like cookies – but can be omitted if you don’t have it.
Ingredients for Snickerdoodle Protein Balls
Use these simple and nutritious ingredients to make these delicious protein-packed snickerdoodle balls.
- Oat Flour: for the most cookie-like texture, we like using oat flour for this snickerdoodle protein ball recipe.
- Vanilla Protein Powder: use your favorite brand of vanilla protein powder for these snickerdoodle balls. To make these vegan, use a plant-based protein powder.
- Creamy Almond Butter: helps these protein balls hold together while also providing some protein and heart healthy fats. You can substitute with cashew butter if you need.
- Maple Syrup: adds a little bit of sweetness. You can substitute with honey or agave if you prefer, but we thought these no bake protein balls had the best flavor when we used maple syrup.
- Cinnamon: a quintessential spice for snickerdoodle cookie flavored treats.
- Vanilla & Almond Extract: adding a bit of both vanilla extract and almond extract gives these energy bites a fresh baked cookie flavor (but without the cookie!).
How to Make Snickerdoodle Protein Balls
Follow these simple instructions to make this delicious and nutritious recipe.
Blend: In the bowl of a food processor, add the oat flour, protein powder, almond butter, maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and the extracts. Pulse until mixture resembles cookie dough, about 1 minute. If the batter is too wet, add more oat flour a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry add more maple syrup or nut butter. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Shape: Use a tablespoon or medium cookie scoop to form them into 1.5 inch balls then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roll in Coating: If making the cinnamon sugar coating, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and granulated sugar to a small plate and toss together. Roll the snickerdoodle bites into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat well. Store in an air-tight container for up to one week or in the freezer for up to one month.
Recommended Tools for this Recipe
- Food processor
- Small cookie scoop
- Airtight container for storage
Are Protein Energy Bites Good for You?
They sure are! These healthy protein energy bites are packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber for a satisfying snack that is also nutrient-dense. We love snacking on these pretty much any time of the day, but especially as a pre or post workout snack.
How Long do Protein Balls Last?
You can store these snickerdoodle energy bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
More Protein-Packed Snacks to Try
- Carrot Cake Protein Balls
- No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- High Protein Overnight Oats
- Healthy Green Protein Smoothie
- Protein Bars with Peanut Butter
- Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
Snickerdoodle Protein Balls
Equipment
- Food processor
- Small Cookie Scoop
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup almond butter nut butter of choice
- 1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1 dash sea salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of the processor, add all of the ingredients, except cinnamon sugar coating. Blend on high until completely incorporated, about 1 minute. If it’s too wet, add more oat flour a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry add more honey and nut butter. Once complete, place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Use a tablespoon or medium cookie scoop to form them into 1.5 inch balls then place on a baking sheet.
- If making the cinnamon sugar coating, add both ingredients to a small bowl and toss together. Roll each protein ball into the mixture to coat well. Store in an airtight container for up to one week or in the freezer for up to one month.
The Ingredient list says that the cinnamon is divided but doesn’t indicate a division in the Directions. I assume that some of the cinnamon is for the mixture and some is for the coating. Could you please indicate amounts? Thank you!
Oh boy – thanks for pointing that out – I just went back in and fixed it to make it clear! Love when you all help me out! Thank you!
Instead of protein powder what would you recommend using?
Well the protein powder helps hold it together – you could use collagen powder, or maybe even oats? Maybe add some ground flax seed – just something to act like a binder.