Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS: up to 75 percent of women experience this constellation of unpleasant symptoms that rise during the second half of their cycle: cravings, bloating, fatigue and mood swings. Before ovulation, you just hear things through a neutral, rational mood filter. After ovulation, when estrogen and progesterone levels change abruptly, you are more likely to become irritable, sad or angry. (I myself like to alternate between “crying baby” and “angry bitch” moods to keep my boyfriend on his toes :)
If you feel moody and in need of a “I-deserve-it” chocolate treat, this low-sugar protein cookie may be an alternative to avoid indulging in a cookie at Starbucks. A blood sugar roller coaster is never a good thing for your already raw nerves anyway :) And you may not want to, but getting in your workout helps a lot! Resistance training allows me to see things more clearly without the irrational PMS-craziness.
Ingredients for one cookie:
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (or chocolate flavor if you’re in need of intense chocolate therapy, something deep and decadent to ward off an existential crisis.)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 to 2 squares of dark chocolate
I used a vanilla protein powder which was a mix of whey and soy protein in this recipe. Some women say that they feel soy has a negative effect on them and their menstrual cycles. Others say it helps them. Both experiences makes sense, as soy has estrogenic properties. I’m aware of the whole “soy controversy” but I still use soy protein because it’s just way cheaper than whey :) I also tried this recipe with whey only and the cookie was slightly drier but still very good if you don’t over-bake it.
Mix avocado, protein powder and cocoa together in a food processor or using a hand blender. Chop dark chocolate and add to the mix.
Spread the cookie dough onto a non-stick cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 min at 180-200 degrees Celsius. Be careful not to overbake that cookie or it’s going to be too dry. Here is the cookie:
Inside the cookie
The nutrition facts for the cookie are: 457 kcal, 31 g of protein, 27.5 g of carbs, 7.5 g of sugar, 27.5 g of fat, 11.5 g of dietary fiber. If that’s too much for you, you can save 168 kcal, 7 g of sugar and 12 g of fat by omitting the chunks of dark chocolate. Comparatively, a double chocolate chunk cookie at Starbucks is about the same amount of calories but with 37 grams of sugar and only 3 grams of fiber.
Yes, it’s an ugly cookie that looks like a lava rock, but it’s a surefire cure for a serious chocolate craving!
Last bite!
English
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Decandent.. thats the way i like it! :)
Hi Joana! Yes, totally decadent, but it’s a pitty the cookie looks so monstruous though :) I didn’t notice it was that ugly when taking these pictures because I was so focused on tasting and eating it at the same time :) A guy on my facebook-page asked if it was a chew cookie for dogs…
I think your Calorie Count is Way Off……………
Hi Karen, what makes you think the calorie total isn’t right?
Well, I’ve used avocado and chocolate to make dairy-free chocolate mousse – but never cooked it!
I will definitely experiment with this.
Personally I go for plant-based wholefoods to help balance hormones, so would avoid both whey and soy-isolate protein. Hemp protein is an easily digested, minimally processed food with a complete range of amino acids. The Sun Warrior brand even comes in chocolate (or vanilla).
Thanks for the inspiration :-)
Hi Bo, thanks for your tip! Yes, I definitely want to start experimenting and baking with other kinds of protein powder (rice, pea, hemp) to avoid relying on whey and soy too often. Unfortunately these plant-based protein powders are not easily available in Europe yet (I have to order them online). I remember being totally amazed and overwhelmed by the choice & variety of protein powders available at the WholeFoods supermarket when I was on vacation in the US last year!
I have made this the past 2 nights, minus the added chocolate pieces. I absolutely love it…Its so easy to make and taste delicious and really satisfies the cookie monster inside me!
Thanks for the feedback Nicola, I’m delighted to hear someone actually tried my recipe! Yes, the chocolate chuncks are totally optional!
I was just wondering how many calories this had. You wrote it had 457 kcal which is equivalent to 457000 calories… and I don’t think that is correct. Thanks so much
Hi Erin, there are 457 kcal in that cookie. In physics and chemistry, a calorie is a very small unit: it is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. When it comes to diet & nutrition, people use the kilocalorie (that’s why the abbreviation ”kcal” is used on food labels) but call it just “calorie” because it’s shorter and easier to say than “kilocalorie”.
If we had to use the ‘real’ calorie unit that is used by scientists, we would have to say for example “1,500,000 daily calories” to talk about a daily caloric intake of 1,500 calories (kcal). Kilocaloric measurements (kcal) are shorter and easier to work with. The calories we’re talking about when it comes to nutrition are thus usually kilocalories (kcal) that are just called “calories”.
Ok so don’t get me wrong, I love avocados but when I made this “cookie” (seemed more like cake, also delicious) I didn’t realize that it would TASTE like avocado… Sorry but I won’t be making this again.
No problem K, thanks for your honest feedback!
Dear Elise,
I randomly found your website (and your recipes of course) yesterday night! Guess what…I made this cookie today and gotta say I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! I substituted vanilla with chocolate whey protein powder…and since I’m NOT a big fan of dark chocolate so I used Hershey milk chocolate chips instead! My boyfriend said he tasted a little bit of “avocado-ish”…but I didn’t?! Anyway, Thank you so much for all these creative AND HEALTHY recipes! Keep up with all the ideas :)
Thanks Minty for your feedback on this recipe, that’s very kind of you! Yes some people may still be bothered by the avocado’s taste, but it doesn’t bother me that much because I tend to focus a lot on the chocolate and chocolate chips when eating it ^_^
I use avocado to make a vegan chocolate pie and mousse, to get rid of that avocado taste you can substitute or add in (but that might make it too dry) carob powder. More of a dark Chocolatey taste but still not terrible for you :)
Good suggestion Kaitlyn! I’m a big fan of carob powder too! Yes it’s so strong that it “hides” effectively other flavors, like for example in these carob brownies I made. I couldn’t taste the strong flavor of chickpea flour at all thanks to the carob.
I tried out this recipe with Rocky Road flavored protein powder (its what I had at the time) and it made the cookie extremely rich and flavorful, I can’t wait to try it again with other flavors to compare!
Hi Allie, yes the protein powder’s brand and flavor can make a huge difference and give the recipe a nice twist. Rocky Road flavor (chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows) sounds awesome to me although I’ve never had a Rocky Road ice cream -I live in Europe and we don’t have many American ice cream flavors! >_<.
This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it. One question, why are there so many calories in this and so much fat?
Mainly because of the half avocado (161 kcal, 14.5 g of fat) and dark chocolate. But avocados contain mainly heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. You can save 168 kcal, 7 g of sugar and 12 g of fat by omitting the chunks of dark chocolate :)
Just made these. OMG… where have they been all my life? They are incredible!! What a fantastic recipe!! I plan on sharing this one for sure!
I doubled the recipe and made 7 small cookies. :) A 2-bite size is good enough for me as a treat.
Hi Susan, very good suggestion to make this recipe using reasonable portion sizes! It’s true that the whole big cookie isn’t low in calories ; it can better be eaten in case of desperate ‘PMS-madness’ cravings :)
450 kcals for ONE cookie? that’s how many calories you eat in one meal.
Hi Abby, this is a very big cookie, about the same size as a big American monster cookie. You can also make 3 normal sized cookies out of it. Comparatively, a big double chocolate chunk cookie at Starbucks is about the same amount of calories but with 37 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber, whereas this giant cookie has 31 g of protein, 7.5 g of sugar and 11.5 g of dietary fiber. And if you want you can save 168 kcal, 7 g of sugar and 12 g of fat by omitting the chunks of dark chocolate.
I have to say i liked the batter more than the cooked result… I made it without the extra squares of chocolate, so if i made it again i would definitely add them. Glad i tried this!
Hi Rachel, thanks for your feedback! I see what you mean, it’s true the batter makes a delicious protein pudding! The thing that is also good to know is that the avocado can give the cookie a slightly bitter taste if the cookie is over-baked. Don’t hesitate to slightly under-bake the cookie.
I made these with the avocado and it was pretty good, but I didn’t love the avocado flavor.
I tried it again, this time with 1/2 a mashed banana instead of the avocado and it was delicious!!!! It had a definite choc n banana flavor. This is definitely going into my ‘favorites’!
Thank you so so so much!!!!
I’m going to try it next substituting peanut butter…
Oh and bananas have 1/3 the calories of avocado, for those calorie conscious
Hi Melissa, yes but avocados are calorie-dense but they’re lower in carbs & sugar :)
Hi Melissa, thank you for the suggestion! It’s true that the avocado flavor can be a bit disturbing or too present in this recipe! Substituting with peanut butter would also work; I think you’d then get a cookie texture similar to my flourless peanut butter cookies.
Yum! Thank you for this awesome idea:) I have made it a few times the past few days and frozen them in smaller bite sized cookies so I can ration them when I need something like this, esp after the gym.
Several ideas I have tried and liked: added several drops of peppermint extract in one batch -very delicious! Also I substituted 1 tbsp organic extra virgin coconut oil plus 1 tbsp flaxseed and 1 tbsp organic shredded coconut for the avocado (thinking chia seeds would also work great!) just for a change. And my favourite is adding 2 tbsp of PB2 (dried peanut butter with 85% of the fat removed-sounds weird but it is so good and only 25 kcals/tbsp bought online) mixed with 1 tbsp coconut oil (much rather have the good fat from coconut than from peanuts) then blended in with the chocolate mixture and bake. So fun to experiment! Thanks again!
Hi Sian, thank you for the suggestions! I haven’t tried PB2 yet but I should definitely give it a go, it seems to have become very popular on many other fitness blogs!
Hi Elise!
If you can, please try the PB2-it is really delicious! I am a Canadian woman working in Tokyo and it is impossible to find stuff like this (and basics like reasonably priced protein powder, coconut oil etc…) here, so I have to rely on iherb or vitacost but I’m happy they deliver overseas.
I just discovered your blog and I’m very excited to try your recipes-my Dad is Dutch/French and when I saw your speculaas recipe I was over the moon-can’t wait to try it-it will remind me of eating them by the handful or (boxful!!)with the Dutch side of my family. Thanks again for your site-it is just what I was looking for-well balanced and delicious!
Hi Sian, yes I’m not used to buying foods online, but I should definitely give it a try. The Netherlands are such a small country that it’s very difficult to find special products. Thank you for the tip about both websites! If they deliver in Japan, then Europe shouldn’t be a problem! The protein speculaas don’t taste 100% like ‘real’ speculaas as you can imagine, but I found this special mix of spices here in the Netherlands that makes everything taste like it!
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