This No-Bake Protein Cookie Is The Ultimate Toddler Healthy Snack
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: treats are pretty much the best stash house for nutrition. Whatever you want to get in there, there’s very little that flour + chocolate can’t cover, improve, and/or blend. Protein? Naturally. Fiber? Of course. Vegetables? Easier than you might think!
But say you’re the sort of person who also doesn’t want to have to, you know, bake. We’ve got you covered there, too: these toddler protein cookies require just a few minutes of stove work and a bit of wrist work to mix everything together; nothing needs to go in the oven. Chocolate. Cookies. No baking. They’ll be yours–and maybe, if he/she is lucky, your child can have a few. Maybe.--before naptime is over.
- 3/4 cup Milk (heavy cream can also be used)
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder (optional)
- 2 oz Sugar (optional; use only if your chocolate has little or no sugar in it)
- 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (or about 1/3rd to ½ of a dark chocolate bar)
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Rolled Oats (Instant Oatmeal is fine, too!)
- Mix milk, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, and sugar (if using) in a small pot. Heat pot at Medium Low until liquid starts to boil, then continue heating until the liquid has thickened, roughly 3-5 minutes; stir occasionally.
- While the milk mixture boils, melt the chocolate in a medium-sized bowl, which you can do by adding a splash of neutral oil to the bowl and microwaving for roughly 60-75 seconds.
- Pour the milk into the bowl with the chocolate and add the peanut butter and vanilla extract; stir until everything is blended.
- Add the oats in gradually, stirring after each handful or pour to integrate; continue pouring until the mix is thick but wet.
- With a large spoon or ice cream scooper, scoop out a hunk of the chocolate oat mix and place on a plate or pan lined with parchment paper. Press down and spread out the mixture.
- Freeze cookies on pan for ten minutes, then place in your fridge for another 15 or so minutes. Once solidified, they can be kept at room temperature.
Only thing needed is a glass of milk to accompany.
If you lack or don’t want to include either cocoa powder or chocolate pieces, do this: for just cocoa powder, use three tablespoons of cocoa powder and up the sugar to four ounces; for just chocolate, up the chocolate proportion to 1/3rd cup, and eliminate the sugar if your chocolate pieces are already sweet. You can also use other nut butters in place of peanut butter.