Paleo ‘Nutella’ Double Chocolate Protein Cookies + Vegan Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce

Grain-free, sugar-free, protein-packed, paleo, keto-friendly, delicious fudgy goodness!

I promise you guys, these cookies will not disappoint! I actually had a couple for breakfast this morning with my coffee because they pack a protein punch & are filled with healthy fats, so they keep me full for SO long! They make for the perfect snack to pack for school or work too!

I used roasted hazelnuts, which I then let cool & peeled off the skin & pulsed in my Vitamix to make a hazelnut ‘flour’. I will give you other recommendations below if you don’t have these on hand. Just keep in mind, that this ingredient is what gives it the ‘Nutella’ flavour.  The cookies will be just as delicious with an alternative nut flour, but I am a huge hazelnut fan, so I am all about them in this recipe.

This vegan & sugar-free caramel sauce will change your life!

A little note about this caramel sauce, it is absolutely delicious! I always have a batch in my fridge & will heat up a bit to put over everything! Coconut ice cream, over some yogurt, drizzled on top of fruit or paleo pancakes! The options are endless! It hardens up when stored in the fridge, which is normal for coconut based recipes, & can be easily melted down when you need some. Perfect for all the vegans out there, & of course free of sugar, so it will not raise your blood glucose or spike that insulin!

I can’t wait any longer so let’s get right into it!

Print Recipe

Paleo 'Nutella' Double Chocolate Protein Cookies + Vegan Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce

Fudgy, tasty, low-carb, protein-packed, grain-free & sugar-free, these cookies will not disappoint you! I love them for breakfast with my coffee, or as a snack to hold me over until lunch or dinner! They are even perfect served as a dessert with the warm caramel sauce & your favourite ice cream!

Keyword

Nutella Paleo Protein Cookies

Prep Time

10 Minutes

Cook Time

10 Minutes

Servings

Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts** roasted then peeled*
• 4 tbs Grass-Fed Butter, softened Or you can sub in coconut oil or ghee
• 1 Egg
• 2-4 tbs Nut milk of choice I used almond, but any milk or cream should work
• 4 tbs Cacao powder Or you can use unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tbs MCT oil Or preferred oil or choice, such as coconut or avocado oil
• 1/2 cup Sugar-free chocolate***
• 1/2 cup Powdered Lakanto Sweetener Or your preferred sweetener of choice
• 2/3 cup Vanilla Protein Powder I use Ancient Nutrition's Keto Vanilla
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Coconut vinegar Or apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 Pinches Pink or Celtic Sea Salt

Caramel Sauce

• 1 can Coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Golden Lakanto Or sweetener of choice
• 1/4 tsp Pink or Celtic Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 tbs Coconut butter

Keyword Nutella Paleo Protein Cookies Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 10 Minutes Servings Cookies Ingredients Cookies 3/4 cup hazelnuts** roasted then peeled* 4 tbs Grass-Fed Butter, softened Or you can sub in coconut oil or ghee 1 Egg 2-4 tbs Nut milk of choice I used almond, but any milk or cream should work 4 tbs Cacao powder Or you can use unsweetened cocoa 2 tbs MCT oil Or preferred oil or choice, such as coconut or avocado oil 1/2 cup Sugar-free chocolate*** 1/2 cup Powdered Lakanto Sweetener Or your preferred sweetener of choice 2/3 cup Vanilla Protein Powder I use Ancient Nutrition's Keto Vanilla 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Coconut vinegar Or apple cider vinegar 1-2 Pinches Pink or Celtic Sea Salt Caramel Sauce 1 can Coconut milk 1/2 cup Golden Lakanto Or sweetener of choice 1/4 tsp Pink or Celtic Sea Salt 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract 2 tbs Coconut butter

Instructions

Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F & line a baking tray with parchment paper, then set aside.
2. Add the hazelnuts to a high-speed blender, if using, & pulse until a 'flour' consistency is achieved.
3. Then you can add the butter, egg, & milk to the blender & pulse with the hazelnuts or flour of your choice, for about a minute, until smooth.
4. Mix the cacao, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, & pink salt together in a large bowl. Then pour the batter from the blender into the dry ingredients, and add the coconut vinegar to mix everything together.
5. Melt the chocolate either over low heat on the stove or in the microwave for 30 second intervals. I like to only melt it about halfway & then you get some thicker chocolate chunks in the cookies after they bake.
6. Combine the melted chocolate into the batter.
7. Using a spoon, scoop a spoonful of the batter onto your baking tray & top with a couple extra chocolate chips if you would like.
8. Place them in the oven & bake for about 8-11 minutes. I prefer to slightly under-bake my cookies & then let them cool before removing them from the pan right away. This really gives them a really fudgy texture. These cookies are even better when stored in the fridge for the next day, in my opinion!
9. You can serve these with the caramel sauce recipe here, your favourite ice-cream, some whipped cream, or however you would like!

Caramel Sauce

1. Bring coconut milk & sweetener to a boil on med heat, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Let simmer here for about 15-25 mins until it starts to thicken, & stirring regularly.
3. Once it has thickened remove from heat & add the rest of the ingredients & mix together.
4. Store in the fridge & top on these cookies, yogurt, ice-cream, my grain-free caramel apple doughnuts, or dip in some apple slices! You will have to re-heat from the fridge or if it cools too much but it will always taste great!

Recipe Notes

*To roast the hazelnuts, use raw hazelnuts & line them on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Set the oven to 375 F & allow to cook until they become fragrant & slightly browned. I usually do mine for about 10-15 mins & move them around in a pan a couple times, for even cooking. Allow them to cool & then peel off the skins as much as possible. This is what you will use to pulse in the blender to make the hazelnut flour.
**You can sub this for pre-ground nut flour of your choice: hazelnut, pecan, cashew or almond flours should all still give you a great end result. However, if you want that Nutella flavour, you will need to make sure you're using hazelnuts.
***I like Lily's brand or a stevia sweetened dark chocolate. I also love 90% Lindt as well. But you can use your favourite dark chocolate brand. To keep it dairy-free, make sure you use a dairy-free chocolate here. Enjoy Life is a good brand, however, they are not sugar-free so this will increase the overall sugar content in the recipe.