Sward, A. (2012a) “Chocolate Low-Carb Protein Cookie Things.” In Experiments with Psyllium, Volume 1 (Issue One): Page 1-1.

Foreword: This post was written under the influence of a day spent hunting and gathering academic journal articles.

Abstract: Ground psyllium husks are most commonly sprinkled on cereal and/or added to drinks by those wanting to increase their intake of dietary fiber. They have been proven to be very effective in lowering total cholesterol – particularly LDL. When wet, warmed, or boiled, psyllium husks gain a gooey and gelatinous consistency becoming unfit for (pleasurable) human consumption. In the context of cooking however, psyllium husks must not be altogether discarded because they provide the perfect foundation to low-carb tortillas and wraps (see: Sward 2011a, Sward 2011b, Sward 2011c, Sward 2011d for examples of this). In this study, a low-carb cookie was attempted by creating a low-carb protein mixture and baking it inside muffin cases. The result was expectedly gooey yet crunchy with intense dark chocolate overtones throughout. Carbs were higher than expected due to the inclusion of the sweet potato. Further studies will benefit from following this blueprint and playing around with the proportions, possibly removing the potato.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup psyllium husks
1/4 cup vegan protein powder*
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder*
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 small cooked sweet potato
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs
100% dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Blend together the ingredients except for the chocolate and bake in seven muffin cases at 170 C (338 F) for about 25 minutes.

2. When finished, cut in half and top with a small piece of chocolate.

Macros per Serving (out of 7):

51kcals
4g protein
4.6g carbs (1.1g sugars)
2g fat (1g fat)
2.7g fiber

Notes:

Vegan protein powder and/or brown rice protein powder can be substituted with casein.

When the above ‘muffins’ were cooked and safely removed from the oven, their internal gooeyness became immediately apparent. For all fourteen muffin halves, 17 grams of dark chocolate were used (i.e. approximately three small squares). As soon as the chocolate made contact with the muffin halves – by this stage labelled ‘cookie things’ – it melted. At this stage, the cookie things could have  been placed under the grill to heighten their crunchiness but, upon biting one, the author made the decision to leave them as they were. A careful assessment of the macros brought to light that, while each cookie thing contained 4.6g of carbohydrates, each had 2.7g of fiber and in this way could be argued to retain its low-carb status. Consumer reviews were predominately positive, ranging as they did from “oh, hell yessssss!” (A. Sward 2012) and “nice! they’re crunchy on the outside but gooey on the inside!” (J. Sward 2012) to “I like the melted dark chocolate on top but they could be maybe crunchier?” (A. Gerard 2012). In conclusion, this research yielded interesting findings that will most certainly prove useful in the development of future low-carb protein psyllium-based cookies.