The essentials in 30 seconds
- The idea: swap part of the flour or sugar for protein powder, peanut butter or skyr, while keeping all the Christmas flavours (cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, hazelnut).
- The 4 recipes: chocolate hazelnut truffles, cinnamon spiced biscuits, protein hot chocolate and apple cinnamon pots.
- The trap to avoid: whey dries out if baked too long and goes lumpy in boiling liquid. Keep baking times short, and always add it off the heat for drinks.
- No time? Spiced protein cookies, protein spread and peanut butter make ready-to-eat festive snacks.
What is a Christmas protein snack?
A festive treat in which some of the ingredients are replaced by protein-rich foods: whey or a plant protein instead of part of the flour, peanut butter instead of butter, skyr instead of cream. It still tastes like Christmas, with protein as a bonus: a handy snack after a workout or to keep you going until dinner.
Let's be clear: a protein biscuit is still a biscuit. These recipes are not miracle foods, just good homemade alternatives where you control the ingredients and the amount of sugar.
A vanilla, chocolate or cinnamon whey brings both the protein and the flavour. For baking, a regular (concentrate) whey stays softer than an isolate.
It replaces butter, adds a melt-in-the-mouth texture and about 7 g of protein per heaped tablespoon (25 g).
Finely blitzed oats replace flour. They keep biscuits tender and go beautifully with spices.
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest and unsweetened cocoa: lots of flavour for hardly any calories.
Recipe 1: chocolate hazelnut protein truffles
The perfect recipe to start with: no baking, one bowl, and truffles to give away in a pretty box or keep in the fridge for chocolate cravings.
- 60 g chocolate whey
- 80 g hazelnut protein spread
- 40 g peanut butter
- 50 g oats, blitzed into flour
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk (or plant drink)
- 1 pinch of sea salt flakes
- To coat: 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, or chopped hazelnuts
- In a bowl, mix the whey, oat flour and salt.
- Add the spread and peanut butter, then mix with a fork until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add the milk one spoonful at a time, until the mixture holds together when pressed between your fingers.
- Roll into 16 walnut-sized balls, then coat them in cocoa or hazelnuts.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Festive version: half-dip the truffles in 50 g of melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with a little orange zest. They keep for 5 days in an airtight box in the fridge.
Recipe 2: cinnamon spiced biscuits, gingerbread style
The cut-out biscuits you make with the kids, in a protein version: oats replace flour, peanut butter replaces butter, and a cinnamon-flavoured whey boosts the gingerbread taste.
- 120 g oats, blitzed into flour
- 60 g cinnamon whey (or vanilla, plus 1 extra teaspoon of cinnamon)
- 50 g peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 40 g honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of nutmeg and cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 to 3 tablespoons milk if the dough is too dry
- Mix the oat flour, whey, spices and baking powder.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg, honey and peanut butter, then add the dry ingredients.
- Knead by hand: the dough should be soft but not sticky. Add a little milk if it crumbles.
- Roll it out to 6 mm between two sheets of baking paper and chill for 20 minutes.
- Cut out stars or gingerbread men and bake for 9 to 11 minutes at 170 °C: the edges should barely colour, the biscuits firm up as they cool.
Don't overbake: it is the most common mistake with whey, and it makes biscuits dry. They keep for a week in a biscuit tin.
Recipe 3: cinnamon orange protein hot chocolate
Comfort in a mug after a walk or a workout, ready in five minutes. The only rule: never pour whey into boiling milk.
- 250 ml semi-skimmed milk (or soya drink)
- 25 g chocolate whey
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
- 1 strip of unwaxed orange zest
- Heat the milk with the cocoa, spices and zest, without letting it boil.
- Take off the heat, remove the zest and let it cool for a minute.
- In the mug, mix the whey with 3 tablespoons of the milk to make a smooth paste.
- Gradually pour in the rest of the milk while whisking (a mini whisk or milk frother gives a lovely foam).
Why off the heat? Heated too much, whey proteins set and form lumps. Mixed into milk that is hot but not boiling, whey stays perfectly smooth.
Recipe 4: apple cinnamon pots with protein cream
A light festive dessert you can make ahead: cinnamon pan-fried apples, a vanilla cream made with skyr and whey, and a crunchy topping of spiced biscuits.
- 2 apples
- 1 teaspoon each of butter, honey and cinnamon
- 400 g plain skyr
- 30 g vanilla whey
- 40 g granola, or 2 crumbled spiced biscuits from recipe 2
- Dice the apples and cook them for 6 to 8 minutes in a pan with the butter, honey and cinnamon until golden. Leave to cool.
- Whisk the skyr with the whey until smooth.
- Layer the pots: apples, cream, apples, then the crunchy topping just before serving so it stays crisp.
Make it the day before: the apples and the cream keep for 24 hours in the fridge, stored separately. For a lactose-free version, use soya yoghurt instead of skyr and a plant protein instead of whey.
| Recipe | Serving | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate hazelnut truffles | 1 truffle | about 5 g |
| Cinnamon spiced biscuits | 1 biscuit | about 6 g |
| Cinnamon orange hot chocolate | 1 mug | about 30 g |
| Apple cinnamon pots | 1 pot | about 17 g |
Estimates based on the labels of the products in our selection and on average values for milk, skyr and eggs. They vary with the brands and flavours you use.
No time to cook? Our ready-to-eat protein snacks
Between family meals, there are also the snacks you slip into your bag or under the tree:
Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookies in Snickerdoodle (cinnamon) or Pumpkin Spice: 16 g of protein per cookie, best shared in two.
On a crêpe or a slice of spiced bread, a hazelnut spread with 18 g of protein per 100 g, instead of the usual chocolate spread.
A spoonful on apple slices dusted with cinnamon: the simplest winter snack there is.
To put together a sporty Christmas hamper, our gift guide for active people has ideas for every budget.
What protein really does
The holidays are not the time to count every gram. But if you train regularly, keeping your protein intake up throughout the day is still a good habit, and these recipes help you do it without giving up treats. To find out how much you need, read our guide how much protein per day.
Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
This claim may only be used for foods that are at least a source of protein (at least 12% of their energy value provided by protein).Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
Same condition: at least a source of protein. A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle remain essential.The Tonic Food tip: a single tub of vanilla or chocolate whey is enough for all four recipes. If you are unsure which protein to pick, our whey guide will help you choose.
The questions we get asked in store
Can you bake with whey?
Yes. Mixed into a dough (oats, egg, peanut butter), whey can be baked in the oven. It just tends to dry out: keep baking times short, at around 170 °C, and the dough slightly moist. In a hot drink, mix it in off the heat to avoid lumps.
Which protein powder is best for cooking?
A regular (concentrate) whey in vanilla, chocolate or unflavoured is the easiest to use: it stays soft and mixes well. An isolate makes bakes a little drier. Plant protein absorbs more liquid: add a spoonful or two of milk.
Are these recipes sugar-free?
No: they contain a little honey or maple syrup, and the apples bring their natural sugar. You can adjust the amounts to taste; a flavoured whey already adds sweetness.
How long do these protein snacks keep?
The truffles keep for 5 days in an airtight box in the fridge, the biscuits for a week in a tin. The pots can be made the day before, with the topping added at the last minute. The hot chocolate is best drunk straight away.
Is there a lactose-free or plant-based version?
Yes: replace the whey with a plant protein, the milk with a soya drink and the skyr with soya yoghurt. In the biscuits, the egg can be replaced with 50 g of apple purée.
