No-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

Sugar cookies are really about two things: vanilla and sprinkles. Neither needs an oven. These bites get their flavor almost entirely from the protein powder, so pick a good sugar cookie, vanilla or cake batter one, and let the sprinkles do the rest.

Wet, then dry

The dough is a balancing act between wet ingredients (applesauce and blended cottage cheeseblended cottage cheeseCottage cheese run through a blender until the curds disappear. It turns into something close to sour cream or ricotta and makes a rich, high-protein base for puddings and batters.More: Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Pudding) and coconut flourcoconut flourFlour made from dried, ground coconut meat. It soaks up a lot more liquid than wheat flour, so a spoonful goes a long way and doughs made with it need adjusting in tiny amounts.More: Blueberry Scone Cookies, which absorbs a surprising amount of liquid. Mix it, then wait thirty seconds before you judge it. Coconut flour keeps drinking for a bit, and a dough that looks too wet at first often firms up on its own.

Heads up

If the dough sticks to your hands while rolling, chill it for ten minutes first. Cold dough rolls much more easily.

Coat them while they're tacky

Roll the sprinkles on right after you shape each bite, while the outside is still a little sticky. If you let them sit first, the surface dries and the sprinkles won't stay put. A shallow bowl works better than a plate for coating.

The same roll-and-chill approach makes the No-Bake Banana Bread Bites. If you want the sugar cookie flavor in a sturdier form, the Sugar Cookie Protein Bars are that, and there's a Sugar Cookie Cold Brew for the morning version.