It’s just like I’ve always said: If you’re gonna be late to the party, you better show up with cookies…

Look, there’s no denying that Quest is late to the game on this one, but that’s sort of been their modus operandi these days.

Quest Nutrition was the leader in this whole “Protein Bars Don’t Have to Taste Like Shit” movement when they launched in 2010. They reigned supreme for a while, but many argue that they’ve lost a step or two since then. It wasn’t until 2016 that they released a line of coated, crispy protein bars (Quest Hero Bars) after competitors expierenced success with them. A Birthday Cake flavor? It took them seven whole years (and they sucked!)

Fast forward to today – long after Lenny & Larry’s and countless others have flooded the scene with (mostly terrible) protein cookies – and the grizzled veteran wants to try their hand.

Hey, well you know whose good at making cookies? Old people.

Grandma Quest might actually have a shot at this…

In their media hype, Quest is encouraging us all to #EATMORECOOKIES. LOL @Quest; I am light years ahead of you on that one too, but I’ll play along.

Quest Protein Cookies are billed as soft, chewy cookies with 15g of protein, up to 12g of fiber, and 3g of sugar or less. They arrive in four flavors:

Chocolate Chip Quest Protein Cookie

Their first flavor is chocolate chip. Revolutionary stuff, Grandma!

Kudos to Quest on the texture of their new Protein Cookies. They’re not crumbly and floury like Lenny & Larry’s, but they’re also not rubbery like Buff Bake’s. They’re perfectly in between and I quite enjoy it.

I think there’s a solid foundation in the Chocolate Chip Quest Protein Cookie. It tastes in the spirit of a chocolate chip cookie – like your recipe was on the right track, but unfortunately you ran out of a few key ingredients and you’re too old and frail to drive back to the store. It needs a little more salt, a little more butter, and more flavor overall. Unsweetened chocolate isn’t enough to compensate completely.

If you were hoping for their A+ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bar in baked cookie form, you’ll be let down.

Pros: It isn’t gross, I can’t taste the protein, and it doesn’t have the macros for a horse like Lenny & Larry’s.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Nutrition per Cookie: 250 cals, 15g protein, 17g fat, 19g carbs, 9g dietary fiber, <1g sugar and 6g erythritol. 

Peanut Butter Quest Protein Cookie

The Peanut Butter Quest Protein Cookie fares better right out the gate. The peanut butter flavor is much richer – a more authentic recipe than the Chocolate Chip. Credit that to the peanut butter and peanuts in the recipe. You’ll even stumble upon small bits of peanut here and there, adding desirable texture. The cookie is moist and satisfying.

I did notice a faint protein funk, but’s definitely nothing egregious and it still fares considerably better than the industry’s more recognizable competitors on that front.

This is probably a good time to mention the one aspect of the nutrition likely to turn off many: the cookie has 17g of fat. It makes more sense for this Peanut Butter flavor, but all four cookies approach this number. You have to view it as a tradeoff for the much lower net carb count, and personally I’ll choose the higher fat every time. Because, as you might have guessed, fat things really speak to me…

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Nutrition per Cookie: 250 cals, 15g protein, 17g fat, 18g carbs, 9g dietary fiber, 2g sugar and 4g erythritol. 

Oatmeal Raisin Quest Protein Cookie

Honestly, I don’t understand why so many companies expect us to purchase an oatmeal raisin protein cookie when I rarely, if ever, see people buy normal oatmeal raisin cookies.

WELP all I taste is my foot in my mouth, because Quest just shut me up. The Oatmeal Raisin Quest Protein Cookie is amazing!

This is the no-doubter winner with ripe raisins ensuring credibility, fresh oats providing optimal texture, and the right touch of cinnamon boosting the flavor to the front of the pack. The cinnamon is balanced really well with sweetness, and the sweetness is a cut above with the highest sugar content in the line (at only 3g). This is a damn tasty oatmeal raisin cookie – without any qualifiers.

… except for all that fat.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Double Chocolate Chip Quest Protein Cookie

Double Chocolate Chip finishes out the launch with moderate success. The chocolate is prominent, generally providing a more flavorful base than the original chocolate chip, and I like the contrast between the darker chocolate base and the chocolate chunks.

But with less than one gram of sugar, it doesn’t finish quite as well as you want it too. The cocoa in the recipe, despite giving it a pretty solid flavor overall, makes it taste a little more dry (even if the texture is pretty consistent with the rest).

To unlock the flavor’s full potential, my recommendation is to dip this one into whatever cashew milk, protein soy milk, or stupid alligator milk you fitiots drink these days.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Nutrition per Cookie: 240 cals, 15g protein, 16g fat, 20g carbs, 10g dietary fiber, <1g sugar and 5g erythritol.

Although they may have missed the boat on when protein cookies were cool (never), I’m calling this a pretty solid launch for Quest. The cookies have fantastic texture, are low-net carb and extremely low-sugar, and generally don’t taste like a foot. Oatmeal raisin is a knockout, and peanut butter is good enough for me to happily rebuy. Be mindful of the high fat content, but it’s gotta be what’s helping provide the great balance of flavor and texture to something with this much added protein.

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks after all…

Having a Jacked Dog that Bakes Cookies Rating: 10 out of 10
The Feeling When Your Grandma Def Lifts More Than You Rating: 2 out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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