Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Haunted Dubai Monster Cookies High Protein #Recipe Maison Methodologie Copycat by @LibbyKlein #Halloween #HighProtein

Libby Klein I am slammed with ads on Facebook and Instagram for these outrageously expensive protein cookies from Maison Methodologie. They always look amazing and I want them. The first time I looked into buying them I thought for sure I was misunderstanding something. Like is that assortment for a dozen of each cookie? or a dozen total cookies. If you've checked them out you know exactly what I mean. So I confess. I finally broke down and bought them. They are good. They are smaller than I expected for the price. And I can tell you from working on a copycat recipe that a lot of the cost comes from high quality ingredients and the amount of protein powder necessary to get the cookies to meet the macros they say they have. Plus the packaging and the detail and of course the profit margin. And I personally love a variety pack of just about anything.

While all that is true, and they were a very nice treat, I still can't afford to eat a $12 cookie every day. And since I know how to bake, I have no business buying $12 cookies very often when I can just make them myself. No offence to Maison Methodologie. You better believe I'm waiting to see what the post Thanksgiving sale looks like!

So the cookie I decided to tackle was their Haunted Dubai for Halloween. I cannot guarantee that a side by side comparison would prove I have nailed this copycat because it's not one that I received in my order. But I did make a very good cookie that makes for a high protein snack or meal replacement.

I used President butter from France, Valrhona chocolate from France, Pistachio Paste from Sicily, Einkorn wheat, Black Cocoa from King Arthur and Levels Vanilla Bean Protein Powder.

I know the recipe isn't exactly the same because, Dubai chocolate has toasted phyllo involved and I did not add that. You could though. For the same texture you could toast a few tablespoons of coconut and add it on top of the pistachio. I also did not add any green food coloring to my pistachio because I prefer not to have colorings whenever possible. I used a very expensive Sicilian Pistachio spread, but you could substitute just white chocolate ganache with green food coloring if you're going for the look without the pistachio flavor and added expense.

In fact, if you make these for the kids for Halloween you can just make any chocolate-chocolate-chip cookie recipe you want and decorate them with the green tinted white chocolate and candy eyes. But if you're going for the high protein kick so you can have one of these as a meal replacement, I've got you covered with the whole recipe below, and the nutrition information and comparison is below that. Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think.

Haunted Dubai Monster Cookies
Maison Methodologie Copycat

Makes 15 Giant or 18 Large or 24 Medium Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) of French butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup monk fruit with allulose
1½ cup Einkorn flour
1½ cup Vanilla Protein Powder
¼ cup black cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
3 eggs
140 grams Valrhona milk chocolate (Either feves or chopped chocolate bars)
24 tsp (1/2 cup) Sicilian Pistachio Spread
48 candy eyes

*If you have coconut, toast some and sprinkle it on top to make these a really nice Dubai Chocolate inspired Cookie.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Combine Flour, Vanilla Protein Powder, Black Cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine.

Put butter, brown sugar, and monk fruit in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until thick and creamy. Add Eggs and molasses to the sugar and butter. Beat to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together.

Chop the chocolate if necessary. Add to the cookie dough. Mix well. Take the dough and form either 18 large balls or 24 medium sized balls with a chocolate piece on top. Flatten slightly.

Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes for 24 medium cookies, 12-14 minutes for 18 large cookies. Let cool on the pan.

Stir your pistachio paste until smooth. Drizzle lines of pistachio paste across the center of each cookie. Add two candy eyes in the middle of the pistachio paste.

I tried to make 70 gram cookies like the Maison Methodologie website says their cookies weigh, but they were way too big for me and came in at a whopping 400 calories. At 70 grams each, the recipe makes 15 cookies.

If you make 18 large sized cookies, they each have
330 calories / 19.5 g protein / 18g fat / 22g carbs.

If you make 24 Medium cookies, they each have
250 Calories / 14 g protein / 13 g fat / 17g carbs.

For comparison, the macros for the Maison Methodologie Brown Butter Milk Chocolate Cookies according to their website are
293 Calories / 15 g protein / 16 g fat / 23 g carbs.

Layla Virtue, a blue-haired, 30-something recovering alcoholic and former cop is trying to reinvent herself as a musician—between AA meetings, dodging eccentric neighbors at her trailer park, and reconnecting with her mysterious dad—in this unforgettable new mystery brimming with hilarity and heart.

Layla is taking her new life one day at a time from the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park she now calls home. Being alone is how she likes it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Though try telling that to the group of local ladies who are in relentless pursuit of Layla as their new BFF, determined to make her join them for coffee and donuts.

After her first career ended in a literal explosion, Layla’s trying to eke out a living as a rock musician. It’s not easy competing against garage bands who work for tacos and create their music on a computer, while all she has is an electric guitar and leather-ish pants. But Layla isn’t in a position to turn down any gig. Which is why she’s at an 8-year-old’s birthday party, watching as Chuckles the Clown takes a bow under the balloon animals. No one expects it will be his last . . .

Who would want to kill a clown—and why? Layla and her unshakable posse are suddenly embroiled in the seedy underbelly of the upper-class world of second wives and trust fund kids, determined to uncover what magnetic hold a pudgy, balding clown had over women who seem to have everything they could ever want. Then again, Layla knows full well that people are rarely quite what they seem—herself included . . .

Libby Klein writes ridiculously funny murder mysteries from her Northern Virginia office with a very naughty calico Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle, and a sweet black Lab named Vader. She can name that tune for 70s and 80s rock in the first few notes, and she's translated her love of classic rock into her Layla Virtue Mysteries. Libby was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevents her from eating gluten without exploding. Because bread is one of her love languages, she includes the recipes for gluten free goodies in her Cape May based Poppy McAllister series. Most of her hobbies revolve around travel, and eating, and eating while traveling. She insists she can find her way to any coffee shop anywhere in the world, even while blindfolded. Follow all of her nonsense on her website www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

HIGH-PROTEIN COMFORT: How to Make Perfect Breaded Pork Chops from Cleo Coyle

Breading and pan frying pork chops may look like a retro comfort food, but it's one of the best, quick methods for sealing in juices in today's leaner cuts of pork. And with 30 or more grams of protein in just one (8 oz) bone-in chop, this foolproof recipe is a delicious way to give your body a good source of high-quality protein with all nine essential amino acids.

These amino acids are vital for muscle growth and repair; and, because our bodies cannot produce them, we must get them through food. That's one reason Marc and I always enjoy this comfort food dinner. It delivers on taste while putting high protein on our plates...

So let's get our pork chops on!

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

A Note from Cleo

While pork chops may seem like an indulgence, much of today’s pork is as lean as skinless chicken (16% leaner with 27% less saturated fat than the pork produced in the early 1990s). That’s great for healthy living, but unfortunately these breeding techniques have yielded pork that is far less tasty than its predecessors.

As any chef will tell you, fat means flavor, which is why today’s pork often cooks up dry and bland. Unless you can find heirloom pork with the kind of marbled fat that we used to enjoy, cooking up juicy chops can be a tricky endeavor. One way to give today’s leaner pork more flavor and juiciness is to marinate the meat overnight in a brine of salt, herbs, spices, and fruit juice. It’s a method that yields marvelous results, but it also takes time.

So how do you cook up savory pork chops quickly? We bread them. The breading seals in the juices during the shallow pan frying, followed by the quick oven baking. The chops are perfectly cooked, delicious, and juicy.

Now here is our simple, foolproof method for making mouthwatering breaded pork chops...

To download this recipe
in a free PDF document
that you can prints, save,
or share, click here.

Click here or on the image above

for Cleo's Free Recipe PDF.

Cleo Coyle's

Breaded Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 to 6 one-inch thick pork chops (about 3 pounds)

1-½ cups unseasoned breadcrumbs or panko*

½ cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon milk (or water)

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup (or more) of oil (double if using 2 skillets)

*Note: panko (aka Japanese-style breadcrumbs) are what you see in our photos for this recipe post. Standard breadcrumbs are a little less crunchy but just as delicious.

Directions

Step 1: First preheat your oven to 325° F. Prepare the breading by mixing unseasoned breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, oregano, cumin, and salt in a pie or cake pan (or shallow bowl). In a second pan or shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the milk (or water). Into a third pan or shallow bowl, place the flour.

Step 2: Wash the pork chops in cool water and pat off excess moisture with paper towel. Dip chops, one at a time, in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumbs. Press firmly, making sure that the crumbs stick to the meat.

First the flour...

Then the egg...

Finally the breadcrumbs!

(Remember to press firmly. You want
the breadcrumbs to stick to the meat.)

Step 3: Warm ½ cup of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling, add the chops and quickly reduce the heat. Lightly brown the chops on each side for about 3 minutes, turning once. Here are a few notes for getting the best results...

* Do not overlap the chops, only fry one layer at a time.

* Do not fry the chops in oil that is too cool or you'll end up with greasy instead of crispy breading. Watch for the oil to ripple. Test the oil by dropping in a few crumbs of breading. If the breading sizzles in the oil, it's ready. (And if the oil smokes, you've gone too far the other way, reduce the heat!)

* While hot oil is what you want, if it's too hot, the chops may brown too quickly in the 3 minutes of cooking time per side. So give one test chop a peek halfway through the cooking time and reduce the heat if necessary to prevent over-browning.

* See our photos as a guide for the correct color, golden brown...

* If making 6 chops, either use two skillets (3 chops in each skillet) OR remove the 3 finished chops from the pan and set aside. Then discard the old oil, wipe the pan with a paper towel, and add a fresh ½ cup of oil for your final 3 chops.

Step 4: Place your skillet (or 2 skillets) of chops into the preheated 325° F. oven for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time.

Chops will come out golden brown with the natural juices locked inside. If making 6 chops, you can either place 2 skillets in the oven or arrange the chops as we often do in one skillet, see how we do it in the photos below...