Cooking with whey. . . no way

As fabulous as a protein source as whey is, it is very not fabulous in the taste department. I started using whey protein powder a few years ago. I have tried multiple brands and have found them all to be pretty freaking gross when prepared as per the directions on the packaging (mix with 8oz water, milk or juice and drink). When mixing whey protein into water I find the only way to avoid gagging is to add a single serving of crystal light drink crystals or equivalent. I have found exactly one brand of vanilla whey protein that is tasty when put in hot oatmeal. All the other brands I have tried had some pretty funky after tastes that couldn’t be covered even by peanut butter. After choking down so many bad whey proteins (because I refuse to waste them once I have them) I always waffle back and forth on whether I should try a casein protein powder or not. I don’t look forward to the idea of starting the whole process of finding something good by trial and error all over again with another protein powder.

Despite all this, every so often I fall victim to the “baking with whey” bug and decide I will give just one more recipe a try. I convince myself that maybe this protein bar, or these whey protein cookies, or this whey protein fudge will taste better than the last three recipes I tried. The last batch of almond whey cookies I tried were so terrible (fortunately the recipe made a tiny amount) I fed them to my dog. She loved them. But then my dog scrambles to eat dried out muffin wrappers and dog crap off the street. My attempts at finding a good no-bake protein bar using whey also didn’t turn out so well. The after taste of the whey just wasn’t hidden sufficiently in any of them.

I do use whey at least once a day, but I find it tasty only when done in oatmeal, in egg white & oatmeal pancakes, smoothies with yogurt and, if desperate, in water with crystal light or BSN Fruit Punch BCAAs.

All the tasty homemade protein bars I have made (more than once) have not included any whey protein. My favorite protein bar actually uses a base of oats, peanut butter, and honey.

No-whey no-bake energy/protein bars:
Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup almonds
1 cup chopped dried apricots

Directions:
Warm honey and peanut butter in a pot. Only warm the honey and peanut butter enough to be able to blend the ingredients together. Mix in oats, almonds, and apricots. Spread mixture in a pan lined with wax paper. Refrigerate. Cut into small squares for serving. This is a very sweet recipe and very satisfying. A small square goes a long way.