Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These healthy chocolate chip cookies take the classic recipe and make small tweaks for irresistible healthy cookies that are crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and still sweet enough for a treat.

I don’t ever want to give up eating cookies.

But I have this thing with cookies, where anytime I make them, I eat them and then eat MORE of them. I love them so much, I have a hard time stopping at just one!

That’s one reason I created recipes like Healthier Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, and Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies.

Classic chocolate chip cookies have been a bit tougher to get just right, but I finally did it! My irresistible healthy chocolate chip cookies are just as good as the original recipe, without nearly as much guilt if I end up eating half the batch!

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

If you like cookies as much as I do, you’re going to LOVE this healthier cookie recipe. These healthy cookies are:

• Chewy cookies on the inside
• Crispy cookies on the outside
• Irresistible (yes, it’s worth saying again!)
• Made with whole grains instead of white flour
• Still every bit of chocolate-y flavor
• Low sugar with just enough sweetener
• Vegan-friendly

WHAT MAKES HEALTHY COOKIES?

I’ve gone through MANY “healthy” chocolate chip recipes in search of THE BEST healthy cookies recipe, but I’ve found many of them change the classic chocolate chip cookie so much that you’re ending up with a completely different cookie.

• Some use oat flour. Which means you’re making Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Some recipes use milk. This is weird to me since milk also dials down the sweetness of a cookie… which seems counterintuitive.
• A few healthy chocolate chip cookies recipes use a teeny tiny amount of chocolate chips. They’re using 2 Tablespoons per 12 cookies, which comes out to TWO chocolate chips per cookie. Uh-uh. That ain’t happening here.
• And some use no sugar and are sugar-free. They use maple syrup, applesauce, or banana to sweeten, which is fine if you want an applesauce or banana cookie. But we want a CHOCOLATE CHIP cookie, right?

My goal here is to make healthy cookies with wholesome ingredients that are better for you AND still taste like yummy chocolate chip cookies.

Since my husband said these were the best cookies ever made in our marriage (repeatedly!), and my kids kept telling me how good they were and that they were “the best cookies ever!” I’m pretty sure I’ve accomplished my goal!

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

I grew up on the recipe on the bag of Nestle chocolate chips, so I know how good those are. But I also know how overloaded with sugar they are!

I’ve made some changes to that classic recipe that I think make the perfect, absolute best healthy chocolate chip cookies! Here’s what you need:

• Butter, softened. Required for chocolate chip cookies. Do not use melted coconut oil as a substitute – the cookies will spread and not rise.
• Coconut Sugar. It’s less processed than white sugar, contributing to the “healthier” aspect of the recipe. This is the brand I use. You can also use another granulated sugar, like turbinado sugar. The cookies will be darker in color if you use coconut sugar, and lighter with white granulated sugar.
• Egg. If you want a more cakey cookie, use just the egg yolk. Use the whole egg if you prefer a chewy texture and a soft cookie (with a bit more protein).
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Here’s how to make your own.
• Whole Wheat Flour. I like to use whole grain einkorn flour. You can substitute all-purpose flour or white whole wheat for whole wheat flour.
• Cornstarch + Baking Soda + Sea Salt. The corn starch gives the cookies that perfect chewy texture in the middle.
• Cinnamon. You can’t taste the cinnamon – I promise! Cinnamon tricks your taste buds into thinking the cookie is sweeter than it actually is.
• Dark Chocolate Chips. Dark chocolate chips have less sugar than semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.

Like the regular recipe, but just a little bit different, right? We’re not doing anything crazy here, just minor tweaks for homemade chocolate chip cookies that are healthy, and no one will know the difference!

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

If you start with the right ingredients, making the perfect chocolate chip cookie isn’t that hard. In fact, you’re probably familiar with these instructions:

Step 1. Cream the butter and sugar. In a bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for one full minute. You want the butter to be light and fluffy and super creamy. (The color of the butter will ultimately depend on the type of sugar you use.)

Step 2. Add the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix in the egg and vanilla extract until they’re both combined.

Step 3. Add the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon, and stir JUST until combined.

Tip: Sift in the flour for an even, soft-textured cookie. Don’t over-mix the dry ingredients! Otherwise, you’ll activate the gluten in the flour and make the cookie cake-like and chewy.

Step 4. Fold in the chocolate chips gently without overmixing. Don’t over-stir!

Step 5. Chill the dough. This step is mandatory, but I promise it’s worth it! Set the timer for 30 minutes and clean up the kitchen while you wait. Chilling the cookies solidifies the butter, giving you a cookie that won’t spread during the baking process.

Step 6. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Step 7. Measure the cookie dough. I like to use cookie scoops to ensure every cookie is the same size. Bake for 12 minutes. They will look slightly underbaked but will set as they cool. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VEGAN HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• Swap solid coconut oil for butter. Use one less tablespoon of coconut oil than butter. Make sure your coconut oil is not melted. You’ll also need additional chilling time to avoid the cookies spreading too much.
• Use a flaxseed egg instead of the egg. Here’s how to make a flaxseed egg.
• Swap chocolate chips for vegan chocolate chips. A great vegan-friendly brand to use is Enjoy Life. I get them here.

Note: You MUST refrigerate the vegan chocolate chip cookie dough for 2 hours before baking; otherwise, the room-temperature cookies will not set properly. You can also refrigerate overnight and bake the next day.

HOW TO FREEZE AND STORE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

To store baked cookies:

• For chewy chocolate chip cookies, store the baked cookies in an airtight PLASTIC container.
• For crispy chocolate chip cookies, store the baked cookies in an airtight GLASS container.

To freeze baked cookies:

1. Let cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
2. Lay cookies flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until thoroughly frozen.
4. Remove from the baking sheet and store in a freezer-safe bag.

To freeze cookie dough:

1. Before baking, scoop dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until thoroughly frozen.
3. Remove from the baking sheet and store in a freezer-safe bag or container.
4. Thaw cookie dough overnight in the fridge before baking as noted in the recipe.
5. You can also bake directly from frozen by adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.

BABY STEPS FOR HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I didn’t do anything too wild with these healthy chocolate chip cookies – just small tweaks to make them better.

That same idea can apply to a lot of the food that you eat! Small changes can help you make better choices when it comes to all of your favorites.

• Lower the sugar. Whenever you make a sweet treat, chances are you can lower the sugar some without affecting the recipe.
• Use whole grains. Whether that’s switching flours, swapping brown rice for white rice, or using whole wheat pasta, eating the whole grain gives you more fiber, more vitamins and minerals, and helps keep your blood sugar stable.
• Keep it simple. Use real food ingredients and skip the added sweeteners, preservatives, and additives that come with processed foods.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES HEALTHY FAQS

MORE HEALTHY SWEETS RECIPES

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthier Candy Cane Cookies
• Pumpkin Cookies with Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting
• Almond Thumbprint Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cookies

WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES