Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies (2023)

Healthy is kind of a loaded word. I don’t think there’s a cookie recipe that exists that’s truly “healthy.”

I mean that in the sense that cookies aren’t a necessary part of a nutritious diet. But I certainly believe they are a necessary part of a happy life!

I was recently inspired to take a stab at making a cookie recipe that tasted wonderful, but was more of an everyday treat. Something you could enjoy without too much worry.

What I came up with contains no dairy and has less sugar than my typical cookie recipe while using a possibly “healthier” sugar (that’s basically an oxymoron). I also use white whole wheat flour for the best taste and texture with a little bump in nutrition.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! I’ve also been working on a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s not quite there yet, but if I can get it where I want it I’ll be sure to share that one too. Don’t worry, this isn’t becoming a healthy food blog any time soon. I just get so many requests for lighter recipes that I thought this would be fun!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Tips

White Whole Wheat Flour

I opted for white whole wheat flour for this recipe because it amps up the nutritional value without significantly altering the taste or texture. Regular whole wheat flour zaps moisture and can create dense baked goods with an overpowering wheat flavor. That’s definitely not what we want here, so sourcing white whole wheat flour is definitely worth the extra trip to the store! I find it’s available at many grocery stores these days, or you can order online.

How to Bake with Coconut Oil

I call for virgin coconut oil in this recipe. I find the aroma of the coconut is stronger than the actual taste, but if you hate coconut you may want to find another recipe. Or you can try using a dairy free butter alternative, if desired.

Using coconut oil in a baking recipe is actually really simple. The trick is to measure and use it when it’s solid, not melted. That way it acts more like butter! I find the absolute easiest way to measure coconut oil is with a kitchen scale, that way you don’t end up with a greasy mess everywhere.

Baking with Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is made by processing the sap produced by blossoms of coconut trees. It actually contains a fiber known as inulin which may help slow glucose absorption. I’m not a nutritionist, and the data on the health benefits of coconut sugar is limited. At the end of the day sugar is still sugar, but this may be a better alternative for those who want to avoid granulated sugar.

I’ve found coconut sugar routinely at Target and other major grocery stores. It tastes and looks very similar to brown sugar! If you can’t find it or don’t want to use it, you can use light brown sugar instead.

Extra Egg Yolk = Chewy

The additional protein and fat inside the extra egg yolk in this recipe helps to lend that delightful chewy texture. Don’t skip this step!

If you can’t have eggs, I’m sorry to say I haven’t found a great substitute that lends the same taste and texture. I am working on a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. If I nail that, I’ll be sure to publish it.

Chocolate Chips

I used the Ghirardelli 60% cacao baking chips in this recipe because I love how big and round they are! You can get away with using slightly less because they pack a powerful chocolate punch. If you need to use dairy-free chocolate chips, there are more and more options available these days.

Storing Cookies & Freezing Cookie Dough

These cookies stay soft for days! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like, you can refresh them in a 325°F oven or toaster oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

This cookie dough also freezes well! Get all of my tips for freezing cookie dough here.

More Cookie & Brownie Recipes:

Coconut Oil Brownies
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
German Chocolate Cookies

5 from 7 votes

How to make

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 18cookies

Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

1 1/4cups(150 grams) white whole wheat flour
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonfine sea salt
1/2cup(105 grams) virgin coconut oil, at room temperature (solid)
1cup(155 grams) coconut sugar
1teaspoonvanilla
1large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4cup(130 grams) dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the coconut oil and coconut sugar until very well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Divide the dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon sized balls and drop onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Course : Dessert

Cuisine : American

Recipe byTessa Arias

Photos by Lauren J. Photography. This post contains affiliate links.

Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

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Add a Review or Question

All Comments (10)Questions I Made This (7)

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Ariella— June 29, 2020 at 5:23 pm
These cookies are really good but they always end up to flat and expanded. Overall though they taste really good just a little flat.
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Emily— May 2, 2020 at 9:51 am
Delicious! Nice chewy texture with crunch on the outside!
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Suzette Armenta— February 14, 2020 at 10:51 pm
THESE TURNED OUT AMAZING!!!! So I changed it up a bit. I used real butter. I can’t have coconut oil. I’m lactose intolerant, but I know butter is low in lactose. I used 1/2 organic granulated sugar and 1/2 of organic stevia powder dissolved in a little water and added to my sugar mixture. I used Guittard dark semi sweet chocolate chips. Baked the same time. These were unbelievable! No stevia taste and texture was soft and chewy! I’m so happy I found this recipe!
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Tarick— February 4, 2020 at 7:46 pm
Would you mind please posting a nutrition label? Thank you!
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elly— July 29, 2019 at 8:52 pm
these were the only and I mean the only healthy chocolate chip cookies that have tasted like reg ones. my family even ate them even though they despise the fact that I try to make everything healthy. I would like to add less sugar next time and add maybe a tablespoon or two more of the flour because they were a little greasy. None the less I highly recommend this recipe!
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Mary P Calvaruso— July 14, 2019 at 12:23 pm
i am just 1/4 cup short of coconut sugar . Could I just add white organic sugar to complete the 1 cup?
Thanks. Love all of your recipes and tips!!!
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Christina— April 1, 2019 at 4:16 pm
My entire family, myself included, absolutely loved these! I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used organic raw cane sugar instead, and they turned out amazing! Highly recommend giving this a try!
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Bigskywise— January 21, 2019 at 9:02 pm
I really like these cookies but my family did not. And it was because the whole wheat flavor came through and was very pronounced at first. However, after they had sat around for 3 days they completely lost that flavor and tasted like a regular chocolate chip cookie! By that time my family refuse to eat them. That’s fine, more for me! It’s a good cookie dough recipe. They puff up nice and look beautiful when they’re done. I didn’t chill the dough either, which I usually do. I ended up cooking mine for about 14 minutes. Next time I make them I’ll do it a couple days before I need them. I don’t think people will be able to tell the difference.
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June— May 24, 2018 at 7:33 pm
What can i use in place of white whole wheat flour? I cannot get this in Australia yes I can order online but with the price of shipping makes it very very expensive. Can I do a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and white all purpose flours?
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  Tessa— May 31, 2018 at 8:46 am
  Sure!
  Reply