If you thought that healthy cookie recipes didn’t exist, think again. There are lots of scrumptious cookies that are just as healthy as they are good and no one will be any the wiser. This fall, you won’t have to feel guilty about indulging in some treats since you’ll know you used good, quality ingredients that are good for you. Get ready to get your socks rocked because these healthy cookie recipes are going to blow you away!
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1. Grain Free Sugar Cookies
One of the best things about healthy cookie recipes is that they allow those with special diets to enjoy some tasty treats! This particular recipe is a fall classic, the soft and sweet sugar cookie. You can make these plain or have some fun with your friends and family and add frosting and decorate these bad boys. Either way, everyone will love these festive and healthy cookies.
Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
3 eggs (I used flax egg replacements)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla bean or extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and continue mixing.
Use the dough to roll balls in your preferred shape, then flatten them down. Recipe will make about 15 average-sized cookies.
Next, bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!
Source: mywholefoodlife.com
2. Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Our next cookie recipe contains some of my favorite ingredients: peanut butter and chocolate. Oats are great too, but there’s nothing like PB and chocolate for me. If you’ve never tried anything flourless before, not to worry. It tastes just as delish or perhaps ever better than cookies with flour. The ingredients are simple and easy-to-find so I think I’ll be reusing this recipe many more times!
Ingredients:
⅔ c. of rolled oats (You can use gluten-free, also)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. of old-fashioned peanut butter
⅔ c. of Dark Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1½ tsp. of Vanilla Extract
⅔ c. of Chocolate Chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In small bowl, mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips.
Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls and place onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart, then barely flatten the top of the cookie with your hand. The dough should be pretty sticky so if you find this method annoying, simply use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The cookies may not be as round in shape and perhaps a bit thicker, but that’s okay, they will still be delicious.
Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Makes 16-20 cookies.
Notes:
You can use less sugar or less chocolate chips to save calories—I have tried using 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and they turned out great!
Feel free to substitute almond butter or another nut butter in replace of peanut butter.
These cookies disappear quickly so I recommend doubling the recipe!
Source: tastykitchen.com
Frequently asked questions
3. Pumpkin Protein Cookies
Pumpkin is the ultimate fall food so why not incorporate them into some healthy cookies, right? These protein-enriched cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth while giving your body some extra nutrients and tons of fall flavor. The recipe calls for agave syrup, but you can also use honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup instead.
Ingredients:
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of applesauce
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon of agave nectar
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cups of raisins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine ingredients in a bowl, stirring until well combined. Drop cookies onto baking sheet and press down. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Source: shape.com
4. Chai Shortbread
I’ve never heard of a cookie recipe that tastes like tea before, but I’m all for a sweet and spicy cookie so this is a must-try for me. This recipe combines cinnamon, cardamom, salt, pepper and a dash of clover for a culinary adventure in a cookie. With just 57 calories a cookie, you can easily enjoy a couple as an afternoon snack.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. powdered sugar
10 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tbsp. ice water
Directions:
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined (mixture will appear crumbly). Sprinkle dough with 1 tablespoon ice water; toss with a fork. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (6-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until very firm.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Unwrap dough logs. Carefully cut each log into 18 slices using a serrated knife. Place dough circles 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Source: myrecipes.com
5. Healthy Oreos
You read that right, healthy Oreos. If you’ve been denying yourself this crunchy and creamy cookie, now you can make your very own that are 64 calories per cookie and only 0.8 grams of sugar! They might not look exactly like the original, but they taste pretty darn close and they’re much healthier for you. You can’t beat that!
Ingredients:
Cookies:
3/4 c. spelt flour (or all-purpose, or gluten-free all-purpose) (120g)
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder (30g) (regular cocoa is fine; they just won’t taste as authentic)
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp xylitol or sugar (or coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice) (78g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. vegetable or coconut oil (44g)
3 tablespoon milk of choice (45g)
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or agave) (30g)
Filling:
1/2 c. powdered sugar or Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar (55g)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. coconut butter, or non-hydrogenated shortening (such as Spectrum), or Earth Balance coconut spread (58g)
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients, and stir very well. In a separate bowl, combine all liquid ingredients for the cookies. Mix wet into dry to form a dough, then refrigerate 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Put dough in a plastic bag, and smush into one big ball. Remove from bag, roll into a thin dough, and cut flat circles using a circle cutter or a circle-shaped lid. Bake on a greased cookie tray for 10 minutes; they’ll still look a little underdone when they come out of the oven, but that’s ok. Important: allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from the tray.
To make the filling, mix all filling ingredients in a small food processor (or patiently, with a fork). (If using coconut butter, make sure it is melted.) Put about a scant teaspoon-full (3g) on half of the cookie discs, then top each with remaining cookie discs and fridge so filling firms up. Store in the fridge so the filling stays hard.
Source: chocolatecoveredkatie.com
6. Chocolate Hazelnut No-Bake Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
No-bake cookies are awesome because they’re simple, don’t require you to use a hot oven and this particular cookie recipe only requires four simple ingredients and five minutes of your time. The creator of the recipe said these healthy cookies taste like Nutella and have 105 calories per cookie. Not bad for a sinfully delicious dessert.
Ingredients:
1 c. hazelnut meal (ground from raw hazelnuts)
1 c. medjool or deglet nour dates
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (or sub cacao powder)
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Add dates to a food processor and pulse until small bits remain – it should form a ball, but not a big deal if it doesn’t.
Add chocolate chips, cocoa powder and hazelnut meal and mix until well incorporated.
Add more dates through the spout while mixing if it appears too dry. You know you have the right texture when you gather a small amount in your fingers and it easily forms a dough. I added a few more to get that perfect doughy texture.
Form into 1-inch discs and eat immediately. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container or bag; freeze for longterm storage.
*You could easily make these into bars by shaping them into a 1/2-inch tall square in an 8×8 pan and then cutting them into bars or “brownies.”
Source: minimalistbaker.com
7. Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These raspberry cookies are a great way to mix things up and add some fruity flavors to your dessert rotation. Gooey, chocolate chip cookies are grand and all, but sometimes we need to give our taste buds a break and throw in something a little tart, with a different texture.
Ingredients:
3/4 c. (3 ounces) grated almond paste
2/3 c. sugar
5 tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. Raspberry Refrigerator Jam
Raspberry Refrigerator Jam:
12 c. fresh raspberries (about 4 pints), divided
2 1/4 c. sugar, divided
3/4 c. warm water (100° to 110°)
1 (1.75-ounce) package pectin (such as Sure-Jell)
Place 9 cups raspberries in a blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing lightly with the back of a spoon; discard seeds. Combine raspberry puree and remaining 3 cups raspberries in a large bowl; partially mash raspberries with a spoon. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Combine 3/4 cup warm water and pectin in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup sugar; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add pectin mixture to raspberry mixture in bowl, stirring until combined. Cool to room temperature. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Spoon into airtight containers; cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper; secure to baking sheet with masking tape.
Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and salt to almond paste mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets, and press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until golden.
Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon Raspberry Refrigerator Jam into center of each cookie.
Notes: Almond paste makes the dough moist and pliable. Look for it in the supermarket baking aisle. The large holes of a box grater work well for grating the almond paste. Use a wine cork instead of your thumb to make a deeper indentation in the cookies. If you bake both pans of cookies at the same time, rotate the pans in the oven halfway through baking time for even browning.
Source: myrecipes.com
8. Gluten-Free Thin Mints
If you’re a big fan of the Thin Mint cookies from the Girl Scouts, this cookie recipe will blow your mind. In addition to being gluten-free, it’s also low in carbs, sugar and it only has 47 calories! Now you can enjoy the classic Girl Scout cookie any time you want and without all the guilt.
Ingredients:
Cookie Base:
1/2 c. buckwheat groats, measured, then ground into flour
1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. coconut oil, softened
3/4 tsp. mint extract
5 drops liquid stevia (or 1 more teaspoon of maple syrup)
5-6 tsp. milk of your choice, regular or dairy-free (if you use the extra maple syrup, reduce this amount by one teaspoon)
Chocolate Coating:
6 tbsp. cocoa butter, melted
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. mint extract
5 drops liquid stevia (or another teaspoon of maple syrup)
Dash of sea salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift the ground buckwheat groats, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to be sure all of the clumps are out.
Mix in the maple syrup, coconut oil, mint extract, and stevia. Add just enough milk to make a dough that is not crumbly, but not sticky.
Place the dough on top of a piece of parchment paper. Make sure it fits your cookie sheet.
Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough, and press the dough out into a small circle. Take a rolling pin, and roll out the dough until it is about an 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to create whatever shapes you’d like. I obviously used circles. Gather the dough scraps and repeat this process.
Bake the cookies for 15-16 minutes. They should be somewhat firm to the touch, but they will crisp up more as they cool. Mix the cocoa butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, mint extract, stevia, and salt together for the coating. Dip the cooled cookies into the mix one by one, and set them on a wax paper-lined plate. Place the coated cookies into the fridge to harden.
If you have enough coating left at the end, you can do a second coat on some of the cookies.
A few notes:
Mint extracts vary in potency, so be aware of this as you’re adding it. This is the brand I use.
The number of cookies this makes will vary depending on the type of cookie cutter you use.
You can use coconut oil in place of cocoa butter in the coating, but having tried it both ways myself, cocoa butter is highly preferable.
Source: balancedplatter.com
9. Soft Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Soft apple oatmeal cookies are as good as they sound. Soft, sweet and drizzled in irresistible caramel. These cookies aren’t exactly the healthiest of the bunch, but they do have a healthy dose of oats and apples. These would be fab to make for your friends and family or take them to work and make your co-workers very happy people.
Ingredients:
10 tbsp. salted butter, softened (not melty)
¾ c. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ c. All-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1½ c. old fashioned rolled oats, dry
2 medium Granny Smith apples, grated (large holes) and squeezed dry
½ c. caramel candies
1 tbsp. water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F, with rack on middle or lower middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 1-2 min. Add egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add rolled oats to flour mixture and whisk together.
Using wooden or rubber spatula, fold wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Stir in grated apples until fully incorporated. If dough is sticky, chill 30 min to an hour.
Form rounded 1 tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake 11-13 minutes, or just until lightly golden; don’t overbake. Cookies will set upon cooling. Transfer warm cookies to wire rack and let cool.
Place caramels and water in small heavy saucepan. Stir continuously over low heat until melted and smooth. Let rest a bit until it’s no longer too hot to handle. Using fork or Ziploc baggie with tiny hole cut out of the corner, drizzle warm caramel over cooled cookies. Be careful – melted caramel is hot!
Source: chewoutloud.com
10. 120-Calorie Carrot Cake Cookies
Carrot cake in a cookie sounds like my kind of treat! At 120 calories, vegan, low in fat and high in beta carotene, these healthy cookies are hard to pass up. This recipe creates 24 large cookies so be prepared to share these moist, chewy mounds of goodness.
Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large, ripe banana, mashed
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup Stevia In The Raw® (count this as 2/3 cup sugar if you’d like to replace it with another sweetener)
Zest of an orange, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 medium carrots, grated
1 cup raisins
Directions:
Place racks in the upper and lower sections of your oven, and preheat it to 375°. Have two baking sheets handy, either lightly squirted with nonstick spray or lined with silicone baking sheets.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to thoroughly combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the carrots and use the mixer to incorporate them. Stir in the raisins. Stir in half the dry ingredient mixture, and once that’s well combined stir in the other half.
Drop the dough into large cookies on the sheets. I make them generously sized using an 1/8 cup ice cream scoop, which equals 2 heaping tablespoons. You should be able to get 8 – 10 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes (go with less time if your oven runs hot), then switch the positions of the cookie sheets in the oven. Bake for another 8 – 10 minutes. The cookies are done when they’re lightly golden on the bottoms and spring back when poked. Let them cool on the sheets for about a minute before removing them to racks to finish cooling. You should be able to fit the remaining cookies on one sheet, so position a rack in the middle of the oven and bake the last batch.
Source: neatstuff.info
11. Almond Butter Cookies (Gluten-free)
If you’re looking for another recipe to use that almond butter sitting in your pantry, look no further. These healthy cookies are quick, easy and incredibly delicious. They’re the perfect cookie to have as a snack if you’re on a clean-eating diet. The ingredients are simple and make up a delicious, guilt-free treat that you can enjoy with your loved ones.
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. gluten free flour
¾ tsp. xanthan gum (if it is not already in the flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. natural (unsweetened) almond butter
1 c. real maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. Maldon sea salt (or any coarse, fine salt you like)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Whisk the dry ingredients; flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients; almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla.
Using a spatula, mix the flour mixture with the almond butter mixture, in two batches.
Using your clean hands, make small balls about the amount of 1-½ tablespoons. Place each cookie in a parchment-lined baking sheet pan. Cookies should be 2 inches apart from each other.
Wet your fingertips and press down on top of each cookie to make it like a small disk.
Sprinkle each cookie with Maldon sea salt.
Bake them for 10-11 minutes. Let them cool on a rack before serving.
Note: I baked them in two batches but if you trust your oven, bake two sheets at the same time.
Source: foolproofliving.com
See? You can easily indulge in desserts or sweet treat snacks without also indulging in a calorie or sugar overload. What are some of your favorite healthy cookie recipes?
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