These Double Chocolate Cookies are made with 100% whole food ingredients— no flour, no oil, and no added sugar. But don’t let these healthy ingredients throw you off. These cookies still have a rich and fudgy flavor and texture, almost like a brownie in cookie-form.
I based these cookies off the recipe for my Healthiest Cookies Ever, which remind me of my childhood favorite “soft batch” cookies, and since they’ve been such a hit with everyone who tries them, I figured a chocolate variation was in order.
For this version, I added a hefty dose of cocoa powder, and used pecans instead of walnuts for a more mild flavor.
(I tested this recipe with walnuts, as you can see from these photos, but I found their flavor overwhelmed the cookie, so I couldn’t taste the chocolate as much– keep this in mind if you plan on making substitutions!)
How to Make Date-Sweetened Cookies
When using dates as a natural sweetener, you’ll need a machine that can break them down, and I find that a food processor does that best. (I’m using this one.) Narrow blender jars tend to need more water to keep the dates moving, and that can cause the motor to give off a burning smell. In a pinch, you could probably finely chop the nuts and dates on a cutting board, and then mix them together with your hands for a chunkier cookie.
If you want a 100% naturally sweetened cookie, you can leave out the optional dark chocolate chips, but I love adding something extra for texture here, so I’ll usually throw them in for a “double” chocolate flavor that’s reminiscent of a brownie.
Some refined-sugar-free add-ins would be:
- cacao nibs
- extra chopped nuts
- dried fruit, like raisins (look for no added sugar on the label)
- shredded unsweetened coconut
- rolled oats
Feel free to experiment, and let me know in the comments below if you try something that you love.
Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
I keep these cookies egg-free by using a flax egg, which is simply ground flax (or chia seeds) stirred together with water. These two ingredients will gel together within a few minutes, creating a gooey vegan “egg.”
If you’re not vegan, feel free to use a chicken egg in its place. (Omit the water and flax seed in this case.)
When making cookies in a food processor, be careful not to over-process them. If you process nuts too long, they will release their natural oils, making for a very oily, greasy cookie dough. The cookies will still bake fine, but they will be a little more messy to work with.
These cookies will not spread the way a cookie made with egg would, so you’ll need to use your fingers to press them down into a cookie shape before baking. They will look very similar when baked, but drier.
I hope you’ll enjoy this healthy cookie recipe the next time a chocolate craving strikes!
Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies (Date-Sweetened!)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup Medjool dates , pitted (about 12)
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 chia or flax egg (1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds + 3 tablespoons water)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the dates and pecans together until a crumbly texture is formed. Add in the cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and chia or flax egg (see how to make a flax egg here) and process again until the batter is relatively smooth, a little stickier than traditional cookie dough.
- Add in the chocolate chips and briefly pulse, just to combine.
- Spoon the batter onto a lined baking sheet, and use your hands to gently flatten the cookie dough. These cookies don't spread much, so be sure to shape the cookies the way you'd like them to look when they're done baking. (Tip: Wet your hands with water to prevent sticking!) Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are firm and your house smells like brownies. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve immediately, and store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for best shelf life. These cookies should last a week in the fridge, and for several months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Per cookie: Calories: 75, Fat: 5g, Carbohydate: 7g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 1g
Recipe Notes:
- As I mentioned above, feel free to make substitutions as you like, but keep in mind that different nuts and seeds will change the flavor of these cookies. I liked the pecan flavor best, but if you love walnuts or almonds, feel free to use those instead. I find that buttery nuts, like walnuts and pecans, are easiest to break down in the food processor, though.
- If you don’t have access to dates, another dried fruit, like raisins, may work.
As always, please leave any substitutions you try in the comments below, so that we can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite type of cookie?
Has anyone used oat flour instead of the pecans to lower the fat content?
Delicious. 13/4 cup pecans, 10 larger majool dates. Roll into balls (I get about 22)and flatten with a piece of parchment paper on the top and a fork to squish them slightly.
Great recipe.I hate to share them, and keep most for myself. Have made them at least 6 times
I substituted almond flour for the pecans, and these cookies turned out great. Thank you! I froze them, and found that microwaving for 10 seconds allowed me to have a fresh, warm tasty treat any time!
Hi, would you mind sharing how much almond flour you used? I’m planning to do this as well. Thanks!
Could I use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder?
Yes, definitely.
Would aquafaba work instead of chia/flax egg? I almost always have cans of beans in the house—unless my daughter has eaten them all for snacks!
Gave it a shot with the aquafaba. So far so good! I mean the 3 right out of the oven tasted amazing! I’ll have to let the others cool to see how they hold together, but taste-wise…heaven! I also rolled about 1/2 the cookies in ground almonds for a little extra somethin-somethin. PMS HEAVEN with your Coffee Smoothie (with the cocoa powder added😉).
I made these today using an egg, and they were wonderful! Such a great chewy cookie texture too, love it! My toddler loves them too 🙂 thank you!
Hi! Do you think pistachios could be a substitute for the pecans?
I think it’s worth a shot!
I hate you a little bit because now I’m overwhelmed with tons of recipes that I want to try out! I’m not sure where to start lmao
I’ll be making these and you’re no bake brownies for sure!
These were awesome! Easy to make and taste like brownies! Healthy brownies!
Love them, husband loved them!
These cookies are so tasty! Thanks for the awesome recipe (:
Love these! Very chocolaty and not too sweet. I took them to a dinner party, our host asked for the recipe. I added 1/2 cup of craisins which I microwaved with a Tablespoon of cider (or water) to plump them up, and increased the cocoa to 1/2 cup. Dough is very dry,could use a tablespoon of water or cider. I will make these again!
They are amazing!
Megan these were AMAZING!!! Wow I am in love. I can’t believe they’re completely fruit-sweetened. SO GOOD!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious, thank you
Do you know have to add in the 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar like in your other similar cookies?
Thank you!
Love these cookies! I made them for Xmas one year and added peppermint extract. Dates and cashews taste delicious together as a snack,so I want to try this recipe next with cashews.
These cookies are delicious! It’s a tasty, healthy, and guilt free alternative to traditional double chocolate chip cookies! I just made them today and plan to make another batch. 😋
Thank you once again for another amazing recipe. Trying to be a healthy but love desserts. Just a recommendation to anyone out there. I used my Vitamix to blend dates and walnuts and it temporarily burned out the engine. 🤪 Otherwise so easy to make! Now let’s see what the family thinks. Thanks again
Unbelievably good! I used walnuts and a real egg.
love these cookies!! They are delicious and chocolatey. I made half without chocolate chips and half with. Using my cookie scoop I ended up with 16 cookies. Thank you!!
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of nuts? Thanks!
How many noor deglet dates equal medjool dates?Thanks
Doing whole 30 when my period hits…. chocolate was a must have in my house. This is SO GOOD like i was so surprised how delicious these were! literally just threw the stuff in the blender and baked it. this was without chocolate chips and it was still mad delicious. Now bringing them to my sugar free, dairy free, gluten free friends birthday party. All in all, lit.
Love these cookies! So simple and sweet, perfect for a chocolate fix!
Just made these, used what I had on hand, 1 c cashews and 1/2 c hazelnuts, so good!
I made these today and am so surprised at how tasty they are. (Fortunately, I only baked 5 of them and still have 2 left!)I have never made anything using dates as the natural sweetener but will be on the lookout for more recipes like this. You’ve got me sold!!
Love this recipe! It’s easy and super delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and it worked out great. Highly recommen!
Has anyone made this with cacao powder instead of cocoa powder? I’m curious if I can substitute 1:1.
Can I substitute peanut butter instead of the walnuts?
These are my favorite cookies to make. Thank you!
Are you able to refrigerate this dough to bake later? I was hoping to make some to take to my friend’s house so we can have them straight out of the oven.
This is my favourite Vegan Double Chocolate Cookie recipe!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
It is so good and easy to make for a super baking beginner like me😊
It is quite healthy, yet it is super yummy 😋
I used unsalted mixed nuts as they were only thing I had, and it turned out great!!
I love the nutty, chewy and chocolaty in these cookies~
Love it!
Thank you again 🙏❤️
Absolutely loved these! I am prediabetic and trying to cut out as much sugar and flour as possible. Used 1 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup pecans, a real egg, cacao instead of cocoa and almost a cup of sugar free dark chocolate chips. So happy to have your recipe! Thank you!!
Absolutely delicious! Since going plant based, I haven’t found any cookie recipe that satisfied my sweet tooth. These were SO very good! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I absolutely love these cookies! Thank you for this recipe. One question I have is, I could feel my food processor having to work pretty hard to mix all of the ingredients up because while my dates are still good they are not as moist as when I first bought them… when you make date paste you add a bit of water to the dates to process. Would adding a bit of water to this recipe make the cookies too “soggy” in order to ease the strain put on my processor?
These cookies taste INCREDIBLE! I used walnuts instead of pecans, and 3 tablespoons of cacao powder along with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. I no longer miss Ghirardelli brownies because these (way healthier) cookies taste just like them!