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Have you ever wondered if you could bake a date-sweetened energy ball? That’s basically what these healthy cookies are. They are made with 100% whole food ingredients: no flour, no added oil, and no added sugar, so I’ve deemed them the healthiest cookies ever.
Oddly enough, they remind me of the popular packaged “soft batch” cookies I used to eat when I was growing up.
I started experimenting with this recipe over 10 years ago, when I wanted a cookie made with whole food ingredients. There’s no refined flour or sugar required, but adding chocolate chips does make them taste more “authentic.” I’ll leave that choice up to you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I’ve been making these for YEARS now, and they do not disappoint! They taste truly decadent!” -Iris
Healthy Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Walnuts: These nuts create a buttery cookie, but you can use pecans if you prefer.
- Medjool Dates. Shop for dates in the fresh produce section of your grocery store, rather than the bulk bin area. They should be soft and squishy, and easy to split apart with your fingers to remove the pits.
- Flax Seeds: Ground flax seeds act as a binder in this recipe, so you won’t need an egg. Plus, they add extra fiber!
- Baking Powder. This helps the cookies puff up as they bake.
- Vanilla + Salt. Contributes to the classic cookie flavor you love.
- Dark Chocolate Chips. You can also use cacao nibs, raisins, or extra nuts as a sugar-free mix-in.
How to Make Healthy Cookies
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the walnuts to a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade. Secure the lid and process briefly until they have a coarse, crumbly texture.
Step 2:
Add the pitted dates, salt, baking powder, vanilla, flax seeds, and water, then process again until a sticky cookie dough is formed. It won’t look perfectly uniform, so it’s okay if you still see a few chunks of dates in the mix.
Add the chocolate chips and process again briefly to mix them in.
Step 3:
Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. These cookies will not spread as they bake, so use your hands to gently flatten them into the desired shape. (Tip: Dip your fingers in a bowl of water before handling the dough. Using wet hands will prevent sticking.)
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff up and look barely golden around the edges.
Serving Tips
Let the cookies cool completely on the pan before serving. They are fragile to pick up when they are warm, but they firm up as they cool.
These healthy cookies have a soft and tender texture that reminds me of my childhood favorite “soft batch” cookies. If you prefer a firmer cookie, store them in the fridge or freezer, and serve them chilled.
Storage Tips for Healthy Cookies
These grain-free cookies will become softer if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer and serving them cold after the first 24 hours.
(They usually sit out just fine at room temperature for the first day!)
Healthy Cookie Recipe (No Flour & Fruit-Sweetened)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
- 1 tightly packed cup Medjool dates , pitted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (or egg; see notes)
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, process the walnuts briefly until they reach a crumbly texture.
- Add in the dates, salt, baking powder, vanilla, flax, and water. Process again, until the batter looks relatively smooth and sticky. Then, add the chocolate chips or any other mix-ins you prefer, and process briefly to incorporate them.
- Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the dough and drop it onto the lined baking sheet. Use wet fingers to flatten and shape the cookies, because they won't spread as they bake. I usually get about 16 cookies from this batch.
- Bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. While the cookies are still warm, you can add a few more chocolate chips on top (if there are any spots that look bare). Let them cool completely in the pan, as they will be fragile while they are still warm. Once they are cool, they are ready to enjoy.
Video
Notes
- I love the buttery flavor of these cookies when made with walnuts, but I have a feeling that pecans or almonds would work well, too.
- If you don’t have access to dates, raisins can be substituted in most cases, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- If you don’t want to use flax seeds, one chicken egg can be used instead of the ground flax and water that this recipe calls for.
- Optional add-ins that are free of added sugar include: cacao nibs, raisins, shredded coconut, chopped nuts
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try these healthy cookies, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them!
Look amazing! Do you think these would work as bars too?
I tried them as bars, and they didn’t turn out well. Way too gooey! I think you need all of those cookie edges to help them firm up.
These are very good! Softer than I expected – completely melt in your mouth! Perfect for my 3-year old too, as they are soft yet don’t fall apart and crumble everywhere:) I used regular cooking dates as I did not have medjool and these worked perfectly. Thanks for such an easy, healthy recipe!
Hi Meagan,
I’m wondering if you can give me a suggestion:
I’m looking to start manufacturing and distributing a cookie that “does it all”. Tastes good, has a great nutritional value and is profitable and manufacturer friendly.
Any suggestions?
Colin
I would really really appreciate an answer: Can you make a skillet cookie out of this? Or a cookie in a cup? I mean will it bake the same? And what about the ingredients? Thanks in advance!
I tried making a skillet cookie using this recipe once, and that did NOT work. The center never set. I think it would work with something smaller, like a mini muffin tin.
Did you just add the ACV as an ingredient? I’ve made these a bunch of times bc they’re so amazing! I have a batch in the oven now- but I don’t remember ever adding ACV! Is it just me? 🙂
I make these cookies all the time. However in my food processor the dough ends up a ball and not as ground up as yours looks.What am I doing wrong?
Fran
I wasn’t expecting these to be so delicious! They are very addicting but I don’t feel guilty eating them. Thanks for a great snack!!
My whole family loves these cookies so much! If I don’t add chocolate chips, I add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and it gives an oatmeal cookie taste. I made paleo marshmallow fluff once and put it between two cookies and was in heaven. My toddler loves these for quick on the go snacks too!
what is the calories per cookie?
I rarely make comments but I just had to thank you for these cookies!! I’m on a Whole30 right now and theses are awsome! They remind me of little toffee cakes! I used half cashews and half walnuts for the batter and studded them with pecans before baking.
When I’m off the “30” I will make a maple caramel sauce to put on top. Ooh, maybe I’ll make them as a skillet cookie and serve with coconut or banana ice cream!! Thanks again for this bit of simple perfection!
Tried this recipe with raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds instead of the walnuts and soooooo buttery and good! Love love love this recipe!