These Healthy Cookies are about to be your new favorite cookie recipe! They are made with 100% whole food ingredients: no flour, no added oil, and no added sugar. And oddly enough, they remind me of the popular “soft batch” cookies I used to eat when I was growing up.
Why You’ll Love Them
This recipe is what I consider the “healthiest cookies ever.” They are made with ingredients that you may already have in your pantry, and because they’re flourless, they’re naturally gluten-free, too.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Walnuts: Walnuts are a plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically the essential fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Research shows that eating ALA may help to lower your risk of heart disease. The polyphenols found in walnuts may also help to fight inflammation.
- Dates: Dates are loaded with fiber and may be beneficial for controlling your blood sugar. Dates are considered a low-glycemic food, and have a high antioxidant content that may help lower inflammation and reduce the risk of diabetes.
- Flax Seeds: Ground flax seeds may help to lower cholesterol and they may help to lower blood pressure, too. Eating ground flax seeds regularly may even help to expedite weight loss, as well!
- Baking Soda + Vinegar. This combination helps them rise, without using eggs.
- Vanilla + Salt. Contributes to the classic cookie flavor you love.
- Dark Chocolate Chips. Or, you can use cacao nibs, raisins, or extra nuts as a sugar-free mix-in.
I use the flax seeds as an egg substitute in this recipe, and I think it keeps them a nice and soft in the center– which I love. If you would rather use a real egg, you can replace the flax seeds and water with one for a little more protein in this recipe.
Substitution note: I’ll often use pecans when I don’t have walnuts on hand, and the results are just as delicious! I think that buttery nuts work best in this recipe, so macadamia nuts would probably work well, too.
How to Make Them
- Grind the nuts. Add the walnuts to a food processor, and process briefly until they have a coarse, crumbly texture.
- Make the cookie dough. Add in the dates, salt, baking soda, vanilla, flax seeds, water, and vinegar (which reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise) and process again, until a sticky cookie dough is formed. Add in the chocolate chips, and process again briefly to mix them in.
- Scoop. Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet.
- Bake. The cookies will bake for 12 minutes or so, at 350ºF.
- Enjoy! Let the cookies cool completely on the pan. They are fragile 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, simply store them in the fridge or freezer, and serve them cold!
How to Store Them
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!)
More Healthy Cookie Recipes
If you have other ingredients on hand and are craving a cookie, you might also enjoy these healthy recipes:
- Date-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Frosting (sweetened with dates!)
- Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Buckwheat Cookies
- Almond Butter Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies (also date-sweetened!)
- Coconut Flour Cookies
I hope you’ll enjoy these cookies whenever your sweet tooth strikes! Because they are made with nutrient-rich ingredients, I find that they leave me feeling satisfied much longer than a traditional cookie recipe.
Healthiest Cookies Ever
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
- 1 tightly packed cup medjool dates , pitted (8 ounces)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, briefly process the walnuts into a crumbly texture.
- Add in the dates, salt, baking soda, vanilla, flax, water, and vinegar. Process again, until the batter looks relatively smooth and sticky.
- Add in the chocolate chips, or any other mix-ins you like, and process briefly to mix them in. Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the dough.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet, and use your fingers to flatten and shape the cookies. (They don't spread much on their own.) I usually get about 16 to 18 small cookies from this batch.
- Bake at 350ºF for 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 on the pan, as they will be fragile while they are still warm. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer, and serve cold for the most firm texture.
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 a flax egg, one chicken egg can be used instead.
- Optional add-ins that are free of added sugar include: cacao nibs, raisins, shredded coconut, chopped nuts
Nutrition
If you try these healthy cookies, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them!
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Reader Feedback: What other date-sweetened desserts would you like to see in the future?
Easy, nutritious and amazingly delicious!
Thank you so much, we’re trying to only have
‘good’ desserts at home and this one fits the bill!
These were the BEST! So easy to make and taste great! Making my second batch right now 😉 Thank you Detoxinista so much for developing these excellent recipies for us.
Amazingly delicious! Once again, you’ve created a fantastic recipe with healthy ingredients. My family and I thank you!
What do you think about using Agave syrup instead of Maple Syrup? I just have a lot more agave syrup in the pantry than maple and maple is so expensive where I live in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As so many others have exclaimed all the recipes that I have tried so far have become mainstays in my arsenal to better more healthy living. Appreciate you!
Michael, check out http://authoritynutrition.com/6-healthy-sugars-that-can-kill-you/ or google “why agave syrup is bad for you” and you will find a lot of interesting information. maybe that helps answering your question? I substitute pureed dates whenever a recipe calls for sugar/syrup/etc. They contain fiber which is not the case in liquid or extracted sugars/sweeteners which means they get processed differently by the body/cells (not a very qualified scientific answer 😉 but the video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” by Robert Lustig (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) will do a better job 😉
You know when you are tired! I combined, in my head, the ingredients for your Basil Lemonade, which is outta bounds with these Healthiest Cookies.
Please excuse.
Now just let me sit in the corner and have a sip of my lemonade with a bite from my cookie. I’m embarrassed. HaHa!
I just made these tonight and they turned out fabulous! I’ve been eating Paleo for the last few months and this is by far THE best baked item I’ve tried. The texture is wonderful! Not too sweet but not bland at all. Just the right balance of everything. I will be making these often. I have a retirement celebration to attend this week where food will be served, so I will take a few of these delish morsels to eat for dessert. Thank you so much for coming up with and sharing this recipe!
I made these last night and they are fantastic! You would never know that the only sweetener are the dates and that they are flourless and sugarfree. Truly amazing, thank you.
These were amazing! Planning on making another batch today!!
Omg these sound so fantastic and love the super clean ingredient list with things that I have in my pantry!! I cannot wait to make these!
I am so excited!!! These did taste like soft batch cookies!! So skeptical at first 🙂 i am blown away!!
These sound great, will definitely have to give them a try! I tend not to eat any eggs and only buy them for baking, so the flax egg substitute is definitely worth a shot.
How do you do it? Seriously, these are unbelievable! THANK YOU so much for creating great tasting and healthy dessert recipes (as well as your other recipes—just made cauliflower pizza tonight which is so amazing!). I have a crazy sweet tooth, but want to eat right too. Your recipes satisfy me 100%! Thanks again!
These are absolutely FABULOUS. I think I ate half the cookie dough before baking them because it’s so rich and sweet! Love, love, LOVE!
These are so delish! We just enjoyed one with our morning coffee. What a treat!
I wonder about how healthy it is to use a “flax egg.” I’ve always read that you should never heat flax seeds or flax seed oil because it is very fragile and oxidizes with heat, making it very unhealthy to consume. What are your thoughts on this? This recipe does sound delicious, though. I think I’ll try it with a regular pasture-raised egg. Thanks!
I’ve actually wondered about that myself. I’m currently getting my certification as a clinical nutritionist, and in one of my classes the teacher mentioned that flax seed oil oxidizes with heat, but that the whole and ground flax seeds do not have the same issue. However, that’s just one teacher’s word, so I’m going to continue to look into it further.
Just made these and used a combination of hazelnuts and almonds for the nuts, and half prunes and half dates. They are amazing and so easy to make! Thanks so much. I discovered your blog awhile back with the MacNCheese recipe and it has been one of my favorites since.
I was wondering if I could use dried figs instead of the dates and if so, how many should I use? Thanks!
This recipe is AMAZING – I’m obsessed 🙂 such a delicious recipe
WOW these are seriously the most delicious cookies that I have ever eaten! I used pecans, and I had some 100% organic date syrup in my pantry, so I just used 1/2 cup of the date syrup instead of using whole dates since the dates were already blended to make the syrup. My boyfriend and I absolutely loved the cookies (and they smelled divine as they baked). I am always cooking up heathy recipes, and this one will be a staple for a sweet & healthy treat! Thank you so much for sharing, I look forward to trying some more of your genius recipes!
These are delicious! Thanks for such a great website and healthy recipes!
I just made these with pecans, they are the best cookies I’ve ever made and I’ve made a few in my lifetime…just fabulous!
Absolutely delicious!
Mmmmmm! If you need a NUT FREE version, try these with tiger nuts…which are, ironically, not nuts but from a tuber plant. I used a cup and a half and the cookies are tasty. Thank you for this tasty recipe 🙂
These are very good. I used a combo of pecans and walnuts.
I made these cookies with almonds and they are so delicious. It is hard to not eat them all at once. I love the recipe
Wow! No need for those chocolatechips the cookies or so sweet as it is! Yummy I added more chopped walnuts instead. It gave the cookies a great crunch. I guess I’m just crazy about walnuts! Mine came out so chewing on the inside and crispy on the outside, just perfect!. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Is it possible to substitute the walnuts with chestnuts? I feel like it would really lighten the cookies. I have no idea how one would go about making it happen or how much different the taste would be. Any thoughts?
I used all hazelnuts and it ended up tasting like a Nutella cookie. A nice surprise!
[wet blanket]
These cookies are rife with PUFAs, which may or may not be degraded and which will be far more omega-6 than omega-3, and also plant hormones from the flax seed. Unless you’re allergic to eggs, you are better off using an egg than the flax substitute. Chia isn’t any better because it’s still high in phytate (as is flax).
If you are going to use tree nuts anyway, use a blanched almond flour. It’s had some of the phytate removed and has been defatted. Fat in and of itself isn’t bad but all the tree nuts except macadamia are really high in omega-6, and we get too much of that already, on average. And I am not sure how well macadamia would fare as the main body of a cookie. Haven’t tried it.
I doubt whatever omega-3 is present in the walnuts or flax would make up for the omega-6, either, especially since a lot of people with diabetic tendencies have trouble converting plant fatty acids (as in, this is a genetic issue, and can’t be fixed with wishing). Basically it’s not a good idea to depend on plants for all your omega-3s unless you know your genetic status, because you are playing Russian Roulette with your health.
I know these are just cookies and maybe the rest of your diet’s OK, just keep all that in mind.
P.S. For the love of Pete, buy your flaxseed whole and keep it in the freezer. It grinds almost instantly in an electric coffee grinder. And *don’t* use flaxseed oil. Just saying.
[/wet blanket]
Hi, “wet blanket” – no, no, you are most definitely NOT a wet blanket, but a wonderful “sharer” of valuable information for those of us that love to learn all the pros and cons of all we eat. I will save your information because it is well worth saving – now we can make better choices/decisions when treating our loved ones to special times . . . thanks so much & God Bless You & Your Loved Ones . . . 🙂
p.s. Detoxinista – why doesn’t your page allow me to give recipe 5 stars? It only has 3 stars capability?
OMG OMG like OMG brilliant I’ve been hunting for a healthiest cookie slash cake and I have finally found the most delicious of them all, this by far takes the lead it’s so moist and I love the walnut crunchiness mmmmmm I cannot stop eating them I must make more to last the year
It’s the holidays and I’ve been gorging on buttery, sugar-high chocolate chip cookies…tried cutting it out and then still had an intense craving for nuts and fat, so this was perfect – stable moods all over – thank you!
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe 🙂
Stumbled on your website. Love your recipes. Made these cookies this morning. I used prunes and they are delicious. So easy. Thought my food processor would be a mess, but it wasn’t. Dough just made a nice, dense ball, easy to work with. Good tips with your recipes too. Looking forward to making many more.
I love love love these cookies… no white sugar, no white flour, no butter. It get any better than this! I used pecans and left out the chocolate chips and they were perfectly sweet enough. May add coconut chavings next batch. I lived in Saudi for 7 years and became passionate about dates their nutritional value, as well as great taste. I use dates and date paste for EVERYTHING! Crepes, waffles, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, sweet breads, shakes, in salads, in couscous. I try whenever possible to substitute dates for any recipe that calls for white sugar – trying to eliminate white sugar from my family’s diet! It’s not easy, especially cookies for kids. I am the owner of Sahara Date Company and always looking for good date recipes. This one is a winner! Thanks so much. Will bring them into school for the kids next week!
Do you sell organic dates? If not, do you have a suggestion where I can find them?
Costco!!
Amazing, amazing! Who would have thought a cookie made from nuts and dates could be so delicious? I was expecting a larabar type flavor, but this was like a real cookie. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Do you need to soak the dates first?
Only if they aren’t already soft. The ones I’ve been finding lately are soft and squishy enough that you wouldn’t have to soak them first.
Best Cookies EVER!!! My kids loved them! And my son can be so picky! They are our favorite treat!
Thank you! I did not have to soak them and cookies came out great!
Delicious!
Hi I just discovered your amazing site and these yummy cookies were the first thing thing I tried and wowwww!! Looking forward to making more of your recipe ideas!
These are amazing! I don’t eat wheat or processed sugar, and I’ve been craving cookies. I didn’t use chocolate chips and added cinnamon instead – they taste like decadent, nutty oatmeal cookies. Thank you!
I’ve made these twice now and they are delicious! Even my 3-yo likes them! Thank you!
Hi. I just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe. I adapted it for my blog (crediting you, of course). Love what you’re doing…
I stumbled upon this recipe and your blog through a google search for a healthy cookie recipe that used medjool dates. I LURVE this recipe!
I’m a new mom and this recipe checked off so many of my new “must have” boxes for making a recipe:
– minimal number of ingredients
– all can be done in one dish
– letting a machine do all the work
– full of good fats and nuts
– CHOCOLATE!
I prepped it all while my oven preheated, nursed my darling, screaming child while they cooked, and ate one while she slept.
Thank you! I look forward to checking out more of your recipes!
These are amazing!! Since I’m trying to stay away from all processed sugar, I didn’t use chocolate chips. I put raisins in them. Next time I’ll add a little cinnamon too. Super delicious!! So excited to have this healthy cookie recipe in my arsenal of baking recipes.
Can I use any kind on nut?
I just tried using pecans instead of walnuts and they turned out pretty great.
These were fantastic. I used dates that weren’t medjool so the texture looked different than yours but this was the first time i didn’t use honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. I was apprehensive but HOLY COW!!! They are delicious!! And I didn’t have to sit around and make nut butter. 🙂 This is going to be a go to recipe for me from now on. Thank you!!
I’ve just brought these out of the oven and oh my word, don’t they smell gorgeous! I used a mixture of pecans and walnuts with the majority being pecans simply because it was what I had on hand. I also used a cup of well packed sayer dates opposed to Mejool and they’re still perfect. I’m new to the whole food lifestyle and have spent most of my life baking with refined sugar and lots of butter but with recipes like these I’m a convert. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Could almond meal be used in place of walnuts. I already have it here. Looking forward to try using the dates.
Thank you
I don’t know why but my mixture was too dry and I had to add more flax egg to it to become a paste. They did not come out crispy but they were of course still delicious. Second time around I added lots of orange zest, soaked the flax in Orange juice and put in some cocoa nibs to give it a bit of a crunch. To make up for the lack of crispiness and I baked them at 100 c for 3 hrs. Super delicious. Much better than those nakd bars I was buying for a snack.