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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!
I don’t see that it says to use a flax egg but instead flax seeds? Confused as to what I should do? Do I add an egg and the flax seeds?
The flax seed powder will become your egg and oil substitute. It works wonderfully.
I’ve made these five times so far – every week since I first tried them. They are just so darn good. It’s a recipe that I wouldn’t even try to change. Very quick to prepare and amazingly good to eat as its all good for you. Thank you for sharing.
I made the cookie and substitute the walnuts for pecans this is a very good recipe thanks
How can they be called the healthiest cookie ever with that much fat and 2 grams are saturated and 12 grams of sugar?
Complex carbohydrates, not simple carbs like added processed sugar. Unprocessed nut oils. They are definitely extremely healthy.
I love this recipe. I made a few changes. I used chia flour instead of flaxseed. I put in more water to make it more of a ground consistency. I chucked the chocolate chips in with everything else and spun it all together. I needed 14 minutes.
They are sooo good! It’s a keeper!
Healthy cookies are difficult…especially vegan! I have tried so many and never found a balance between truly healthy and also delicious and decadent like a cookie should be. Until now!! These are so wholesome, and I was surprised at the rise they achieved. I used a stick blender and it worked just fine. Added chopped 90% chocolate and am digging in with a glass of soymilk…life is good. Thank you for these 🙏
Dang these cookies are great! I really needed something sweet as I am switching over to a plant based diet. These cookies are going on my rotation. Thankyou for a great recipe – nice job!
We made this recipe the yesterday and it was good. I forgot how sweet dates are! Had to leave them in the oven for 17 minutes. They were better when they cooled down and hardened a bit (like the recipe says), but we enjoyed a few warm ones as well :-P. We used cocoa nibs as a whole food alternative to chocolate chips. They are a mild taste. Next time I’ll make half without the nibs and see if I can even tell the difference.
The problem I have with recipe with ingredient rich in omega 3 is that all the omega 3 don’t resist heat. So all the omega 3 get oxydate and we won’t get any benefit of it.