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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.

healthy cookies stacked on pan

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.

healthy cookies on cooling rack

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!

healthy cookies stacked with dripping chocolate

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!)

If you have other ingredients on hand and are craving a cookie, you might also enjoy these healthy recipes:

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.

healthy cookie at an angle on wire rack
healthy cookies stacked on pan

Healthiest Cookies Ever

4.92 from 169 votes
These healthy cookies are made with 100% whole food ingredients, but they taste like a soft batch cookie. They are so easy to make!
prep10 mins cook12 mins total22 mins
Servings:16

Ingredients
 
 

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.
    walnuts pulverized in food processor
  • Add in the dates, salt, baking soda, vanilla, flax, water, and vinegar. Process again, until the batter looks relatively smooth and sticky.
    date cookie dough in food processor
  • 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.
    chocolate chips added and scooped
  • 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.
    healthy cookie dough on pan and flattened
  • 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.
    before and after baked cookies

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 16 cookies. This will vary if you get more or less cookies out of the batch, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
  • 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

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy cookies

If you try these healthy cookies, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them!

Reader Feedback: What other date-sweetened desserts would you like to see in the future?

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Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. 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?

  2. 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.

  3. How can they be called the healthiest cookie ever with that much fat and 2 grams are saturated and 12 grams of sugar?

    1. Complex carbohydrates, not simple carbs like added processed sugar. Unprocessed nut oils. They are definitely extremely healthy.

  4. 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.

  5. 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 🙏

  6. 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!

  7. 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.

  8. 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.