There was a stretch of time when my kids did so much baking, it felt like living in a cookie factory with amateur bakers at the helm. It made me happy that they wanted to experiment in the kitchen, but I was forever looking for ways to make baking projects a little more wholesome. These healthier chocolate chip cookies are a prime example.
Why Make Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Since baking cookies is a popular pursuit, I thought I’d share my tips on tailoring baked goods for the better. With just a handful of swaps and substitutions in these cookies, for example, you’ve got a sweet that’s lower in saturated fat with more fiber, nutrients, and a touch less sugar than garden variety Tollhouse cookies. This is not health food, mind you. That’s not what cookies are for. But these are a real treat that’s less likely to give you a sugar high followed by an energy slump. With that in mind, here are some of my standard baking makeovers:
Tips for Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Use whole-grain flour
Instead of relying on white flour, which loses fiber and nutrients in the processing, experiment with whole-wheat flour. You can reliably swap out at least half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour in most cookies. If you have whole-wheat pastry flour, that makes an even more seamless swap, since the flour is lighter in texture and flavor.
2. Add nut flour to make it healthier
Adding almond or another nut flour can enhance a cookie both nutritionally and in terms of flavor and texture. I use Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour for this recipe.
3. Reach for dark chocolate chips
The darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidants and the lower the sugar. Some brands now make chips with upwards of 60 percent cacao. Alternatively, chop up a block of good quality dark chocolate to use in place of the chips.
4. Use butter wisely
Butter is part of what makes cookies so rich and satisfying, but you can often get away with less than a recipe calls for. You can also use extra-virgin olive oil or another healthier fat to replace some of the butter. Another trick? Brown the butter before adding it to the batter, which lends a pleasing, nutty flavor to the mix.
5. Work nuts into the cookie batter
Adding walnuts, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and so forth brings crunch and texture to cookies, but also adds fiber and healthy fats that can give cookies more staying power.
6. Scale down the sugar
Some form of sweetener, whether it’s white sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, or maple syrup is key for cookies. But you might be surprised that you can trim the amount without much of an impact on flavor or texture.
7. Downsize your cookies
Super sized cookies are a real show-stopper, but it’s wise to scale your cookies down. It’s tough to stop at just one, so smaller is often better.
Tip:
If you’ve go kids who like to eat the dough, consider using pasteurized eggs, such as Safest Choice.
If you like these healthier chocolate chip cookies, check out:
Chocolate-Dipped Tahini Cookies
Double Ginger Molasses Rye Cookies
Peanut Butter Chickpea Blondies
Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies by Pamela Salzman
Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Toll House classic gets a healthier chocolate chip cookie makeover here by calling for whole grain and nut flour in place of white flour. It cuts the amount of total fat and replaces some of the butter with olive oil. It also uses antioxidant-rich dark chocolate in place of semi-sweet chocolate. The result is a delicious, chewy chocolate chip cookie that doesn't taste like it was shortchanged in the decadence department. Feel free to add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if you like.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg (use pasteurized eggs such as Safest Choice if you want to eat the dough)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup almond flour, spooned an leveled in the measuring cup (substitute coconut flour if you're allergic to almonds)
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled in the measuring cup (alternatively use white whole-wheat flour)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- Flaky salt, such as Malton (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Cream the butter, olive oil, and brown sugar with an electric mixture until creamy and blended, 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth, another minute.
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Add the almond flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl.
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Beat the ingredients together until creamy, 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and beat to combine.
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Arrange tablespoon-size balls of dough on 1 baking sheet and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Distribute half the dough balls on the 2nd baking sheet. Be sure to leave space between the dough balls. Add a tiny crumble of flaky salt on top of each cookie, if desired.
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Bake until the cookies flatten and are just begining to show a hint of brown, 12-13 minutes.
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Remove from the oven. Let cool long enough that the cookies are firm and chewy, about 20 minutes. Store in an air-tight container.
Thank you to Safest Choice Eggs for sponsoring this post
Comments
05.28.2013 at3:40 AM #
Sally Kuzemchak
Yum! These look great. I love adding oats to cookies–and I find that it makes the cookies much more filling, so I can be satisfied with just one (or two)! Pinning these now to try later. Thanks for the great recipe Katie.
05.28.2013 at3:40 AM #
Katie Morford
Thanks Sally. I agree…the grains, nuts, and eggs give cookies a foundation in something other than sugar, which is more sustaining.
05.28.2013 at7:49 AM #
Heather Christo
These look seriously amazing!!
05.28.2013 at2:09 PM #
Dina
great recipe. i like the healthy tweaks you made. it was just enough to make it healthy but still delicious!
05.28.2013 at2:19 PM #
Monica
Just when I think I can’t love you anymore! I’m really excited to try these this summer!
05.28.2013 at2:19 PM #
Katie Morford
ahhh….
05.28.2013 at5:07 PM #
Pam
I can’t wait to try these! Maybe even tonight…
05.28.2013 at5:07 PM #
Katie Morford
Must report back!
05.29.2013 at4:04 AM #
Cornel
Hi Katie
Thanks for your very informative blog. I’m gluten & dairy intolerant and always try to find ways baking stuff that I can eat.
Can you please tell me what a stick of butter means = weight? Sorry living in South Africa and butter / margerine is only available in 250 / 500gm.
many thanks
CorneldK
05.29.2013 at4:04 AM #
Katie Morford
Greetings to you South Africa! One stick of butter is equivalent to 113 grams or 4 ounces or 1/2 cup.
05.29.2013 at10:05 AM #
Sally
What could I substitute for the almonds? How much more flour or oats could I add?
05.29.2013 at10:05 AM #
Katie Morford
You could add a different nut such as walnuts or pecans. If you don’t want to use nuts, I might add 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour…but without trying it, can’t be sure of the result. Good luck!
05.30.2013 at12:02 AM #
kim brady
I love makeovers! Can you tell me the difference between white whole wheat and whole wheat flour- I see them both at Trader Joe’s and curious as I usually stick with whole wheat pastry from Rainbow for baking. Also my mom once told me to swap out 1/2 cup wheat germ in baking to up the nutritional value would this work here- I like the way it gives waffles, breads and muffins a lightness but am not usually a cookie baker. Thanks Katie, my LO has recently discovered cookies so this will be a fun recipe to start with.
05.30.2013 at12:02 AM #
Katie Morford
Hi Kim…whole wheat white flour is a different variety than regular whole wheat with a milder flavor. I think it works well for baking and still has good nutritional value like other whole wheat. Worth trying.
05.30.2013 at7:19 AM #
Sarah
This cookie looks great wondering how many carbs are in one cookie. I count carbs.
Thanks.
05.30.2013 at7:19 AM #
Katie Morford
Hi there
I don’t run nutritional analyses on my recipes, but I know there are lots of apps and online resources available to do that.
05.30.2013 at9:51 AM #
Tiffany
Are the top cookies the same as the bottom?I had cookies that looked like the top ones and they’re amazing!
05.30.2013 at9:51 AM #
Katie Morford
The top photo is the final version of the recipe.
08.14.2013 at10:20 AM #
Chris
Katie, do you have any guidelines for how much sugar you can remove from a recipe before it effects texture and taste? Your guidelines here are excellent, but in addition to dropping the saturated fats and increasing the whole grains in my baked goods, I wonder sometimes if I could also reduce the sugar?
08.14.2013 at10:20 AM #
Katie Morford
I don’t have any specific guideline. I play around with lessening the sugar in recipes quite a bit but find it’s really a matter of trial and error. You are right, it affects both texture and sweetness, which is part of the challenge. Wish I could be more help.
10.01.2013 at9:34 AM #
Maria in Tx
I made this, but used regular whole wheat flour and added a few tbs of flax. They didn’t flatten out, but instead stayed in balls. Tasty, but not sure I can pass them off to my kids as cookies 🙂
10.01.2013 at9:34 AM #
Katie Morford
Hi Maria, I find whole-wheat pastry flour is a little lighter and so has a result more similar to white flour in baking. You might also try the technique for making a prettier cookie I wrote about here since it involves flattening the cookies during the baking process. Just a thought.
http://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/uncategorized/how-to-make-a-pretty-chocolate-chip-cookie/
10.10.2013 at1:45 PM #
Catherine
Hello, Great recipe! I have almond flour at home and I’m wondering if I can use that rather than grinding up almonds?
Thank you 🙂
10.10.2013 at1:45 PM #
Katie Morford
Hi Catherine
I haven’t made it with almond flour, but expect that it would work fine. The question would be how much almond flour because I didn’t measure how much ground almonds resulted after running them through the food processor. My guess is 3/4 cup of almonds would yield a bit more than that once ground up. Let me know how it goes.
09.06.2015 at6:52 AM #
Dressdrive
I am definitely gonna try this recipe tonight! Could you please tell for how long do these cookies last?
09.06.2015 at6:52 AM #
Katie Morford
Stored in an airtight container, they are best eaten within five days or so. You can also freeze both the dough and cookies, if you like.
07.14.2016 at7:26 AM #
Katherine
These were FANTASTIC! I don’t think I’ll go back to the old recipe when these are just as yummy (if not more) and healthier! I used walnuts instead of almonds (b/c I love walnuts). I think you can cut the sugar a little bit more without losing the sweetness but maybe it’s b/c I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Substitutes I made: walnuts, white whole wheat flour, semi sweet chocolate chips (what I had).
07.14.2016 at7:26 AM #
Katie Morford
Terrific! That sort of comment makes my day. Thank you for sharing.
07.16.2018 at8:32 AM #
Katie Morford
Hi Carla,
Thanks for chiming in. What works for one person may not work for another, which is sort of the beauty of home cooking…you can find what suits you best. Love your ideas for using applesauce and adding dark chocolate chips!
Katie
05.09.2020 at4:50 AM #
Kellie jobe
I’m guessing I could swap coconut flour for almond? Or just use more of the pastry flour? I have someone allergic to almonds.
Thanks!
05.09.2020 at4:50 AM #
Katie Morford
That would be a great swap.
05.19.2020 at12:45 AM #
Mara
Love everything that includes dark chocolate. I’m also trying to switch to a healthier lifestyle and started to mine for healthy recipes like yours. Also, I started a training plan with SportMe run tracker app, and I managed to get rid of some pounds. Your blog posts are super inspiring for me in this phase, thanks!
08.01.2020 at9:33 PM #
Kate
These look great! I am excited to try them. To make them gluten free would you recommend I use a one for one gluten free flour or can I use more oat flour instead? I use lots of gluten free oats in my baking.
08.01.2020 at9:33 PM #
Katie Morford
I would use one-for-one GF flour. I’ve done it and it works well…one of my kids if GF, so I’m always experimenting.
11.06.2020 at12:46 PM #
Lale Davidson
Wow– This recipe is a keeper!!!! I followed it exactly, making my own oat flour and almond flour using coffee grinder… and using Nestle dark chips, a cup of walnuts and a half cup of coconut. Delicious!!!! I love the Tollhouse recipe made with all WW flour…but always find it too sweet — and when things are too sweet, you don’t get the full flavor. Then other less sweet versions have the wrong texture. But the texture is perfect on this, and they are still really sweet — in a good way. I was worried about the use of less butter– but I guess the extra fat in the almond flour makes it all work. I think I’d raise the salt to 3/4 tsp. next time, though. Thank you!
11.06.2020 at12:46 PM #
Katie Morford
I’m so glad you like the cookies. I think it’s a keeper, too 🙂 As for salt, maybe I’ll try bumping it up next time … salt does really brighten that chocolate flavor.
06.05.2021 at8:38 AM #
Brenda
Love this healthier chocolate chip cookie recipe……but I found the cookies to be a bit dry on day 3-4 in an airtight container. Any suggestions to make these amazing cookies moister without having to add oil or more butter? Thanks!
06.05.2021 at8:38 AM #
Katie Morford
You could try underbaking them a bit. Cooking will continue cooking even when they are out of the oven, so try pulling them a little earlier than you think you should.
05.27.2022 at12:34 PM #
Kathie
Going to make these on a high fiber diet but could u substitute coconut oil for the butter?
05.27.2022 at12:34 PM #
Katie Morford
Sure!
10.10.2022 at2:11 PM #
Julia Simon
Just made these, So so delicious!!
10.10.2022 at2:11 PM #
Katie Morford
Love to hear it! Thanks for the comment.
10.06.2023 at2:56 PM #
U
Looks good but wondering what’s the nutritional information?
12.19.2023 at9:57 AM #
Thompson Barbara
I’m getting ready to make these, I’m using almond flour and all purpose flour, is it the same amount annd does it still take baking soda? Also, can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, how much?
12.19.2023 at9:57 AM #
Katie Morford
Hi Barbara, using AP and almond flour will work well. Coconut sugar can be substituted 1:1 with brown sugar, however it may make your cookies a little more crumbly/dry.
06.17.2024 at4:10 PM #
Barbara
One can also substitute plant-based egg: 1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of water if you want to be able to eat the dough raw and also don’t want to kill innocent chickens. ♥️🐣
Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try it tonight.
08.07.2024 at1:37 PM #
Veronica
Best cookies I’ve ever made! They are so delicious! They pair well with baked chicken thighs and gala apples.
To be fair, I’ve always tried modifying recipes to have less sugar by myself, and have gotten the ratios wrong half the time.
I followed-ish your recipe twice. First time with olive oil, and second time replaced with more butter, because the olive oil taste was too strong for me. I also used only all purpose flour. I added hazel nuts instead of chocolate chips to make it even less sweet.
They turned out like tasty soft scones.
I will keep using your recipe as my base cookie recipe, thank you so much!
My notes:
Oven: 350f
Bake: 13 min
Steps:
1) Slightly melt butter in frying pan
2) Move pan off heat
3) Add sugar, vanilla, and egg (make sure pan is not that hot before adding egg)
4) Mix well with spatula
5) Add flour, baking soda, salt
6) Mix with spatula, then finish mixing with hands
7) Mix in toppings
8) Form into balls and put on baking sheet with a bit of space between
9) Press down on each ball until flat
10) Bake and enjoy!
Ingredients:
– 6 tbsp melted salted butter
– 3/4 cup brown sugar
– 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 egg
– 1 1/2 cup flour
– 3/4 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp salt
– any toppings!
08.07.2024 at1:37 PM #
Katie Morford
Wonderful! I love when folks take my recipe and make it their own and what works for them. Thanks for all the feedback.