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I know this is a bold statement but these really are the Best Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve had to date. And I’ve had a lot of cookies in my lifetime. What makes these cookies so good? The texture is the perfect level of chewy, with edges that are slightly crisp and if you’ve ever enjoyed the soft chocolate chip cookies from Mrs. Fields or Subway Sandwich, these cookies are on par. Seriously!
But perhaps the best part about them is that they’re just as delicious (if not more so) than those famous chocolate chip cookies even though they’re made with healthy ingredients. They are not only vegan and gluten free, but also made with no refined sugars, and no added oils or margarine—almost too good to be true. The recipe calls for 10 ingredients, and a little bit of love and the result is a chocolate chip cookie that can’t be beat!
I made some modifications to my earliest chocolate chip cookie recipe, which is still delicious, but I’m going to be honest and call this the cooler, older sister recipe to the original. Or let’s call it the 2020 version 2 cookie with more process detail and even better texture.
I tried my best to keep the ingredients fairly simple, and instead of a complex 7 ingredient gluten free flour blend, landed on a combination of just 2 flours–oat and almond. The remaining ingredients are pretty straight forward, and I’ll include some substitution notes in the recipe card below (though I highly recommend sticking to the recipe as noted for best results! I can’t promise best ever cookies otherwise 😉).
What’s in the Best Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Creamy almond butter
Maple syrup
Coconut sugar
Flax egg
Oat flour
Almond flour
Vanilla extract
Baking powder + baking soda
Chocolate chips (of course!)
Secrets to success
To make the Best Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies, I strongly recommend using a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. They can be somewhat delicate, especially right as they come out of the oven and you’ll risk breaking them if you try to scrape them off of foil or directly from a baking pan surface.
Although baking time is short, keep in mind the cookies will continue to cook for a little, even after removed from the oven. Don’t be too tempted to add too much additional bake time as you’ll end up with not-so-chewy cookies. Still delicious, but if chewy texture is your thing, bake lightly!
As I’ve made this recipe a few times now, I’ve noticed dough texture can vary based on room temperature, and also almond butter used. Opt for a creamy, roasted almond butter (with no added oils or sugars) and if making cookies on a hotter day, you may find your dough a little sticky. If so, you can add a touch of additional oat flour (by the tablespoon) or refrigerate dough for about 10 minutes before prepping to bake.
Finally, as you’re placing your cookie dough onto the baking sheet, if you run into any issues with dough sticking to your hand, try refrigerating or rolling with lightly damp hands. Work quickly, as the heat in your hands does warm the dough as well. Make flat cookie shaped discs, keeping in mind they will spread a little bit.
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekinsso I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Start by pre-heating your oven to 350F while you prepare your cookie dough.
In a large bowl, whisk almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Gently fold in your flax egg with a spatula.
Next, sift in all your dry ingredients (excluding chocolate chips), folding until dough is even and starts to pull away from edges of the bowl. See reference photo for texture. Add chocolate chips and refrigerate dough if needed (see “secrets to success”).
Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and quickly roll into a ball shape* then lightly flatten onto a non-stick baking mat lined tray. Leave about 2 inches between cookies as they will spread a little bit as they bake.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until tops are lightly golden brown and edges are cooked.* Remove from oven and let cool before lifting off the tray (don’t worry, they’ll still be soft and chewy!).
Notes
* If you have issues with dough sticking to your hand, refrigerate, and work quickly with lightly damp hands. You can also add additional oat flour by the tbsp, but do so sparingly because it will result in a drier cookie.
** Keep in mind cookies will continue to cook for a few minutes after removed from oven and will firm up as they cool. I like to bake mine for exactly 10 minutes.
*** To store cookies, make sure they are completely cool, and store in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between 2 cookies if stacking. You can also freeze them this way to enjoy later!
Keywords: chocolate chip cookies, cookies, chocolate, dessert, oil free, almond butter, refined sugar free, one bowl, under 30 minutes
I made this today and they’re amazing! Even tho I used peanut butter instead of almond butter because I only had PB at home. Other than that I exactly followed your recipe😄 the very best part is it doesn’t required any oil. Thank you for such a great recipe😘😘😘
These are sooooooo delicious and super easy to make! I’m always a little wary on vegan cookie recipes, but these turned out so chewy and flavorful, they taste even better than a regular cookie! Thanks sm!
I'm so glad!! Thanks so much Suzanne :) I feel the same way haha, I have been on this mission to find a gooood healthy cookie for so long and I love how these turned out!
Yes, I made this recipe! Thank you so much for it. The cookies turned out PERFECT! Had to substitute almond butter with a mix of pnb and tahini and ground up my own oat flour from some rolled oats. Que bueno!
I don't include nutrition facts (more on why here), though you're always welcome to calculate them yourself as all of the ingredients and measurements are included in the recipe.
I just made them and they are absolutely delicious. I replaced both the flaxseed egg and coconut sugar with one whole egg and brown sugar. It worked great 👏🏼
Thanks for sharing this recipe
These cookies are incredible! I cannot believe they are vegan, gf, and refined sugar free. Even my husband who has a major sweet tooth was pleasantly surprised and ate more than half the batch! Will definitely be making these often. Thank you!
This recipe sounds so great! However, can i substitute applesauce for the almond butter? Or are there any other substitutes since I don't have any almond butter or peanut butter right now?
That should be ok! Just make sure the batter doesn't feel too dry, if so, may need to add extra almond butter to account for that since almond flour is higher in fat content :)
I just made these but I subbed the almond butter for peanut butter and almond flour with whole wheat flour. These are soooo good! Will definitely be making again. ! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Hi, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I wanted to ask if I can substitute oat flour with something else or leave it out completely? Oat flour isn’t easily available where I live. Thank you.
Hi Ruch! I unfortunately haven't tried with other flours so can't really say, however if you can find oats and have a high speed blender, you can finely grind rolled oats and then sift it to form a fine flour :)
I made these last night and Omgosh! They are SOOO good!!! Tbh I thought they'd be just alright (like the other billion recipes for healthyish cookies I've tried) but no these are freaking delicious! A little crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside!! Certainly the best vegan/gf chocolate cookie recipe, Thank you!!
Would give it 10/5 stars if I could!! I've never been able to find a great vegan/GF chocolate chip cookie recipe until THIS ONE!! I am not kidding I think this will be my 8 or 9th time making it. They turn out amazing every single time and the ingredients are so simple! Thank you for this AMAZING recipe Remy!! Your friend Maddie from @foodiesontherhode :))
I love this recipe so much!!! I made these with regular all-purpose flour (just a couple tablespoons less than called for) and they turned out great. It was easy to make and the cookies are super addicting. I normally don't gravitate towards cookies with a softer texture, but these are an exception. I look forward to the next batch I make. (:
These are fucking delicious but I was wondering, do you know how many calories it has? I'm trying a low calorie diet but I don't know how much calories it has. It was delicious tho and you can eat the batter by it self and it will still taste good.
Hi! I just made these and they are amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe I love your blog so much! Also I substituted coconut flour instead of almond and oat flour and it turned out great! Just had to add some almond milk to wet the batter :)
They were great! I'm not vegan, but they tasted so similar to a normal chocolate chip cookie! I was so impressed that I finished them all because they were so delicious...
Just made them and they were a little too sticky to make into balls... tried refrigerating but worked better when i added a tbsp of Oat Flour. Made them as suggested, but I added a scoop of extra collagen to the dry ingredients, banged the baking sheet about halfway through ( they were looking a tad cakey in appearance), and added some flakey maldon salt on top. They deflated and taste absolutely delicious! Thank you Remy for your amazing recipe :)
I'm so glad to have stumbled across a recipe that uses very accessible ingredients! These cookies taste amazing; my mom and I really enjoy them. Thank you so much! I will definitely be making these from now on, for both family and friends...and of course myself :)
OMG!! They turned out sooo delicious !! I only had a tbsp of almond butter and the rest was PB... but I will bake them again, and again, and again!! Thank you very much (all my family liked these 😊 )
Hi I have been looking for a good healthy chocolate chip recipe for the longest time and all of the recipes have been ok but these look sooooo good and I was wondering if I could replace the coconut sugar with maple syrup?
Hi Emi, you can substitute it with brown sugar, or other granulated sugar as I noted in the recipe. The ingredients are completely different in consistency (granulated sugar vs. liquid maple syrup) so it cannot work as a substitute. With that said, the recipe was developed with both ingredients for a reason and the final product is not overkill in sweetness if that's what you're worried about :)
Hey Remy, thank you for this amazing recipe! They remind me of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies when they're fresh from the oven. My fam keeps wanting me to make them 😭.
Hii! Absolutely LOVED this recipe, now that I am trying to get into a more healthy lifestyle haha. Do you think that there would be any difference if I use homemade almond flour?? (not blanched tho)
Hi Remy! I made this before and was SO AMAZED! Hands down the best healthy cookie recipe! Just wondering, would it be okay to sub the flax egg with a chia egg? I'm not currently at home so don't have access to flax seeds :(
Hi Sarah! I haven't tried that, but if you find it ending up too sticky batter-wise, perhaps you could add oat flour to compensate. Let me know if you do end up trying!
Hey Miss Remy, I baked these cookies five times last summer, and I loved them every time!
I live in a yoga center / community space now that has a toaster oven, but no oven. So I want to confirm: will baking these cookies in a toaster oven work?
Hi Evelyn! I have not tried myself yet, but if you're able to get the temperature and time equivalent, it might work! Let me know if you do try. Curious to find out now ;)
Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.
meet remy
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