My cookbook launch week is finally here, and whew, has it been a doozy! I can’t believe that after two years of work, Healthier Together is finally out in the world! The book is doing well beyond my wildest expectations—we hit number one in a number of Amazon categories, and so many of you are re-making the creations. My agent actually called me this morning to say that we’re thisclose to a huge tipping point on Amazon, so if you haven’t bought your copy yet, and want to purchase it on Amazon, please please do. Apparently, when books hit this point, they show up better in search and on rankings basically forever, so it’s a huge deal and I’d be eternally grateful.
To celebrate the launch, I wanted to share one of the most popular recipes in the book—the #besthealthycookies. You may have already seen the remakes on Instagram, but these refined-sugar-free, gluten-free cookies are the real deal: they use only a few simple ingredients to create a perfect cookie that’s crispy on the outside and chewy in the center (just the way I like it!).
Because they’ve been SO popular, I decided to share the recipe with you (if you want the rest of my healthy dessert recipes, including the Salted Caramel Crack Popcorn and the Fun-Size Snickers bar, you can find them in the Healthier Together cookbook!).
I’m also running a little giveaway on Instagram—if you make the Best Healthy Cookies, tag them, well #besthealthycookies and tag me (@lizmoody) to be entered to win my FIVE favorite healthy cookbooks of the year. Yes, you heard me right—FIVE.
I can’t wait to see your creations!!
The Best Healthy Cookies
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 Cookies 1x
Description
Sometimes you think you want a creative twist on a cookie (pretzel, potato chip, butterscotch, coffee!), but, ultimately, nothing beats the classic: a perfect, grain-free chocolate chip cookie. These babies have everything you want: the crispy edge that cedes to a chewy center; a rich buttery flavor; studs of walnuts, oats, and chocolate chips – yet they’re completely gluten-free and refined sugar-free, packed with protein, and won’t spike and crash your blood sugar as a normal cookie would. (My husband uses this as an excuse to eat them for breakfast, but you do you…)
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (well stirred)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- Maldon or flaky sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together with a large spoon the egg, vanilla, and almond butter until combined. Stir in the almond flour, salt, coconut sugar, and baking soda until smooth. Stir in the walnuts, oats, and chocolate chips, working the dough a bit to get everything distributed evenly (the dough will be thick – that’s okay)
- Scoop the dough into rounded teaspoonfuls and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with Maldon salt, if using. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until edges turn golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately lift the side of the baking sheet up a few inches and gently let it drop down against the counter to set the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the texture of these is best on the first day (I like to make small batches and eat them fresh), they’ll keep uncovered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
- This recipe works well with other nut butters like cashew but always remember when using nut butters in recipes: make sure to stir it well beforehand as the oils can separate.
- Nut butters can differ in consistency. When mixed, the batter should be thick. If it’s not, to ensure optimal quality, add almond flour 1 tbsp at a time until it’s almost hard to stir.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
This is truly the best “healthy” cookie recipe, but actually just the best cookie recipe in general. I throw in one generous tbsp of peanut butter (in addition to the almond butter) and I interchange almond flour and oat flour (both amazing) and increased that to 1/3 cup, then I actually prefer my chia egg to a regular egg in my batches so far (I used 1 tbsp ground chia seeds to 2.5 tbsp water for my vegan egg) and I do a criss-cross with my fork and coconut sugar on the top to mimic the old style peanut butter cookies lol and adds a little crisp. These cookies are the BEST!!! Thank you!!!!
★★★★★
Hey Kayrene,
I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as I do. Thanks for sharing!
xo, Liz
Just made these cookies and omg! Me and my 3 kids couldn’t stop eating them. Even my daughter who hates nuts! Definitely recommend and will be making regularity!
Hey Kathleen,
I’m so happy that my healthy cookies were a hit with your family!
xo, Liz
Love this recipe! It has the right amount of sweetness. I substituted pecans. The texture is satisfyingly chewy and crispy. It’s perfect. Some other almond-based cookies are too crumbly and dry, but these were worth the bake!!!
★★★★★
Hey Nicole,
I’m so glad you love the recipe. Adding pecans sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing.
xo, Liz
Love the recipe! I was wondering if you had the nutritional information for these cookies 😋
Hey Sophia,
I’m so glad you love the recipe! We don’t count macros here, but these cookies are designed to be nutritious with good-for-you ingredients.
xo, Liz
I love this recipe! This cookies are so delicious, the texture is perfect and tastes just the same as those super buttery cookies.
Hey Eugenia,
I’m so glad you love the cookies.
xo, Liz
i just made these for a healthier treat and they hit the spot. i love that it’s a small amount so my husband and i can enjoy them for the next few days and be done with them 😁 ps i used brown sugar and natural crunchy peanut butter, as well as gluten free flour mix instead of almond flour- as these were what i had on hand and they still work
Hey Helen,
I’m so glad you loved the recipe and that it worked well with the ingredients you had on hand!
xo, Liz
These really are the best! Will definitely be making them again soon.
★★★★★
There’s a reason they’re called the Best Healthy Cookies 🙂 I’m so glad you like them! xo, Liz
These are really good. I only had natural pnut butter so used that in place of almond butter. Made them twice- once with coconut sugar and once with sucanat (a little less than the amount called for using coconut sugar). Both were great. These do not give you a sugar rush/crash, and you can feel that they are nutrient dense… in the best way 🙂 Will be making with almond butter next time!
Hi Emily, I’m so glad you liked them! This recipe works with any nut butter (as long as you stir before you add it), so great call on adding the peanut butter!! xo, Liz
Love these cookies! A staple in my house! All of your recipes are delicious
★★★★★
Hey Ty, Thanks so much! Aren’t the cookies the best?! xo, Liz
Delicious!! Crispy! Better than any store bought cookies!
★★★★★
I totally agree 🙂 So glad you like them!
xo, Liz
Was looking for yet another gf chocolate chip cookie to try and came upon these – accidentally left out the oats but they were FABULOUS NONE THE LESS! Began perusing your recipes-how have I not known about you? Your recipes are fabulous – the best texture of any GF recipes I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all). After making these I made the banana bread muffin tops-BRILLIANT!
★★★★★
Hey Dottie,
Welcome to the blog! Thanks for all your kind words. I’m glad you loved the cookies and the banana bread muffin tops! They’re two of my faves for sure.
xo, Liz
I literally do not use any other chocolate chip cookie recipe anymore. These are so so yummy! This page in my cookbook is covered in chocolate because I make them all the time. I’ve found following the recipe exactly (I get a little lax while baking sometimes- a fatal flaw!) provides the best results! My family usually hates “healthier alternatives” to dessert and didn’t even notice with these cookies!
Hi Hannah,
I love to hear this! Aren’t these cookies the best?
Xo Liz
Truly the best healthy cookie recipe! They do not taste like a “healthier alternative” just chewy on the inside and crisp edges. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Simple and delicious recipe! I love the better-for-you ingredients. I added a bit of cacao nibs to the mix for some added crunch and nutrients, which turned out great. Hoping these last at least 24 hours. Wish me luck!
★★★★★
These are really good! I used coconut flour and added a splash of almond milk at the start. Looking forward to trying with almond flour when I have it. Not overly sweet but satisfy the cookie craving. Thank you
Baked yesterday and enjoyed this morning. Found the dough crumbly but rolled into balls with my palms and didn’t flatten much on the tray. Baked perfectly. Crunchy’ish on the exterior and soft inside. Perfect! Note: used Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips (sugar free) and I do find these hard to mix into dough – they get oily and don’t stick will. Bake up nice, though, and terrific flavor.
★★★★★
Hi Bernadette—Thank you for your positive words. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Xo Liz
LOVE IT; NEED SUGAR & CARB COUNT
Loved these addictive cookies! Recipe in U.S. magazine printed 1/2 cup of Almond flour. That’s what I’ve been using. Plus, instead of chocolate chips, I used dried cranberries , and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon! Popular hit in my house.
Calories & CARB count please
★★★★★
Hi Laura — Please use the following tool to find nutritional value: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076.
Xo Liz
I never received an email with your response! I just saw this response,when I went to ask you again. There is a referral to a website! Thank you. I’ll give it a try.
Best cookies ever!!! I’ve made these so many times I lost count. Healthy and quick!
★★★★★
Awesome … delicious …. easy … great tasting. Family loved them
★★★★★
I have been baking lots of healthy recipes while home with my family and have been unable to find one that doesn’t taste “too healthy” to them UNTIL THESE. Cookies are my favorite food and I am SO HAPPY to have a healthier go-to that are insanely good. Thank you Liz!!!
★★★★★
These were great! I was a little worried because the batter is SO sticky, but these cookies turned out beautifully and they taste great as well. I may have already eaten three myself…?
★★★★★
The best!! Legit cookie and tastes SO yummy!!! Thankyou Liz!!!
★★★★★
Loved it! I have a question though…. we should be storing them uncovered, as in…. just leave them out on a plate? It feels weird not to seal them in an airtight container… can someone clarify? As delicious as they are, I definitely can’t finish 9 cookies in one sitting!! Thanks!
★★★★★
Loved these. The best indulgence sweet that doesn’t make my stomach churn. I’ve tried these and the salted cookie dough banana bread and oh my god.. Liz please don’t ever stop. These are amazing. Also… which almond butter is your go to with the cookies? I used Justins not sure if there is one that works better??
★★★★★
Whilst I did super love these cookies (the taste is incredible) I did make a mistake that I want others to learn from – mixing gorgeous natural almond butter with its lovely natural oils plus a cold egg means it will stiffen very quickly, before you even add in your dry ingredients. I added a bit of almond milk to loosen a bit and they still tasted amazing but were a bit tough. Totally (my own!) human error, definitely keep your eggs at room temp folks!
★★★★★
Not to say my expectations were low, but I didn’t think they would honestly be some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Like, better than the traditional brown sugar-y chocolate chip I made a few weekends ago.
They garnered approval from my sig o, who prefers unhealthy desserts. Yeah. That good.
★★★★★
Not to say my expectations were low, but I didn’t think they would honestly be some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Like, better than the traditional brown sugar-y chocolate chip I made a few weekends ago.
They garnered approval from my sig o, who prefers unhealthy desserts. Yeah. That good.
★★★★★
These were soooooooo good! I just found out my little girl has an egg allergy and since I’m still nursing her I have to cut out everything with egg 🙁 do you think these would still work with a flax egg or is the actual egg essential for lifting the cookies? Would love your thoughts before giving it a go 🙂
★★★★★
They work with Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer! I also tried them with aquafaba, but that spread too much.
These cookies are amazing! Hard to believe they’re free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar. I’ve made them 3 times in the past week and a half and a batch doesn’t even last 12 hours in our house.
★★★★★
Can I use oat flour instead?
Hi Melissa — Yes, this would work!
Xo Liz
Made the cookies last week they were a hit. Had them for breakfast a couple days.
★★★★★
The cookies were delicious. I added cocoa because I love chocolate and came out good.
★★★★★
These are delicious! Husband said these are the first gluten-free cookies he’s liked. Easy to eat them all. This recipe made 12 cookies for me. I’m going to try some sub-ins next time.
Delicious. Will make again. How many calories per cookie? Need for My Fitness Pal. Thanks!
★★★★★
you can create recipes on MFP 🙂 add in ingredients and quantities used + servings (12 cookies etc.) i do this for large meal recipes all of the time!
What is the nutritional information for the cookies?
Thanks!
Hi Linda — You can use the following tool to find nutritional information: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076.
Xo Liz
I love everything about these cookies! Not too sweet but totally satisfying. It’s hard not to eat too many.
★★★★★
Best gluten free, refined sugar free cookie recipe out there! Made a batch last night and my husband cleaned them out. Will be making it again today. Quick question can the cookie dough be frozen?
★★★★★
These cookies turned out AMAZING! Incredibly easy to make. I used different nuts and nut butters. Very little cleanup… you may want to make 2 batches right off the bat ?
★★★★★
I already made these from the recipe on the cookbook page… Thanks for making it easier to read and for the DELICIOUS cookies and for sharing my photos of them!!! My book is in the mail!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked them and of course!! Enjoy the book!
Can I replace the almond flour with another gluten free flour?
Hi Jennifer – Do you have Cassava Flour? This would work!
Xo Liz
Liz, recipe looks great and can’t wait to try it. However as written, the cookies use rolled oats which are not gluten free. Perhaps the recipe should state : gluten free oats which are available at Trader Joe’s. Thanks!
Has anyone tried freezing some of the batter so as not to eat the entire batch??