Healthy chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil. Don’t tell your kids…
I found myself apologizing to the people of Trader Joe’s the other day.
I’m a prolific buyer of coconut products. All the coconut products. In my cart, you will find: coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk (both canned and fresh), and coconut cream. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed coconut shortages in your area, but we’ve had quite a few of them. And I think it’s all my fault.
I’ve been buying all the coconut products to make batches of these healthy chocolate chip cookies for my friends, family, and neighbors. This is one of my favorite easy recipes and because I can have finished cookies in less than 20 minutes, I tend to make it often.
There was a period of about 7 weeks where I could not find full-fat coconut milk in the stores. When it came back in stock again, I bought it all. Oops. From 3 different stores. Oops again.
And when coconut oil was temporarily moved to a new location at Trader Joe’s, I mistook it for another impending shortage and I bought a case just to make sure I had enough to make these chocolate chip cookies.
I’m starting to think I’m single-handedly responsible for the coconut shortages in my area. But now you can be, too, while making the best healthy chocolate chip cookies!
What Makes These Chocolate Chip Cookies Different?
The recipe uses coconut oil and coconut sugar, so you, too, can be an impulse buyer of all the coconut products.
I made these chocolate chip cookies healthy for that little babe I gave birth to about 16 months ago. She just learned the word ‘cookie’ the other day, and if I tell you what she thinks a cookie is, you will stone me.
You want to know, don’t you?
(Mom, don’t read this).
My Camille thinks a cookie is a fig.
I know, I’m the worst. The WORST.
She likes to grab my hand, pull me into the kitchen and say ‘cookie’ while pointing to the counter where the figs are. If she only knew why I’m so happy to oblige her request for a cookie. If she only knew what a real cookie was…
Healthy chocolate chip cookies for everyone!
I’ve been scolded at from all angles for my denying Camille sugar. Most recently, the daycare women tell me that while it’s sweet that I pack Camille a healthy snack (usually plain yogurt with fresh fruit), she’s jealous that the other kids get to eat graham crackers.
I try sending my Homemade Graham Crackers with her, but she just wants the ones the other kids were eating. So, I came home and started to create the best healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe I could think of.
And since defeat is near, let’s just go ahead and break it to her that a cookie is actually something delicious. With an excess of chocolate chips. Crisp edges, chewy centers. Therapy, in one bite.
You know me too well, though. These chocolate chip cookies are made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and coconut sugar. But but but you totally can’t tell the difference, I swear! The fact that I made these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar has had no impact on them being soft and chewy.
I like to think of coconut sugar (sometimes, I lovingly refer to it as xoxonut sugar) is the little sugar that tries harder than the rest. It’s sweet, yes, but it also has warm spice notes to it. Like you added spices to your cookie without even trying. Speaking of, you should totally make my Coconut Sugar Cookies with the rest of the bag–you’ll be amazed!
Where Is The Oatmeal?
Usually, when we think of healthy, we think of oatmeal. Fibre, protein, antioxidants, I hear ya and I’ve got you covered. If your idea of healthy chocolate chip cookies must contain oatmeal, jump over to my recipe for Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you are in my kitchen, we can never have enough variations of chocolate chip cookie recipes. I love to make them with coconut sugar, I like to make them with a little espresso powder, I like to make them with oatmeal, I like to make them with malted milk powder. Just type in the search bar at the top “chocolate chip cookies” and you’ll find an extensive list of variations on a classic.
Do I Have To Use Coconut Oil?
Well, if you are a long time reader/follower of mine, you know I’ve got you covered (Also, thanks for the support!), and for those of you that have found me for the first time, let me assure you, I’ve got you covered! Simply scroll up to the search bar up top and search “Chocolate Chip Cookies” to find a dozen different variations of easy chocolate chip cookie recipes. And if you are looking to stay in the “guilt free” zone for cookies, definitely check out my Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoy making these cookies as much as I do. I will always tell the story of my daughter referring to figs as cookies, with a little bit of pride. I am, however, looking forward to revealing what a “real” cookie is and beginning to bake with her. Don’t get me wrong though, I plan to cling to the figs as long as possible.
If you, or anyone you know, is lying to their kids about what a cookie is, send this recipe their way. But first: make a batch of the best healthy chocolate chip cookies for yourself and feel virtuous while eating them.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A small batch of healthy chocolate chip cookies made with coconut oil, naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, and whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup solid coconut oil
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the solid coconut oil and coconut sugar, and beat until fluffy about combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until combined.
- Next, evenly sprinkle the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder on top of the coconut oil mixture. Beat to combine everything well.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press the dough flat in the bowl (as best you can), and roughly divide the dough in quarters. From each quarter, make 2 cookies, for a total of 8 cookies.
- Space the cookies evenly on the baking sheet, and press them down slightly--not totally flat.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely. (But seriously: who actually lets cookies cool? I eat these straight out of the oven).
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
Oh hilarious! My niece had so many food allergies that she couldn’t eat anything approaching a real cookie. My sister used to give her plain rice cakes and say they were Krista cookies. My niece believed for years they were cookies – at least they were the right shape.
hehe i think these days im responsible for pumpkin shortage at my local sprouts :P i love me a cookie…but my boy friend loves it at a whole another level. i want to bake this for him soon :)
these look great! where is your gray sweater from? so cute!
Hey girl these look amazing! Yummy!
Have you tried baking with coconut flour?
Hi Melanie! I have…and I kinda hate that it requires so much extra liquid. It’s very absorbent. I end up using a lot of eggs to compensate, and then it tastes, well, eggy. There are a ton of bloggers doing it successfully, but it’s just not for me :/
If you make your own coconut flour by blending dried shredded coconut briefly, it is much less drying!
I say if she is happy to eat the figs when she says “cookie” then all is well! We live in a bit of a world with too much judgement all the way around these days, as long as kids are happy and healthy and loved then its all good! These look so good right now and will be on my list of things to bake as fall is setting in!
So agree, Kristin :) Thank you!
Good for you watching the sugar your daughter eats..or doesn’t!
When my daughter was a baby, I made all her “baby”food from…well, real food!! None of this homemade baby food had sugar. In fact, the first time she had an opportunity to consume sugar was when she was 5 years old and attended a neighbor’s birthday party. She Wouldn’t eat the cake and ice cream…she didn’t like it!!!! The neighbor thought she was sick! LOL. But…she’s never had a sweet tooth or cavity…not bad considering she’s now 42! Stick to your guns!!!
My son, years ago, with a milk, chocolate, and egg allergy thought frozen banana which we sometimes dipped into melted carob, was ice cream for years. Then he went to public school for kindergarten and the game was over! We lied to our kids for as long as we could get away with it. You should too! Soon enough they won’t trust a thing you say. In fact, she’ll think she knows better and will out argue you over every single topic and you won’t win!
Now is your time to win! I’ve had 4 kids. Now I have that many grandkids. Get them as far as you can with healthy goods, using whatever names it takes now. Because soon it’s over. Kids are observant, always looking, and they’ll be trying to trade the almond butter stuffed avocado in their lunch boxes for hostess Ho-Ho’s their neighbors. When the mom calls to suggest that you might be depriving your kid, it’s embarrassing. Thats when I learned to make chocolate chip cookies using 1/2 the sugar, whole wheat, and only about 3 chips in the cookie! Kids are smart, but not that smart!
Hahahaha, I love the way that cookie sounds! They’ll never know the difference, yet they think they’re eating cookies! Thanks for the Mom advice :)
Girl, YOU are my hero! GOOD for you. Sugar and everything sweet are TREATS! and do not have to be consumed daily. What is wrong with those people??? I just a coupon for 25% off any one item at our local Earth Fare (a kinder, gentler, Trader Joe’s) and I fully intend to use it trying xoxonut sugar!
Now let’s talk about using an electric pressure cooker for some awesome recipes….hmmmmm????
These sound so good! I do love coconut sugar … the smell of that stuff is intoxicating.
My 15 month old thinks peas are “berries”. I have no idea where he got that notion from?…. Lol
hahahaha, I love it!
First time commenting, would regular sugar be okay?
Oh, I think so. I haven’t tried it tho! Best of luck :)
These are fantastic! Recently I gave my 2 1/2 year old year old her first cookie in the form of a brown butter blondie. Up until that point she’d really only had a few baked goods sweetened with coconut sugar or maple syrup. She loved the blondie, so much so that she cried big, fat tears when she finished it. The impact of the sugar was intense! What had I done?! We made these today and while she wanted more, eating one seemed to satisfy her without turning her into a sugar monster. And I thought they were delicious too!
Do you have nutrition info for these (calories per cookie specifically?
Thanks
I’m so sorry, Emma, I don’t. You can try the Yummly app?
I baked these beauties yesterday and I BEG everyone to give these cookies a try. Its the best chocolate chip cookie ever! And is healthy too. What more do I need. This is true therapy. Just try not to eat them at night when you are breastfeeding you child.. I guarantee you will eat 6 of them by yourself. And with so much cocoa, it kept my LO awake for long :). They are the best. I actually made them for my son who is 17 months old. But he would only eat the cocoa. I may try to make them with cocoa nibs the next time. That’s today :). Thanks for sharing this recipe. This is my go to as I have everything coconut always!!
Thank you SO much for letting me know, Kavitha! I’m so glad you liked them :)
I just whipped these up this morning after having a cookie craving and they are delicious! Thanks so much for posting, these are definitely going into my rotation!
Hi! I just came across your blog and was so happy to see I’m not the only one trying to fight the sugar war for my kids! I’m excited to try your recipe…but my daughter is allergic to eggs. I usually substitute with flax (2 Tb of ground flax plus 1 Tb water) but I wondered if it’d turn out with your recipe since you only use the yolk?? I’ve never tried a recipe that called for just an egg yolk before :-)
God bless this blog! I love to bake, but it’s just my husband & me at home, and while we love to eat sweets, we *try* to limit our sugar consumption. This recipe was delicious and made a perfectly appropriate number of cookies. I did use bread flour instead of whole wheat flour, since I didn’t have any on hand.
I’m so glad you’re here, Jane! And I’m also glad to know these cookies work with regular flour :)
This is my first time using your site and the coconut sugar. I followed the instructions exactly and got flat as pancake cookies! They spread out a lot. I think they should have been chilled before baking
So sorry, Jo! Something must have gone wrong. Is your oven calibrated? What kind of cookie sheet did you use? And how was your coconut oil?
ahahahaaa this is hilarious. You’re just an awesome mom! I would love to do the same thing when I have kiddos (although Michael already thinks I’m crazy and gets all mad at me when I discuss depriving child-things from “delicious” delights such as pizza rolls and pop-tarts *shudder*). BUUUUt I also love cookies. And these cookies look AHMAZING. Coconut sugar is legit magic
Very disappointed in this recipe-the cookies did not turn out at all :(
Hi Erin, can I help you trouble-shoot? Did you follow the recipe exactly?
these cookies are delicious i am gonna share them with all of my fellow neighborhood moms. i agree with some other mom its kinda taste “eggy”
My child loves them i personally think they taste well…. eggy. i tried to take some eggs away but i kinda burned them to a crisp anyway YOLO LOL
These are delicious! I made them exact to the recipe but had to add a little water and I also added in nuts. Thank you!
I was unable to form the cookies. I followed the recipe exactly. I ended up adding the egg white and was able to mostly form them. What am I missing here? My coconut oil was solid and mixed will with the sugar. It was a very dry dough
I made these today but the dough was too dry for me as well. I added 2 TBS coconut oil and that did the trick. The cookies came out really well, very tasty.
Do not use honey!!! Made a gooey mess but I’ll try again. They look great ☺️
Made these today and they were lovely. I used 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp truvia and I used cacoa nibs instead of chocolate chips. The dough was wet and sticky (maybe because I used less sugar) and the cookies came out soft and cake like. I might add a tbsp or so more flour next time to see if it makes a difference. They were a bit sweet for me but they’re way better for you than sugar and God knows what else filled cookies you get in the stores :)
These may be the best cookies I’ve ever made or eaten. I thought they would last a few days. Ha! They we devoured almost instantly.
I made a few adaptations:
1) I don’t have vanilla extract, so I brew extra strong Earl Grey tea and use that instead.
2) To make them vegan, I made a vegan “egg” instead. This never affects the taste of my recipes. I’m not a vegan, but I have friends who are, and this way they can eat my cookies! (Vegan egg: 1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp water, mix and let sit for a few minutes)
3) I made the cookies way smaller, so the recipe made about 15. When small, they bake 6-8 minutes.
4) I have no idea how many chocolate chips I used, but it was definitely more than 1/4 cup. I like every bit to be gooey and chocolatey!
Loved these & have made them s few times but needed bigger batch. I doubled recipe & spread them in a 9×13 pan to make a bar cookie only change I made was used 2 whole eggs. Worked great- Love the small batch recipes but sometimes you just need a little more. Thank you!
Wow, great to know, Lyn! Thanks :)
Do you think if I just scaled up proportionally a bigger batch would turn out the same?
Thanks!
Anna
Hi Anna,
I truly don’t know. I only test the recipes as you see written. Sometimes, we get lucky and a reader doubles the recipe and leaves a comment that it works. When it comes to cookies, you should be safe. But I’m just not totally sure. I would only double the recipe, to start. Best of luck!
Old comment, but still – I doubled the recipe on the first try and these were everything I hoped. Baked perfectly.
Thanks, Kassandra! I love comments on old recipes ;)
I made a batch of these cookies and they were delicious! However, is there any way to substitute out the coconut oil? Coconut oil is 65% saturated fat, which really isn’t that healthy compared to other oils or even butter. Correct me if I’m wrong, because this recipe bears some really tasty cookies that I would love to make again!
I tried to make these last night and mine spread out so much it became one giant pan sized cookie! I doubled the recipe, because I wanted more than 8 cookies, but I double checked my measurements and am pretty sure I didn’t mess up there. Should I have chilled the batter before baking, or any idea where I went wrong?
I have been making these since you first posted this recipe and they’re just the best! I doubled the recipe today and they still were perfect! Only thing I do differently is leave out about 1/3 of the salt. My daughter asked for cupcakes the other day (she learned about them in her Maisey cleans up book) so I made her bran muffins and she couldn’t have been happier ???? The longer you can keep them eating healthy the better off they’ll be as adults I think!
Thanks so much, Jill! I love hearing this! I love that your daughter thinks bran muffins are cupcakes–you’re an amazing mom! In the meantime, have you seen the maple syrup cupcakes on this site? I make them a lot for Camille with coconut whipped frosting :)
I was making these today and looking through the comments and realized I never saw your reply. Thank you! Yes we LOVE your maple syrup cupcakes with coconut cream frosting! I made them for my daughters 1st and 2nd birthdays and a few other times as well! Delicious!
I was in the mood fr chocolate chip cookies but wanted something a little healthier, and then stumbled upon these! I followed everything and they turned out amazing (a little soft, but I like soft cookies). I’m definitely going to be trying more of your recipes, I love how they are made for only a couple of people, as most recipes create way too many servings (I’ll either waste them, or eat them all, both of which are bad aha). These leave me satisfied but not weighed down! Thanks so much!
These are delicious , thank you for this recipe, I’m impressed . After trying the batter I made a second batch while the first batch was in the oven . I know my family of 5 will devour them and not know the difference ????. On another note you weren’t kidding about needing to spread , made my second batch cookies a little smaller lol.
AMAZING!! I am a major chocoholic and sweet tooth and this was the best healthy choc chip cookie recipe I have tried! 100% worth making
These cookies tasted so good, but they were a bit flat (they didn’t really rise) ????. Still so yummy though, I’m usually not a big fan of coconut but the coconut sugar in these cookies brought a beautigul spice flavour to them. Anyways, if anyone could please guide me in the direction on to why my cookies cane out flat that would be great (I followed the recipe) ????. Thanks!
Hi Katie! Yay, thanks for making them! Usually, cookies spread due to an oven running slightly hot, or by using a very thin baking sheet. Do you think that could be the issue here? If not, we’ll keep trouble-shooting :)
Hi Christina! Its my first time making cookies on my own – and what I used different was dark muscavado sugar (that was what I have) and liquid coconut oil (I figured I could refrigerate them for a bit). I had a bad feeling when my dough turned out really crumbly and didn’t seem to mix very well. I’ll report back – I improvised quite a bit so I hope for the best! Thank you for this recipe!
So I added the egg whites and more coconut oil and that made the dough smoother to scoop out. I wonder why did it turn out crumbly – could it be the sugar type that I used?
So, I just tried these cookies. I was skeptical. They are phenomenal! Thank you for this recipe!
i could not find coconut sugar this afternoon, so used brown sugar instead. Please don’t try this. I will only serve them to friends who need a sugar fix. Will try next time with coconut sugar as states.
Can I use almond flour or regular flour? Or rice flour? I’m allergic to wheat. I do eat regular flour with just minor issues, but don’t want to push it by eating whole wheat flour (I can’t eat shredded wheat or bran flakes without major issues, so I imagine whole wheat flour would cause problems). Thanks.
You mean regular flour instead of whole wheat flour? Um, I’m not sure. I only tested the recipe the way you see it written. I can’t guarantee substitutions will work. But regular flour also contains wheat….the same way whole wheat flour does. If I were you, I would use a gluten-free flour blend. Have you seen those cup-for-cup blends? I think that has the best chance of working. Good luck! :)
Hello!! This recipe looks delicious, but do you happen to have the nutritional information for the cookies?
I don’t, Janna, I’m sorry! But that functionality is coming soon :)
I am trying to eat less calories because I want to loose some wait,so I wanted to ask if one Cookie really only has 63 calories.Hope they do:)
They do not. I calculated it and they have roughly 175 calories per cookie. I also cant get them to not spread out and burn on the edges. I think the coconut oil needs to be more than room temp solid, maybe try refrigerating the dough before baking.
Hi Jessica! Yes, the temperature of coconut oil can affect these cookies. Refrigerating dough is a great fix, but you can also: stir in an extra tablespoon or two of flour, ensure you’re baking on a dark-colored heavy baking sheet (not thin light metal), ensure your oven is properly calibrated, and bake on a silicone mat instead of parchment. Let me know if any of these things help :)
I used whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 of a cup of regular butter, and 1/4 of a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and they came out fantastic. At 13 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon I’m not sure how anyone can cook with coconut oil and call it healthy. Anyway, great find. I’ll make these again for sure! Thanks!
I used brown sugar instead because I didn’t have any coconut sugar and they were really really good I ate like 3 and I shouldn’t have done that but they were good
Coconut oil is NOT healthy based on current research. Plugs your arteries same as the other fats. Coconut sugar however is the lowest on the glycemic index! I use it for everything! That part is good. The whole grain white wheat also good.
Research a little deeper Fina, and look at your sources for the misinformation you stated (I’m thinking AHA for one …). Although coconut oil does in fact have the highest amount of saturated fat, it is a healthy fatty acid, containing one of the highest amounts of lauric acid — encourages the body to burn fat, and provides quick energy to the body and brain. It also raises HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood, which may help to reduce heart disease risk.
Coconut sugar is still SUGAR. Although it may be a bit healthier to use than processed white, it acts the same way in your body.
B.Christine, NASM-CPT, FNS, SFS