Healthy cookies are the best of both worlds – a snack the whole family will love and a healthy treat you can feel good about serving. Tame your sweet tooth with over 30 healthy cookie recipes. From adding more whole grains or sneaking in veggies to reducing the sugar and increasing the healthy fats, these homemade healthy cookies are sure to please.
Confession: I love cookies. I will choose cookies over cake almost every single time. When I was in college living in a dorm, we bought each other cookie cakes instead of “traditional” cakes. It was partially because it was way simpler and partially because who doesn’t want a huge cookie with your name on it?
Confession number two: my kids love cookies. Like love cookies. Like, will ask for cookies upon waking and at night when I’m tucking them in. We don’t over serve cookies by any means – I think they both just inherited some kind of cookie loving gene.
The thing is, how can you not adore cookies? Typically small enough to be just a few bites of perfect sweetness, it’s the best option for taming a sweet tooth without having to bake an entire cake or buy a gallon of ice cream. Add to the fact that most freeze well so I can enjoy 2 or 3 rather than an entire batch and you’ve got a major win in my opinion.
Because I’ve got major cookie lovers in my house, I’ve forced myself to find simple ways to enjoy more and more cookies without having to load up on sugar and candy and butter – aka the main reason I don’t eat cookies every day or agree to give the boys cookies every single day.
Which is how I found myself making more and more healthy cookies – cookies with less sugar, more healthy fats and whole grains. From fruit based to dairy free to gluten free, we live in a fabulous time where healthy cookies are more and more common. Just as delicious as their decadent counterparts, these good for you cookies are here to help you indulge guilt free.
30 + Healthy Cookies to Treat Yourself With
4-Ingredient Chocolate Chia Cookies
Matcha Green Tea Almond Shortbread Cookies
Double Chocolate Banana Cookies
Zucchini Bread Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
What to look for in healthy cookies
What makes a healthy cookie a healthy cookie, you ask? While it can obviously be super subjective – your idea of healthy is probably at least a little bit different than mine! – here are somethings you might want to look for when you’re looking for healthy homemade cookies..
- Whole grains – simply subbing AP flour for whole wheat can make a cookie healthier. I like cookies that use whole wheat flour, oat flour, or whole oats.
- Less sugar – There’s nothing wrong with a little sugar in a cookie, but when looking for a healthy cookie recipe, I like to look for low sugar cookies.
- Natural sugars – even better than low sugar cookies are cookies with no refined sugar. Find a recipe that uses primarily, if not all, natural sugars from fruits, or sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
- Healthy fats – Healthy fats like nut butters or coconut oil are the perfect addition to make a healthier cookie!
- Super food add ins – just like with my hidden veggie smoothies, adding super foods like chia seeds or hemp hearts to healthy cookie recipes is a great way to boost the nutrition.
Zucchini Breakfast Cookies
Cookie Dough Stuffed Whoopie Pies
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Healthy Avocado Chocolate Cookies
Healthy Thumbprint Cookies with Chia Seed Jam
Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Sweet Beet Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Okay so tell me – cookies or cake? What are some ways that you encourage healthier eating in your house? Let me now in the comments!
Got a picky eater?
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My kids eat their veggies every day without complaining. Want my secret?
Grab the Outsmart your Picky Eater cheat sheets to get the inside scoop on how to add veggies to food your kids already love.
