In general, when it comes to eating, I am all about balance.
I fully enjoy the luxury of pizza or french fries but I also crave and equally enjoy fresh salads, green smoothies, and lean protein.
While I try to fill most of my plates with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish or chicken, I also give in when I want pasta or bread or a boatload of cheese and wine for dinner. And when I want a cookie, you better believe I eat the damn cookie.
But me, just like everyone else in the world, is intrigued by the idea of having my cake and eating it too. Meaning, I want that cookie (or three), but I don’t always want the inevitable sugar high and crash that follows. Because no matter how much “balance” I practice, I don’t feel my best when I let the scale tip in favor of the indulgent more than it should. I feel sluggish and gross. So, I want that cake (the cookie) and I want to eat it (but without the negative side effects).
With that said and given the fact that most people are more conscientious about modifying their eating habits this time of year, I am telling you all about a healthy cookie option today. For when you want a chocolate treat but don’t want to feel like garbage after (over)indulging.
I am the first to tell you that I don’t follow a gluten free lifestyle. I am fortunate enough to not need to, but if I did need to, I would struggle A LOT with giving up so many of the things I love. I know there are a million and one healthy/gluten free dessert recipes out there, and I debated sharing one with you at all for that fact alone, but these…well, these came out so much better than I was expecting.
After three trial runs, that is.
Yup, I tested these three times before finding the recipe I felt was good enough to share. What can I say? I am nothing but a wee bit stubborn.
These cookies have so much good stuff going on. First, they’re made gluten free by using almond flour, coconut flour, and oats. Make sure your oats are gluten free – they are often not labeled as such, which means there may have been cross contamination with gluten-containing product.
Second, I’ve swapped out refined sugar entirely and used coconut sugar instead. Definitely one of my favorite sugar swaps for baking. It looks and tastes like brown sugar, but contains nutrients and won’t spike your blood sugar levels as severely. Yes, it’s still sugar, but it’s a slightly better one than regular sugar.
Once those swaps have been made, it’s just about filling out the flavor profile and amping up the nutrition as much as we can. I add cinnamon, dark chocolate, and flaked coconut to these cookies for flavor reasons, and I amp up the health factor by adding in chia and flax seeds. Healthy fats galore!
When it comes to choosing the chocolate for these, I urge you to not only pick out a good quality chocolate but a darker one as well! To all my milk chocolate fans out there, I see you. But I ask that you go for something less sweet for these cookies. Otherwise, they may wind up being TOO sweet. The slight bitterness of the dark chocolate works so great here. Plus, it’s better for you! More antioxidants! And did you know chocolate is an awesome source of iron? Especially the darker stuff.
All in all, I am really happy with how these came out. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t always trust “healthy” baking recipes. If I am going to eat a cookie, it had better be delicious. Otherwise, I just get pissed off that I wasted my time and calories on something not worth it.
And these are definitely worth it!
Healthier Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (gluten-free!)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 cookies 1x
Description
These Healthier Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are a gluten free, refined sugar free, and loaded with better for you ingredients…all without sacrificing any flavor! These are a great baking alternative for when you want something sweet but without all the guilt.
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup flaked unsweetened coconut
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (chips are also fine – roughly ¾ cup)
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium heat-safe mixing bowl. While it’s still warm, whisk in the coconut sugar and vanilla. Stir for a minute or two to soften the coconut sugar.
- Add the egg and egg yolk and stir until smooth.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, shredded coconut, chia seeds, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir until a soft dough forms. Stir in the chocolate.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop ¼-cup sized balls of the dough onto the baking sheets, leaving a couple inches of space in between each dough ball.
- Using your fingers, gently flatten the cookies down slightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and golden and the centers are just slightly underdone.
- When they first come out of the oven, sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt, if desired. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To ensure that these are gluten free, make sure to check that you’re using gluten-free oats.
- You can use any chocolate you like, but I recommend semisweet or bittersweet because the cookies may be too sweet otherwise. You can use chips or chunks. I prefer the way chopped chocolate melts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: cookies
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
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