The Healthiest Cookie Recipe on the Planet

Do you have a sweet tooth but still want to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Look no further than what I call the healthiest cookie on the planet. Yes, you read that right – a cookie that not only satisfies your cravings but also is packed full of nutrition.

This is a no guilt cookie recipe that may surprise you on how good the cookies taste even without the need of sugar, oil, butter, eggs or salt.

You may be skeptical, but if you enjoy a cookie snack every once in awhile and want it to be healthy and nutritious, this is a cookie recipe to try.

10 healthy cookies cooling on a wood board.

A few weeks ago when I went to the hardware store to get a supplies for a project I was working on there was a group of Girl Scouts by the entrance selling Girl Scout cookies.

Being a Girl Scout myself when I was a kid and remembering selling cookies just like they were doing, I had to buy a couple of boxes.

I don’t eat them, but Ed does. He likes Thin Mints, so I brought two boxes home for him.

close up of the best healthy vegan cookies on a blue and white plate.

Since becoming a plant-based, whole food eater 4 years ago, I don’t eat processed food, but I do still like cookies. I always keep my eye out for healthy cookie recipes so I don’t feel deprived, as for me there is nothing better at 3 in the afternoon with a cup of tea.

I was getting tired of the Oatmeal Banana Cookies that I have been making for myself since I began eating the plant based, whole food way. These are good, but it is nice to have cookie options.

good for you healthy cookies right out of the oven on a cutting board

I have tried many other plant based and vegan cookies. Most vegan cookies have oil, sugar and salt. I try to avoid these ingredients. I had recently found this plant-based, SOS (no sugar, oil or salt) recipe that has apple in it that I now refer to as the healthiest cookie on the planet, but hadn’t tried it out yet.

When Ed started into the Thin Mints I brought home, I didn’t want to feel cookie-less, so I headed to the pantry to gather the ingredients to try the recipe. I had a batch made in made in 30 minutes.

2 rows on a cutting board of a Healthy Cookies

I have made them a few times since. With and without cacao chocolate chips. I store them in freezer bags in the freezer so I always have them on hand.

Both taste good, but I prefer them without the chocolate. I also like them crispy and don’t mind a burnt edge. :-)

2 healthy homemade cookies on a plate with a cup of tea.

My new nutrient-dense teatime treat without any guilt or compromise. They offer the right balance between taste and health.

I also like that they are fast and easy to make. WIN/WIN all around.

Healthiest Cookie Recipe on the Planet

This is a no guilt cookie recipe that may surprise you on how good the cookies taste even without the need of sugar, oil, butter, eggs or salt. You may be skeptical, but if you enjoy a cookie snack and want it to be healthy and nutritious, this is a cookie recipe to try.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: cookies, Dessert, healthy, Whole Food Plant Based
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy baking, healthy cookies recipe, healthy snack, Vegan cookies recipe
Servings: 10 Makes 20 cookies
Calories: 211kcal

Equipment

  • 1 high-speed blender or food processor
  • 1 mixing bowl
  • Measuring cups
  • mixing spoon
  • Knife
  • Baking sheet
  • Silicone Mat or Parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked or 1 – 15 ounce can no-salt added chickpeas, drained
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds chopped
  • 3/4 cup dates chopped
  • 1 apple, cored chopped
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla bean powder
  • 1/4 cup water or more as needed to get the mixture going in the blender.
  • 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Optional: 2/3 cup 100% cacao chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350℉
  • Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Blend chickpeas, almonds, dates, apple, vanilla bean powder and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. If needed, add a tablespoon of water at a time to get the mix going in the blender.
  • Pour mixture in bowl and mix in oats. (Note: if adding cacao chocolate chips, add them in this step.)
  • Drop batter in 2 tablespoon size scoops onto parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Flatten each scoop with a fork.
    If you prefer crisper cookies – flatten them a bit more.
  • Bake for 10 minutes for soft cookies. 15 -18 minutes for crispier cookies.

Notes

I have used both raw slivered almonds and whole raw almonds. Both work, but you will need to blend the batter longer if using whole raw almonds. 
You can use any type of date, but I prefer Medjool.
If you can’t find vanilla bean powder, vanilla extract can be used instead.
The cookies can be refrigerated or frozen.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9.5g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 5.8g | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 45mg
Healthy vegan cookies lined up in two rows on a cutting board.

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21 Comments

  1. An excellent healthy cookie! I used dried cranberries because I didn’t have apple. I had to use more water in the Vitamix to get them to combine. I’ll try my food processor next time. I had to cook them a bit longer than 18 minutes to get them golden. The versatility of chick peas and the creativity of WFPB chefs is amazing.

  2. I love chickpeas so I’m excited to try your new recipe. It sure looks good. Could you explain the difference between calories and kcal. I don’t understand the whole deal. How many kcal is a person allowed each day. Thank you so much. Hope you have a great week.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Nancy – a kcal and a calorie are interchangable. I think the recipe app I have is from a Canadian or British app developer, hence the use of kcal.

  3. Thank you for this recipe! I started a more plant based diet and I eat oatmeal every morning for my high LDL’s. I use only a tiny amount of coconut sugar for tea (which isn’t often). I tried statins a while back and on day 5 I was unable to open my mouth and move my fingers! Never again! I have 5 weeks until my blood test and I hope my numbers are better. I do have one question. Do you cook different meals for your husband or does he eat the same as you? My husband fixes meat for himself while I always have some plant based foods for me. Thanks again!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Naomi – Wow that is scary on day 5 after taking statins!!! I hope your numbers have gone down. I know how frustrating it is when they don’t. When I first started eating WFPB no oil/salt/sugar, my husband decided to eat what I did for dinner 2 nights a week. On the other nights, he makes his own meals which he usually bulk cooks a recipe and then eats it all week. He is happy doing this and it sure makes meal time prep for me easy. I also batch cook most of my food and when dinner time rolls around all I have to do is heat or assemble. For lunch and breakfast we each make what we want.

  4. Cookies look good. Will have to try

  5. Michele M. says:

    No WAY!!!! WOW- thanks, D! I am excited to try this and share this.

    Good for you – bet you feel sooooo much better these days now eating for a healthy lifestyle.

    1. These cookies look delicious!

    2. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Michele – It has been 4 years and I have never felt better.

  6. Stupid auto correct. Is there enough liquid in these to make them in a Vitamix?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Pam – Good question. I have a Vitamix also. I love it, but the one fallback is that it does need plenty of liquid to get it going. I use the tapper until the mix is getting smooth, then if necessary add a bit more water as needed. I often use my food processor when making things to get ingredients mixed, then move them to the Vitamix to get them really smooth.

  7. Do I drain and/or rinse the canned chickpeas? Sometimes the liquid is used in some recipes and this one does not specify?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Great question Patricia – Yes – drain the chickpeas if using canned.

  8. Diane, thanks for the new recipe. We’re new to plant based and the one I’ve been making from Forks over Knives isn’t crispy. Just curious if you started plant based for high cholesterol? I’ve had high numbers since my twenties, and I still can’t believe how much mine went down after just a few months on the diet! I’m now telling everyone (whether they want to hear it or not😂) how amazing this way of eating is 😍
    Appreciate all your tips🤩

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Kathy – One of the main reasons I did start to eat plant based is because of high cholesterol. I took statins, but I had the muscle side effect where I couldn’t stand up after I took them for a few months. It was scary. So no more drugs. When I started eating plant based my numbers didn’t go down as much as I hoped. I gave up nuts and still it hovered just over 200 for two years. When I gave up anything with cocoa – it went under 200 and when I gave up drinking red wine – it went way down. So no more wine for me. When I started out eating WFPB, I made a lot of the recipes from Forks Over Knives and the recipes from plant based books. Over time though, I found I like to eat simple meals like a sweet potato or beans and greens for dinner. A big salad for lunch and a soup I make. Snacks are the cookies, buckwheat bread and no oil or salt microwave popcorn or fruit. I whip frozen fruit in the blender and pour it into popsicle molds and freeze for a sweet dessert. I also found that if I wanted to lose weight while eating WFPB, eating foods on the lower end of the Calorie Density chart was the way to go. It works and I have never felt better in my life. I had my annual eye doctor appt yesterday and my eye dr told me that my eyes looked amazing and are the best eyes she has seen in weeks. Hearing that was great to hear that knowing what we put in our bodies does matter. The saying we are what we eat is so true. If you have any other questions, just let me know.

    2. I agree with your reply to Kathy in tapering off and finding which foods “offend” our body the most. I am anxious to try red wine 🍷 substitute I have seen using oak infused black tea, cranberry and cherry juices
      Sounds like it would be full of those helpful polyphenols too!! I always appreciate you sharing your plant based recipe finds

      1. Diane Henkler says:

        Hi Laura – Testing and experimenting with foods takes time, but once you find out what causes problems and stop eating it, you feel so much better. I haven’t heard of red wine substitutes and now I am going to do some research – thanks for mentioning them. Oak infused black tea sounds good. :-) I will share the recipes and foods I eat on Fridays. Over the last year though I find I don’t make recipes like I used to, instead I simply eat beans and greens for dinner and depending on the season a potato or corn on the cob. Tonight for dinner I made mashed cauliflower and it came out delish. It isn’t even dinner time yet and I have eaten half of it already. :-)

  9. do you use the same amount of vanilla extract?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Debbie – I have used it 1:1 ratio and they taste fine, but since the powder is stronger, you can use up to 2 tsp vanilla extract.