Despite the porcelain Peter Rabbit cookie jar prominently displayed on our kitchen countertop, Mom only preheated the oven once every month or two to fill it with homemade treats. Instead, she dropped Little Debbie chocolate snack cakes or oatmeal cream pies into our insulated lunch boxes for our desserts at school. But on the rare occasions she plugging in the handheld electric mixer to cream butter and sugar, she always turned to the Nestle chocolate chip bag as her recipe.
My younger brother and I anxiously hovered in the kitchen, pleading to help place spoonfuls of dough onto the stained baking sheets. We needed to supervise the bowl as she scraped and shaped. Make sure to leave some for us, Mommy!
Sitting cross-legged on the tile floor, I drew a line down the center of the wide metallic mixing bowl. I smooshed my finger around my half in straight lines to get my fair share of the “leftover” cookie dough, while my brother haphazardly scraped his side in squiggles and circles. Mom generally pretended to forget about a couple of chocolate chips in the bowl too, and we divided those evenly, sneaking an extra one from the bag if necessary to even our shares.
When the timer dinged and Mom granted us permission, we grabbed a warm cookie from the cooling rack and sank our teeth into the soft dough. Melted chocolate oozed across our fingertips, which we happily sucked off before reaching for more.
Eight years later, as a high school freshman in Health Class, I stared at the Food Pyramid as I soaked up the teacher’s lecture. Less sugar… Lower fat… Sweets in moderation… That afternoon, I eliminated the Tollhouse recipe from my repertoire and vowed to bake only healthier low-fat cookies.
In the ensuing decade, I realized one fatal flaw: most low-fat cookies didn’t feel right. With proper ingredient ratios, they could taste as rich and sinful as their indulgent counterparts, but their texture fell closer to that of a cake-like muffin than a soft and chewy cookie.
So 2 months ago, I challenged myself to create the ultimate healthy soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. After 7 different batches, my 10 taste testers agreed: this is it!
I started with the butter because it was the biggest obstacle in developing a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe. After countless tweaks, I noticed a trend. To achieve a chewy texture, the cookies needed a minimum of 18% of their calories to come from butter (or margarine). Anything less resulted in a bready muffin texture. Six tablespoons for 2 dozen cookies provided the perfect amount of chew.
To further increase their chewiness, I used melted butter. This means you can stir the cookie dough together with a spoon. No electric mixer required (and one less thing to wash)!
Although other bakers and bloggers proclaim that extra egg yolks also increase cookies’ chewiness, I completely eliminated them and just added egg whites to lower the fat and cholesterol. Don’t worry, the cookies will still be chewy! We started with the perfect amount of melted butter, remember?
Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature! If still cold from the fridge, they’ll chill the melted butter and partially turn it back into a lumpy solid. Not good! To warm up your egg whites the easy way, place the entire egg in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes while measuring the dry ingredients.
I also mixed in a touch of skim milk to increase the moisture and better balance the liquid-to-dry-ingredient ratio. Feel free to substitute whatever you usually store in your fridge: 1%, 2% whole, rice, almond, soy… We want to keep these cookies simple so you don’t need to buy any strange new ingredients!
We’re going to add more vanilla than most recipes require. Extra vanilla mimics a buttery flavor, without the excess fat and calories. You’ll need 4 teaspoons for these healthy cookies.
While the Tollhouse cookies call for half white and half brown sugar, I opted for all brown. Brown sugar increases the moisture and chewiness of these skinny chocolate chip cookies and also adds a subtle hint of caramel. Yum! Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
As you probably predicted, I reached for regular all-purpose flour for this recipe. It is imperative that you measure the flour correctly (see here for details). Adding too much results in dry, crumbly, muffin cookies instead of the extra soft, extra chewy ones we want. Sprinkle in a little salt for flavor, and you’re all set!
As for leaveners, I selected baking powder. Some recipes list baking soda as well, but I omitted it for 2 reasons: (a) to simplify the ingredients list and (b) the cookies lack a good acid source to activate it. (Baking powder = baking soda + added acid. Yes, I’m still a chemistry geek at heart!)
I also stirred in cornstarch. Cornstarch helps the cookies stay thick and moist. It sounds strange, but it’s been my secret weapon for many of my cookie recipes! (See here, here, here, here, and here.)
Finally the most important part: the chocolate chips! My tongue dances and my eye roll back in my head a bit every time my teeth hit a large gooey chunk of melted chocolate, whereas disappointment sinks in on the bites without. To counteract the latter, I measured out regular semisweet chocolate chips for the big burst as well as minis to ensure every bite contained some chocolate. Most taste testers agreed that they preferred a 2:1 regular-to-mini chip ratio.
To mix up the dough, simply whisk together the dry ingredients, stir the wet ones in a separate bowl, combine the two, and fold in the chocolate chips. So easy! I usually reserve about half of the mini chocolate chips to press into the tops of the dough just before baking as a pretty finishing touch. They look so tempting—they’re practically begging you to eat one!
Before popping in the oven to bake, you must chill the dough. Chilling is mandatory for thick cookies. Try to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. I prefer chilling mine for 4 hours, but I know that’s a struggle with out-of-control cookie cravings!
These lightened chocolate chip cookies require barely any time to bake—just 10-12 minutes. They will look and feel slightly underdone, but they’ll continue to cook while sitting on the warm baking sheet.
Whew, that was a lot of information! Here’s a quick recap of the key components of the Ultimate Soft and Chewy Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
»» less butter, and melted for chewiness
»» more vanilla for buttery flavor
»» brown sugar for moisture and chew
»» cornstarch for softness and thickness
»» regular and mini chips for more chocolate throughout
»» chilling for thickness
»» baking 10-12 minutes for softness
Ready for a tall glass of milk and a big stack of cookies?
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
Psst… My newly released Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is full of sweet and healthy recipes like these chocolate chip cookies! Learn more and buy your copy here!
| The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slighlty
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) skim milk
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (192g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (56g) regular chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter and egg whites until small bubbles form (about 15-30 seconds). Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. Stir in the brown sugar, smearing out any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the regular chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. Cover the top with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. (See Notes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough into 24 balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly to about ¾” thick. Press the remaining mini chocolate chips into the top of each. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the warm baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Do NOT overbake these cookies! After 10-12 minutes in the oven, they’ll still look and feel slightly underdone, but they’ll continue to bake and set on the warm baking sheet for the 10 minutes after.
For a vegan version, use coconut oil or margarine in place of the butter, 1 tablespoon Ener-G + ¼ cup warm water in place of the egg whites, and non-dairy milk in place of the skim milk.
For a gluten-free version, see this recipe of mine.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
It's extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using the method outlined in the links above or a kitchen scale. (I highly recommend a kitchen scale! This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I swear by it!) Too much flour will make your cookie dough dry and your cookies turn out cakey or crumbly.
For a more decadent treat, I highly recommend using these dark chocolate chips in place of the regular chocolate chips!
{gluten-free, clean eating, vegan option, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
I love your healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe! I made the dough last night and baked them this morning. I followed your recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. I appreciate all of your helpful hints about the importance of room temp. eggs and prolonged chilling of the dough. I just started following you on Pininterst and can’t wait to check out your other recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies Susan! It’s really rewarding for me to hear that you appreciate the tips I included. And thank you for following me on Pinterest! I can’t wait to hear what other recipes you try too. 🙂
Can I use whole wheat bread flour instead as my diet doesn’t allow any other flours instead of coconut and corn ? I am really desperate for some cookies please help
I haven’t tried that substitution myself Marcela, but I think it could work! Just be extra careful when measuring the whole wheat bread flour since whole wheat flour tends to be more absorbent that regular all-purpose flour. (For a quick refresher, check out my Baking Basics!) I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out for you! 🙂
I love your scientific approach to this, and it was interesting to hear a chemist’s insight on why certain ingredients work they way they do. 🙂
Thank you so much Jen! I have a really fun time trying to figure out the chemistry behind why baking recipes work. It’s actually harder than the research I did before! 😉
Just finished letting these cool and wow, they are so good. Will be making again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them Kat! Waiting for them to cool is the hardest part. 😉
Omg. I really want to try these!!! They look like the ones you can get from Subway, but better! Lol. I’m going to try this recipe next time I get chocolate chips!
I hope you can get chocolate chips soon Steffi! 🙂 I’m a sucker for those Subway cookies… A few summers ago, they had a promotion where you could get a free cookie if you filled out a survey using the website on the back of your receipt. I think I sampled almost every flavor during those months!
Just made these but substituted coconut oil instead of butter, and 1/3c honey + 1/3c xylitol instead of sugar – the batter is chilling in the fridge now I can’t wait to cook them tomorrow morning and see how they turn out! the batter is irresistible!
oh and also used a gluten free flour as well – I’ll let you know how they turn out!
and these are the BEST healthier chocolate chip cookies Ive ever made!!! (this is the 7th recipe I’ve tried and this one nails it) 🙂 so excited
Brittney, I’m SO happy you love these cookies!! That means a lot to me that you think it’s better than 6 other recipes. 🙂 Thank you for including your modifications; it’s great to hear what tweaks work so I can pass along the tips to other readers. If you subbed coconut oil and honey, it sounds like you eat clean; maybe you’d like some of my other clean-eating cookies too! (Blueberry oatmeal, chocolate chunk banana, and strawberry chocolate chunk.) Happy baking!
this look fantastic!! 🙂 I’m trying these today and was wondering what would happen if i doubled it (we’re having a party) ?
thank you for such an awesome recipe!
Thanks Amy! Doubling the recipe should work just fine. Have a wonderful party, and I’m excited to hear what you think of the cookies! 🙂
When I whisked together the eggs and melted butter, there was no foaminess, at all. In fact, after a while it started to look like scrambled eggs. I looked it up and found that “any trace of fat” will keep the eggs from foaming. So, I’m confused. Maybe I should have whisked the eggs first, and added the butter separately??
I’m so sorry for the confusion Blair! I meant to whisk the butter and eggs just until you see a few bubbles forming, which indicates that they’re thoroughly combined. When making meringues/angel food cakes and beating eggs whites until they reach stiff peaks, it’s true that any trace of fat will prevent them from achieving that stiff texture. But that’s now what we’re going for here — just well-mixed egg whites and butter. You shouldn’t have to whisk for more than about 15-30 seconds or so. Hope that helps! 🙂
they were amazing! I ended up just making 2 batches instead of doubleing it! everyone loved them and begged me for the recipe, so i directed them over to your website! everyone asked for some of the extra cookie dough,so they could make it themselves!! thank you so much!
Oh Amy, that’s the biggest compliment ever! Thank YOU so much!! I’m incredibly happy that the cookies turned out so well, and I’m practically glowing that your friends asked for the recipe. You made my day! 🙂
I really wish I had seen this earlier… it says ‘whisk until fluffy’ so I thought I had to whisk for ages. Mine also turned into scrambled eggs. I continued despite this. But I think it’s a good idea to re word this in your recipe, say something like ‘whisk for 15-30 seconds’… i was in anguish when mine went all scrambly because I never get baking stuff right 🙁 hope they turn out OK regardless. Xo
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Sandra! That’s valuable feedback — thank you for mentioning it. I’ve updated the recipe accordingly. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Wow, thank you Amy, I appreciate that 🙂 I am a bit of a baking novice so I what comes easily to others is a bit of a mind-boggle for me 🙂 I baked the cookies and they were great! What happened is, I did as you said and baked for 10 mins, then rested for 10, but they were still quite raw and doughy. Not sure if that’s because of my batter (which was a bit crumbly) or else perhaps I didn’t flatten the cookies enough, maybe they were too thick. I ended up flattening them a bit and baking them a bit more, so for around 20 min total baking time. They turned out really delicious, crunchy on the outside but fairly soft inside, and my family and I enjoyed them thoroughly and polished them off in no time 🙂 Thanks for the lovely recipe xo
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed these cookies Sandra! 🙂 It’s my pleasure! My goal is to make my recipes as easy and accessible to anyone as I possibly can, so I really appreciate your feedback. I’d love to hear what you think of any other of my recipes that you try!
I just wanted the recipe, not a small novel about cookies.
If you prefer, you’re more than welcome to skip my commentary and simply read the recipe.
That’s pretty rude, act like an adult not a 5 year old
Was that really necessary to say to a person who is kindly giving you something nice! I
hey! these cookies look amazing 🙂 i was just wondering if i could drop them instead of rolling?
Thanks Gemm! Yes, it’s fine to drop them. Rolling just ensures they have the characteristic round cookie shape instead of the random blobs that sometimes occur when you drop the cookie dough. But they’ll taste exactly the same! 🙂