On the night before Thanksgiving, my mom volunteered to run to the grocery store to buy the ingredients we needed for our family’s feast. Since she typically avoids cooking, especially anything more involved than scrambled eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches, we agreed that sounded like the perfect job for her.
Just before she hopped in the car, I handed her our list, organized by category according to the store’s layout. First came produce, then nonperishable pantry items (like pecans for the pie!), followed by meat and dairy, and ending with frozen goods. (Do you arrange your grocery list like that? Or just me?…)
After a slightly confused phone call while picking out the turkey, she arrived home half an hour later with three big bags of food. Dad and I started unpacking them, rearranging the contents of the fridge to fit everything inside, but as I nestled milk and whipped cream onto a shelf, I noticed a few extra items not on our original list…
Including a carton of eggnog, Mom’s favorite holiday drink! As soon as it appears on the grocery store shelves, she maintains a constant stash in the refrigerator, and she pours a very small amount—just a few sips!—nearly every evening to enjoy as a little treat, with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.
So in honor of her, I baked these Chocolate Chip Eggnog Oatmeal Cookies for her to nibble on along with her nightly holiday drink. They’re perfectly chewy, full of cozy spices and the same festive flavor, but only 97 calories!
Just like all of my other oatmeal cookie recipes, this easy one begins with whole wheat flour and instant oats. Instant oats are not the same thing as what’s sold in those individual flavored brown paper packets! They’re also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats, and you can find them in large canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient will dry out your cookie dough and make your cookies cakey, rather than chewy. This is especially true of the oats… They act like little sponges and soak up all the moisture in your cookie dough!
For this reason, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. This is the one that I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent! It ensures all of my recipes turn out perfectly every single time I make them. (And if you don’t have a kitchen scale, may I suggest putting it on your holiday wish list?? ⛄️)
To make these cookies healthier, you’ll sweeten them with coconut sugar instead of refined sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts! However, it does not actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich, caramel-like taste similar to brown sugar, but it pours like granulated sugar. Many grocery stores have started stocking it next to the white sugar, and you can also buy it online here.
And now for the most important ingredient… Eggnog! The eggnog actually replaces the eggs in this recipe, so the cookie dough is perfectly safe to eat raw. I prefer non-dairy vegan “nogs” like Silk’s almond nog or their original soy nog because (a) I don’t feel nervous about drinking eggs {even with how much Mom adores eggnog, it still seems weird to me!}, (b) they’re much lower in calories, and (c) they taste just as delicious as regular eggnog!
Of course, as a chocoholic (that’s why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!), my favorite part is actually the chocolate chips! I always use these mini chocolate chips because they taste very rich and melt really well while baking. Plus their smaller size ensures that every bite contains chocolate!
Who’s ready for milk eggnog and cookies? Besides my mom and Santa, of course! ?? 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!
| Chocolate Chip Eggnog Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) dairy-free eggnog, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, eggnog, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten slightly using a spatula. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free blends will work as well, if measured like this.
I prefer soy-based or almond-based “nogs,” but regular or light eggnog will also work.
Brown or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar. Do not substitute a liquid sweetener like honey, pure maple syrup, or agave because those will add too much liquid the cookie dough.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page.
{gluten-free, vegan, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Eggnog Snickerdoodles
♥ Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Eggnog Fudge
♥ Baked Eggnog Donut Holes
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
♥ …and the rest of Amy’s oatmeal cookie recipes!
Oh my gosh, YUM!! I could definitely eat these cookies but I don’t like eggnog by itself, am I weird? Either way, they need to be consumed! 😉
Thanks Marina! I actually wrote about my feelings about plain eggnog towards the end of my blog post, so… Nope, not weird at all! 😉
Hi Amy
Pictures look yummah! But it sure looks like more than 3 tbsp. of chocolate chips were used? Did you use more for photo shoot?
Have a wonderful, yummy day:)
Thanks Sherri! 🙂 No, I just used 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips in the cookies! Their smaller size just makes it look like there’s more, compared to regular sized chocolate chips. I’d love to hear what you think if you try the cookies!
I love all of your oatmeal cookie variations. I’m usually boring, and I stick with chocolate chips/raisins, but this version sounds so festive and wonderful! I agree with you that it’s weird to drink eggs, but for some reason, I don’t think it’s weird to eat raw eggs in cookie dough?
Thanks Elaine! And it’s too funny you say that about raw cookie dough — I’m EXACTLY the same way!! I’ll eat cookie dough all day long (and probably way more than I should…), but I still can’t bring myself to drink eggnog. One of my many quirks! 😉
Writing food items in categories on the shopping list sounds like a very sensible idea! I just jot down the ingredients I need in a random order – perhaps shopping would be easier if I did write them in categories! My mum loves custard tarts, which are basically little tarts of jelly-mousse-like eggnog in shortcrust pastry. I’ve only had eggnog a handful of times, but I made a cooked version – it sort of turned out like scrambled egg in milk, but I whizzed it in the blender, and it was a smooth, sweet drink with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg! It must be really delicious in cookies, these look great!?
Thanks Katie! You’re so sweet to make your mum eggnog custard tarts. They sound delicious, especially the cinnamon and nutmeg! 🙂 I’m a huge organizational fan, which is why I write my grocery lists like that… I hope it helps you if you try writing your list that way! 😉