The weekend before Thanksgiving, I flew to Arizona with my mom and brother to visit my grandparents. Although Mom typically prefers to travel in the early hours of the morning, she discovered that Southwest offered their cheapest flight at noon that day, so nobody had to set their alarm for 4:30 am. (Thank goodness… I love my sleep!)
With the time difference, we arrived in the late afternoon, so we picked up a snack from one of the eateries close to the airport before driving over an hour to my grandparents’ small town. We stopped by the senior center first, where they had been eating dinner with one of their good friends. After catching up with everyone at their table, we headed over to the grocery store to grab a few things for our own dinner back at their house.
As I set down the bags on the kitchen island and pawed through them to put away the refrigerator items, I spotted a few big tubs of Trader Joe’s cookies: their original Cat Cookies (for people!), Chocolaty Cake Cookies, and miniature Way More Chocolate Chip Cookies. When I picked them up for a closer look (I had never seen that last flavor before!), I realized the containers were still unopened, so I set them back down and left them alone.
But as I cooked a quick meal and ate my veggies and turkey, those cookies continue to stare at me, completely innocent yet tempting at the same time… And when Mom walked by later that evening, she laughed and offered to open them for me. I pulled back the plastic lid and grabbed a handful in the blink of an eye!
Because I haven’t stopped thinking about those mini chocolate chip cookies, I finally decided to make my own at home with a slightly nutty twist… These Mini Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies! They’re chewy and packed full of chocolate, but with no butter, oil, refined flour or sugar and just 46 calories, I don’t feel guilty sneaking a second (or third!).
To make these healthier cookies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Normally white flour and whole wheat flour are two different things! However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of softer white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten these cookies with coconut sugar instead. 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 flavor just like brown sugar, but it pours like granulated sugar. Many grocery stores now stock it near the traditional sugar on their baking aisles, and you can also buy it online here.
For the nutty flavor, you’ll use my homemade easy blender peanut butter recipe. It’s so simple to make—it just takes 5 minutes! I always stash a jar of that (and my homemade cashew butter and almond butter) in my fridge. If you prefer store-bought, make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind and that the only ingredients on the label are peanuts and salt.
Note: Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter. The cookie dough will be too dry.
And now for my favorite part… The mini chocolate chips! (I’m a huge chocoholic; it’s why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!) You’ll use mini chips because (a) these cookies are small too and (b) the chips’ tiny size ensures every cookie contains a lot of chocolate chips! I prefer Ghirardelli’s mini chips because they taste very rich and melt really well.
Time for a cookie! Or two… Or three… ? 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!
| Mini Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, and stir until incorporated. Stir in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips
- Roll the dough into 30 small spheres, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten until they’re the desired thickness and width with a spatula. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 6-8 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free flour substitute, I recommend the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using my easy blender peanut butter to make these cookies! Otherwise, substitute a natural drippy-style peanut butter. The only ingredients on the label should be “peanuts” and “salt.” Do not substitute chunky peanut butter. The cookie dough will be too dry and won’t come together.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
Some brands of flour are more absorbent than others. This is the brand that I use. If the cookie dough is too dry and won’t come together after a few minutes of mixing (it does take a bit of effort to get all of the flour worked in!), add additional milk ½ teaspoon at a time until all of the flour has been incorporated.
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Bars
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
♥ Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Dough
♥ Skinny Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake
These are the CUTEST little cookies ever!! Bite-sized cookies just means more to eat, right? 😉
YESSSSSSSS!!!! And that’s exactly why we’re friends — you read my mind Marina! ???
Can this recipe be used to make 15 regular sized cookies instead of 30 mini ones? Would the bake time and temperature then have to increase? I’m a beginnner baker/ cook and enjoy many of your recipes at home, but I’m very cautious with my judgement about my baking decisions as sometimes I am very wrong and ruin whole batches of things! Thanks so much.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe KJ! If you’d like the full-sized version, I have a recipe here that will be easier for you to follow. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies!
So cute!!! I bet my niece and nephew would love em.
Thanks Annie! 🙂
Ohh man, so because these are mini I can have like five right!? Haaha! These look so light and fluffy.
Exactlyyyyyy!!! Mini = the best excuse to eat more! ?
I wouldn’t have been able to resist those mini chocolate chip cookies either, Amy (as with both of us, the power of chocolate just wins every time)!? I’m loving this title, as it includes ‘Chocolate’, ‘Peanut Butter’, ‘Cookies’ and ‘Mini’ (which everyone knows is just a brilliant excuse to eat more, as they are bite-sized!), so I’m going to HAVE to make these! My dad & I really love peanut butter, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to share these…?
YES! Your comment about ‘Mini’ is just so, so true. Especially with me! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of the cookies — and your dad too, if you manage to save one for him!
These cookies look so adorable! Trader Joe’s cookies are the best, and I hope you had a good time in Arizona. 🙂
You’re such a sweetheart — thanks Elaine! ♡ I hope you had a wonderful winter break from classes!
These cookies look so good!!
Thanks Bethany!
I try to do mini cookies like you so many times but it’s turn super hard I have to throw it. Can you help me to figure it out pls . The dough is very sticky after it’s done and cool down turn out super hard TT
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Joy! Would you mind elaborating a bit on what you mean about the cookie dough turning out super hard? Do you mean after chilling or after baking?
Yes after chilling but the taste was good but I think it’s not right texture
I’m glad the flavor was good!! After chilling, the cookie dough will be very stiff. The cookies don’t spread while baking, which is why the instructions say to flatten the cookie dough before baking. If you flatten them to about ½” tall and bake for no more than 8 minutes, the cookies should turn out soft and chewy! Is that what happened to you? Or did the baked cookies turn out with a different texture? 🙂