Shortly before noon on my birthday, my phone buzzed with a text from my neighbor. She asked if I was home, and I answered that I would be for a few more minutes before heading out to run errands.
Less than 60 seconds later, I heard a knock on my front door. When I pulled it open, my neighbor and her little daughter smiled while handing me a bright pink bag with tissue paper bursting out of the top and stickers plastered on the sides.
“Happy birthday!” they chimed together.
My heart immediately melted. Although they had just arrived back from their Hawaii vacation the day before, they somehow figured out it was my birthday… And then brought over the cutest baseball-themed birthday gift. I have the sweetest neighbors!
Just before they turned to walk back to their own house, the three-year-old girl looked up at me. “Do you have chocolate?” she asked a little shyly. Almost every time I see her, I give her something chocolaty because she’s just as big of a chocoholic as I am!
I told her I only had these peach treats… But I promised to bring her chocolate a couple days later!
And true to my word, I knocked on their door two days later with an entire batch of these Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cowboy Cookies! They’re supremely rich and chocolaty, with an almost fudgy brownie-like texture, and truly a chocoholic’s dream! Flourless chocolate cookie dough, lots of chocolate chips… But just 88 calories!
There’s a reason I gave them the entire batch of cookies… I would’ve been much too tempted to eat them all by myself if they stayed on my kitchen counter!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies!
You’ll start with a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder (this kind!) and instant oats (this kind!). You just want regular unsweetened cocoa powder! Skip the Dutched cocoa powder and special dark cocoa powder. Those end up with a mellower, more muted chocolate flavor. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder makes these healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies taste as rich and chocolaty as possible!
Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned oats. (And no, they aren’t the ones that are sold in those flavored single-serving brown paper packets!) You can find instant oats in canisters right next to the traditional rolled oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important that you measure the cocoa powder and instant oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much cocoa powder will make your cookies taste bitter. Too much of either ingredient will also dry out your cookie dough and make your healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies taste cakey, instead of soft and chewy. This is especially true of the oats; they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!
Instead of refined granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies with pure maple syrup (like this!). You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees and only contains one ingredient: maple syrup! It’s usually sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Time to add the mix-ins! Mini chocolate chips (these are my favorite!), shredded unsweetened coconut (like this!), and finely diced pecans (I use these as a shortcut so I don’t have to chop my own!).
There are two main theories for how these cookie mix-ins, along with the oats, gave cowboy cookies their name… Either (a) cowboy cookies originated in Texas during a time where there were more cowboys than regular homesteaders, or (b) cowboy cookies were hearty enough to survive a trip out into the Wild West.
Regardless of the true reason, cowboy cookies certainly are delicious… Especially with chocolate-flavored cookie dough!
Just one last thing to share! These healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies don’t really spread, so you must flatten the cookie dough with a spatula before baking. Otherwise, they’ll end up looking like little dough balls! Still tasty, just not quite as cute as regular cookie shapes…
But with this much chocolate and their fudgy brownie-like texture, I probably wouldn’t notice their shape that much… I’d just be eating them as fast as I could! ? 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 healthy flourless chocolate cowboy cookies!
| Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cowboy Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 2 tbsp (10g) shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tbsp (14g) finely diced pecans
- Whisk together the oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the oat mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. 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 to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats (these!) 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 (like these).
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
This is the shredded unsweetened coconut that I used. If you can’t find unsweetened, then sweetened shredded coconut will also work.
I use these diced pecans as a shortcut! If chopping your own, make sure to cut the pecans to be the same size as the miniature chocolate chips to ensure they’re evenly distributed and the cookies bake evenly.
I’m not a big fan of coconut or nuts in my cookies, which is why the amounts are fairly small. You’re welcome to add more, if you prefer!
As written, these cookies taste fairly rich, similar to 72% dark chocolate. If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate, then substitute ¼ cup (30g) of whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, or your preferred gluten-free flour blend (like this one!) and reduce the cocoa powder ½ cup (40g). Remember to measure the flour using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!)
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Classic Cowboy Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Cowboy Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chunk Brownie Bites
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
These look great and I am looking forward to trying them. It caught my attention because it is one of your recipes in the minority that doesn’t use stevia or artificial sweeteners. I would love if you would provide guidance on your recipes that do use those how to substitute for sugar sweeteners. Desserts are such a rarity for my family that I feel like sweeteners are allowed when we do have them.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Greg! I actually do that already in the Notes section of the recipe, directly underneath the Instructions, for recipes that use vanilla stevia. I give alternatives for using other “clean” sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar. It can be easy to miss that Notes section, but I promise those substitutions and alternatives are there for my recipes with vanilla stevia! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them!
Well I feel pretty silly then. I feel like I have scoured your recipes quite a bit and never noticed that. You can feel free to delete my comment if you like. Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely have to go look back through some that I have skipped once I saw vanilla stevia in the list.
No worries, Greg!! It happens ALL the time. You’re not the only one! 🙂 I know how lengthy my Notes sections can get. Don’t feel badly at all! I can’t wait to hear what recipes you decide to try next!
Hi Amy! Do you think I can substitute the maple syrup with ripe bananas? If so, would you know how many to use?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Nithya! I really don’t recommend that substitution. Bananas aren’t nearly as sweet, and they’ll make these cookies turn cakey instead of chewy if you tried to substitute them for the maple syrup. I include the best substitutes for maple syrup on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is linked to in the Notes section directly underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss that section! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cookies!
they look great
Thanks Iza! I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cookies! 🙂
Baked a batch of these today…OMG, so good! I followed the recipe exactly except I used rolled oats, and doubled the coconut and nuts. My boyfriend and I are “dieting” and these were a welcome clean-eating treat.
I’m so glad you loved these cookies, Lisa! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Hi Amy,
Can i omit the nuts from this recipe without altering the structure of the cookie? my partner is allergic to them!
Do you have any suggestions on substitutions for the nuts?
Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Laura! You can definitely omit the nuts without any issues. I’m actually not a fan of nuts in cookies, so I usually leave them out! 😉 You can either omit them or substitute additional chocolate chips — both options will work! I can’t wait to hear what you and your partner think of these cookies! 🙂
these look really good but do you have to use the coconut and nuts? does it change the structure or recipe by not using it? are there any substitutions?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Caroline! You can definitely omit the coconut and nuts. I’m actually not a fan of either in my cookies, so that’s what I usually do! 😉 If you’d like, you can also replace them with additional mini chocolate chips instead. I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
Can I sub a flax egg for the egg white? Also I’d like to add chilli – do you think it would go with the oaty flavour?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these cookies! I haven’t personally tried substituting a flax egg (I don’t really like the taste of flax, so Ener-G is my favorite egg replacer!), but other readers have said it works great. I absolutely LOVE chocolate + chili as a flavor combination, so I think adding a tiny pinch would be a wonderful idea! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
Hi amy, do you think I can reduce the cocoa powder but increase the oat ( without increasing the flour)?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these cookies, Lina! You can decrease the cocoa powder by 2-4 tablespoons and increase the oats by 2 tablespoons or so. Just keep in mind that your cookie dough will be stickier and a bit harder to work with. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these cowboy cookies!