For our flight from Arizona to California on Christmas Eve day, we arrived at the airport right at lunchtime with just over an hour before the plane left. Mom dropped off the rental car while the rest of us stood in the security line, yet because of Mom’s TSA PreCheck status, she skipped to the front of the line and still passed through to the other side before the rest of us.
As soon as everyone else had laced up their shoes, my family split in three different directions. Dad and I headed for the restrooms right next to our flight’s gate, but Mom and my brother rushed over to the food stalls in search of lunch. Nearly everyone was starving!
Mom returned shortly after with water bottles, a ham and Brie sandwich for Dad, and a box with fruit, cheese, and crackers for herself. My brother arrived a few minutes later, right before we lined up to board the plane, but because of his many food allergies, he only found snacks instead of a full meal.
However… His snacks still looked delicious! Roasted peanuts, crunchy crackers, and a large double chocolate cookie. As a huge chocoholic, I was incredibly tempted to run over and buy one of those treats for myself too, but the gate agent’s voice came over the loudspeaker at that moment, inviting the first group of passengers (including us!) to board.
So instead, I baked these Healthy Flourless Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies back at home to satisfy my chocolate cravings! They’re supremely rich and decadent, with a similar fudgy texture as brownies. Yet unlike the airport cookie, these contain no flour (fairly obvious, from the recipe title!) or refined sugar, and they’re just 79 calories!
Definitely pure chocolate cookie bliss in my book!
Let’s go over how to make these healthy flourless triple chocolate cookies!
You’ll start with oats, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed… But not just any oats! You need instant oats, which are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. (And no, they’re not the same thing as what’s in those individual flavored brown paper packets!) Because of their size, instant oats make your healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies extremely soft and chewy.
Next, you’ll skip the flour and measure out cocoa powder instead. It’s the first chocolate component in these healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies! I recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this, rather than Dutched or special dark. Despite the name, those latter two actually make the cookies taste less rich or dark or chocolaty because they have a more muted flavor compared to regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Since you’re adding ¾ cup, your cookies will definitely taste super rich and chocolaty with regular unsweetened cocoa powder!
Just remember, it’s extremely important to measure the oats and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient will dry out your cookie dough, making your cookies turn out cakey or bready! This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the cookie dough. Also, too much cocoa powder will make your cookies taste bitter, instead of rich and decadent.
So the moral of the [measuring] story? I promise it’s worth the few extra seconds to measure your ingredients correctly to get the best healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies possible!
Rolling right along…
Unlike traditional cookie recipes that call for a full stick or two of butter, this one only requires 1 tablespoon. Yes, that’s it! That definitely helps keep these healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies low fat and low calorie. You’ll also melt the butter because (a) it creates a more soft and chewy texture and (b) it’s easier than remembering to set out butter to soften ahead of time. Definitely a win-win!
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies with pure maple syrup instead. It should be the kind that comes directly from maple trees! The only ingredient on the bottle should be “maple syrup,” and it’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Time for more chocolate! You’ll add both dark chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips to your cookie dough. I love the big burst of chocolate that comes from the dark chocolate chips, and mixing in mini ones ensures that every bite contains at least one morsel of chocolate. And when you bite into those gooey melty pockets of chocolate when you eat one of these healthy flourless triple chocolate oatmeal cookies warm from the oven…
Oh. My. Goodness.
But wait! I’m getting ahead of myself. You still need to chill the cookie dough before baking! It’ll be a little sticky when you initially mix it up, but chilling stiffens the cookie dough so it’s easier to work with.
After 30 minutes, you can drop the cookie dough onto your baking sheet. I just use a spoon and spatula to do this! Then flatten the cookie dough to your desired thickness and width. These cookies don’t spread at all while baking, so they’ll look exactly the same before and after baking… Just a little firmer and with those perfectly melty chocolate chips!
How irresistible do these look?? 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 triple chocolate oatmeal cookies!
| Healthy Flourless Triple Chocolate Oatmeal 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 tbsp (28g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 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 the dark chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon of miniature 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 to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto 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 (like these).
I do not recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder (like this) has a much better flavor in this recipe!
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
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, oat flour, or your preferred gluten-free flour blend (like this one!) and reduce the cocoa powder ½ cup (40g).
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 Flourless Chocolate Cowboy Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Cookies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
♡ Healthy Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cookie recipes!
Do you store them at room temp? Or in the fridge?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Brittany! I’ve actually covered the best storage in the text directly beneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cookies!
I actually made a batch last night, and my roommate and husband loved them so much, there weren’t any left this morning! Today I made a double batch so we could take some to a friend, and they turned out a little dry. I used a bit too much cocoa powder, and not enough chocolate chips. But still good! My husband doesn’t like “healthy” things, but he gobbled these up! Thanks for the recipe!
That’s the BEST kind of compliment, if there weren’t any leftovers! You’re definitely a talented baker! 🙂 I’m so glad your husband loved these cookies, especially if he’s not a fan of “healthy” things. That means the world to me — thank you for taking the time to let me know!!
Hi Amy、I recently made this recipe. 🙂
I doubled all the ingredients and at the end I forgot to double the number of scoops of cookie dough on the baking sheet.? Haha. I was thinking、wow 15 drops!? Pretty big for Amy’s recipe. It was supposed to be 30! Anyway、it still tasted good! And delicious shots of chocolate when I need pick me up at work 🙂 I personally prefer eating out right out of freezer:)
And enjoyed reading your story behind this recipe as other recipes ‘! I can relate to the airport food scene!:)
I’m so glad you liked these cookies Yoko! Nothing wrong with extra big cookies in my book, especially when they’re chocolate! 😉 I haven’t tried eating them straight out of the freezer, but now I really want to try! And that means the world to me that you’re enjoying my stories before each recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know that!! 🙂
these look delicious! can i use liquid egg whites from the carton or it needs to be from a whole egg?
Liquid egg whites from a carton will work, as long as they’re at room temperature before you mix them with the melted butter or coconut oil! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies MJ!
Would a vegan egg replacer work instead of using egg whites?
Yes! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white (and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk, although that doesn’t apply for this particular recipe!). I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies Marisa! 🙂
Can i use quick cooking steel cut oats for these?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Stephanie! Unfortunately, quick cooking steel cut oats won’t work. They have a big negative impact on the texture of these cookies. Stick with regular instant oats for the best results! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making them!
Hi! I really want to make these and was just wondering, does it have to an egg white, or can I use the whole egg? Not the best baker and i somehow fail to separate the yolk every time!
Thanks!
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making these cookies! For this particular recipe, you can use one whole egg. One trick I’ve learned for separating eggs is to crack the whole egg into a separate small bowl, then use your fingers to gently lift out the yolk. There’s much less of a chance of breaking the yolk when you use your fingers compared to using the two halves of the broken egg shell! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cookies Amber!
these look awesome!! Do you think it would work if I used banana or applesauce instead of maple syrup as a sweetener? or maybe dates?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sammy! I don’t recommend any of those as sweeteners. They’re not nearly as sweet as maple syrup, so your cookies would turn out tasting like bread, rather than sweet dessert cookies. If you’re not a fan of maple syrup, then I do provide more options on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page (there’s a link to it in the bottom of the Notes section!). 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these cookies!
I always wonder why people take a recipe change half of it and then leave a review but after reading this recipe I cant help but think how good these would be with dried cherries and walnuts! I’ll be making/baking today!
I definitely think you’re right Amy — dried cherries and walnuts sound like delicious additions! I’m really excited to hear how your cookies turned out! 🙂
Hi Amy,
Would it be possible for you to turn one of your oatmeal cookie recipes into a lactation cookie recipe please? I haven’t found a recipe that is healthy and tastes good. Also, without nut butters please!
Thanks!
MK
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe MK! Since I’m not a healthcare professional, I’m not entirely sure whether any of my oatmeal cookie recipes would qualify as lactation cookies. However, if you’d like to replace the whole wheat flour with oat flour in any of my other oatmeal cookie recipes (obviously not this one, seeing as it uses cocoa powder instead of flour!), that might help make them more lactation-friendly. You should also be able to add seeds or ground flax, if you’d like! I think my ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe would be a great recipe to use as the base (or my breakfast version, if you’d like one with less sugar!). 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try any of those modifications!