Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

 
Throughout my childhood, Mom always kept at least one or two tubs of ice cream in our freezer for my brother and me to enjoy as dessert after dinner. We usually asked for our scoops served in our plastic cereal bowls with straws built into the sides, which let us slurp up any ice cream that melted faster than we could eat it.  

Mom often opted for flavors like vanilla bean and mint chocolate chip (the latter is still her favorite classic flavor!), but every once in a while, she bought cookies ’n cream or chocolate chip cookie dough for us as a special treat. When those two flavors appeared, we started asking for ice cream as an afternoon snack too… Not just as an after dinner dessert!
 

 
With those “special” flavors, I ate all of the ice cream first, carefully digging around the chunks of Oreos or cookie dough. As a little girl, I always set aside the “best” parts of my food to enjoy last, which meant I slowly savored the big chocolate cookie pieces and spheres of cookie dough once I had already spooned all of the quickly melting ice cream into my mouth.

While at the grocery store last week, I walked past a mom with her two young kids standing in front of the ice cream selection. She asked them what flavors they wanted, and of course, they picked chocolate chip cookie dough as their first choice.
 

 
My own fond childhood memories came flooding back, but in the midst of reflecting, another idea floated through my head.

What other desserts could cookie dough be added to?

Lots of ideas rushed through my mind. Frozen yogurt, truffles (I’ve already done that here!), and…
 

 
Brownies. Which resulted in these healthy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies, of course! They’re extremely rich and decadent, almost like oversized squares of fudge, with spheres of cookie dough liberally sprinkled throughout the batter.

Yet unlike most brownie recipes — and definitely unlike the store-bought cookie dough ice cream! — these contain no heavy cream or refined sugar… And they’re simple to make too!
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

Let’s go over what you’ll need to bake a batch of these healthy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies! You’ll also use a few common baking staples (think vanilla, baking powder, and salt!), but those aren’t quite as interesting as the following items… So we’ll stick with covering these instead!

Oat flour. You’ll use this for both the brownie batter and cookie dough bites! Oat flour is technically just really finely ground oats… But “oat powder” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. 😉 So I wasn’t sure whether to call these brownies practically flourless or plain ol’ flourless. Regardless, these healthy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies are exceptionally delicious!

Hint: This is my favorite oat flour (and this as the gluten-free version). I also show you how to make your own oat flour at home here!

Unsweetened cocoa powder. Just regular unsweetened cocoa powder! It’s also called “natural unsweetened” cocoa powder, and it looks light brown. Because you’re adding just as much cocoa powder as oat flour, your brownies already taste really rich and chocolaty without Dutched or special dark cocoa powder — so leave those two on your shelf!

Hint: Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level than regular unsweetened cocoa powder, which often changes the taste and texture of your baked goods. I’ve also found that those latter two options taste more dull and muted in these brownies — and not nearly as indulgent and decadent as regular unsweetened cocoa powder!
 

 
Greek yogurt. Unlike traditional brownie recipes that call for a full stick of butter (or lots of oil!), you just need 1 generous tablespoon to make this recipe. That really helps keep your healthy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies low calorie and low fat!

Then to make sure they still turn out really fudgy and chewy, you’ll mix Greek yogurt into the batter. Greek yogurt is one of my all-time favorite ingredients in healthy baking! In this recipe, it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy cookie dough brownies a protein boost!

Egg whites. Egg whites help bind together the brownie batter ingredients. Using just the whites helps keep your healthy cookie dough brownies low calorie — and they turn out just just as fudge-like as traditional brownies because of the Greek yogurt! I call that a win-win… Wouldn’t you??

Milk. This goes into both the cookie dough bites and the brownie batter. Almost any type of milk will work, so feel free to use whatever you already have stashed in your fridge — just remember to make sure it’s at room temperature first!
 

 
Coconut sugar. Instead of the refined granulated sugar often found in traditional recipes, you’ll sweeten this brownie batter with coconut 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 flavor very similar to brown sugar, and you can often find it on the baking aisle right next to the regular sugar.

Liquid stevia. This is the sweetener you’ll use for the edible cookie dough bites. If you’re unfamiliar with it, liquid stevia is a plant-based, sugar-free, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated — and that’s crucial for these healthy chocolate chip cookie dough bits!

If you tried using pure maple syrup or honey — or even coconut sugar — those would add way too much liquid volume to the cookie dough. It would have the consistency of muffin batter, and you wouldn’t be able to roll the cookie dough into spheres!

Yet if you reduced the amount of pure maple syrup or honey and simply added enough to get the correct cookie dough consistency, your cookie dough bites would taste more like bread… Not nearly as sweet as true cookies!

But by using liquid stevia, which is really concentrated, you end up with perfectly sweet cookie dough bites with the correct texture and consistency. Hooray!

Hint: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. I highly recommend using the same one that I do for the best results! I buy my liquid stevia online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and I haven’t noticed any strange aftertaste with this particular one, unlike with some other stevia products. It’s not a “one-time use” ingredient either. You’ll also use liquid stevia in all of these recipes of mine, too!
 

 
Mini chocolate chips. Yes, they must be mini chocolate chips. If you used regular chocolate chips, their larger size would make your cookie dough bites fall apart. So if you only have regular chocolate chips (or chocolate bars), just chop them first!

And yes… You’ll put some in the cookie dough bites and even more in the brownie batter! Just to make sure these cookie dough brownies taste extra chocolaty… Because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, right??

Hint: These are my current favorite mini chocolate chips. They taste really rich, and they turn beautifully gooey and melty in the oven!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

Now that you’ve gathered those ingredients, let’s talk about how to make the best cookie dough brownies! This recipe is straightforward — I promise! — and I also have some tips to ensure your pan turns out perfectly fudge-like, beautifully rich, and extra chocolaty. We’ll start with the easiest one!

Measure correctly. It’s extremely important to measure the oat flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either ingredient will make your brownies cakey and dry, rather than exceptionally moist and fudgy. This is especially true of the oat flour because it’s so absorbent and soaks up lots of moisture from the batter! Too much oat flour will also make your cookie dough bites crumbly and prevent them from holding together. Furthermore, too much cocoa powder will make your brownies taste bitter, instead of rich and decadent.

So the moral of the story? I promise it’s worth taking the extra time to measure your oat flour and cocoa powder correctly!

Use the correct pan. You need an 8”-square pan to make these cookie dough brownies. Pull out a ruler and double check your pan’s dimensions before you begin!

Square pan sizes are measured across the top edges — not the bottom ones. Many square pans have sloped sides, so their top edges are somewhat wider than their bases. If your pan’s top edges are 9” across — but the bottom edges are closer to 8” wide — that’s still a 9”-square pan and too big for this recipe. (Your brownies would turn out incredibly thin if you tried using it!)

If your square pan’s top edges measure 8” across, then you’re good to go!
 

 
Make the cookie dough. You just need one bowl for this! Stir together all of the wet ingredients, add in the oat flour, and gently fold in the mini chocolate chips. (You remembered to use mini ones, right??)

Hint: These bits of healthy chocolate chip cookie dough contain no eggs or traditional flour, so it’s perfectly fine to sneak a little taste test from the bowl!

With your bowl of healthy cookie dough all mixed together, you’ll roll it into tiny spheres. You want your bits of cookie dough to be the size of peas — no larger! This ensures (a) your brownies bake evenly and (b) every bite of brownie contains cookie dough.

You should end up with dozens and dozens of teensy tiny cookie dough bits!

Transfer those to a small baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, and put them in the freezer. Yes, the freezer! When you briefly freeze the cookie dough bits while you prepare the brownie batter, it hardens them just enough so they don’t fall apart or disintegrate when you mix them into the brownie batter later.

Super handy trick, right??
 

 
Make the brownie batter. This only requires a few minutes — because there’s no chocolate to melt, like in many traditional brownie recipes! You just need two bowls, a whisk, and a fork. Super easy!

Remember how I mentioned that mini chocolate chips go in both the cookie dough bites and the brownie batter? I also save some to press into the top of the batter just before baking for a pretty presentation! But… I’m getting ahead of myself.

You need to retrieve your partially frozen chocolate chip cookie dough bits and gently fold them into the batter first! Then spread the batter into your square baking pan, sprinkle those remaining mini chocolate chips on top, and slide that into the oven.
 

 
Bake. Your cookie dough brownies finish baking relatively quickly, so don’t stray too far from the kitchen! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and somewhat underdone. The heat from the pan will continue to cook the center while you let the pan cool to room temperature on your counter. This prevents the edges from drying out, which means your entire pan of healthy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies will be exceptionally chewy and fudgy — even the edges!

Tip: If the edges of your brownies begin pulling away from the edges of the pan within 10 minutes of removing them from the oven, then you’ve baked them long enough!

Cool completely + rest. For the best, chewiest, and fudgiest texture, you need to wait at least 6 hours after your brownies have reached room temperature to slice them into squares. Yes, it feels like torture… But they turn fudgier as they rest! If you cut into them sooner, your brownies will taste cakier. I pinky swear promise their chewy and fudge-like texture is worth the wait!
 

 
I almost didn’t share any of these… But with how delicious they look (and taste!), can you blame me?? 😉 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 chocolate chip cookie dough brownies!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 16 brownies

These just might be the best brownies I’ve ever tasted in my entire life! That’s definitely saying something… Because brownies are my all-time favorite dessert! They’re incredibly rich and decadent with flavors similar to 72% dark chocolate, and the bits of sweet chocolate chip cookie dough makes them absolutely irresistible. Leftover brownies will keep for at least four days (if not a week) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator — if they last that long! (They also freeze well!)

5 from 9 votes

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Ingredients 

FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH

• ½ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
• ⅜ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅜ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste – and see Notes!)
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (35mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ½ cup (60g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ½ tbsp (7g) miniature chocolate chips (see Notes!)

FOR THE BROWNIES

• ¾ cup (90g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
• 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
• 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips (divided)

Instructions

• Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a small baking sheet.
• To prepare the cookie dough, stir together the butter, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia in a small bowl. Stir in the milk and salt. Add in the oat flour, stirring until just incorporated. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
• Working with a small amount of the mixture at a time, roll into a pea-sized sphere (no larger!). Place on the prepared baking sheet. Once all of the cookie dough has been shaped into pea-sized spheres, place the baking sheet in the freezer while preparing the brownie batter.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. (Optional: Line the 8”-square baking pan with wax paper and coat it with cooking spray for easier removal of the brownies.)
• To prepare the brownies, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in 1 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips and the partially frozen cookie dough bits.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Press the remaining ½ tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips into the top. Bake at 300°F for 16-20 minutes (16 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 20 minutes yields slightly cakier brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 6 hours once at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before slicing and serving.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will dry out your cookie dough, and it will be too crumbly to roll. If this happens to you, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the cookie dough comes together. If the cookie dough looks fine when you first mix it together but dries out when you dry to roll it, moisten your fingers and palms with a bit of water before rolling it. (See my blog post above for more tips and information!)

 

Too much oat flour and cocoa powder in the brownie batter will make your brownies dry and crumbly, rather than chewy and fudgy. Too much cocoa powder will also make your brownies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.

 

IMPORTANT STEP 3 NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The cookie dough bits must be no larger than the size of peas. This ensures the brownies bake evenly (and that there’s a bit of cookie dough in every bite of brownie!).

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE (STEP 6) – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The brownie edges should look firm but the center should still look somewhat glossy and underdone when you remove the pan from the oven. If the edges of your brownies begin to pull away from the edges of your pan within 10 minutes of removing them from the oven, then you’ve baked them long enough!

 

IMPORTANT COOLING + RESTING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the fudgiest texture, you must wait 6+ hours after your brownies reach room temperature before slicing and serving! If you cut into them sooner, they’ll taste cakey instead of fudgy. The brownies turn fudgier the longer they rest on the counter. I promise it’s worth the wait! (If you’re running short on time, then refrigerator your pan of brownies for at least 1 hour after they’ve cooled completely to room temperature.)

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too.) I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do!

 

For sweeter cookie dough bites, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon.

 

If you really prefer not to use the liquid stevia, then substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the stevia AND milk. (The cookie dough centers won’t be quite as sweet with any of these substitutions! They’ll be closer to the sweetness level of muffins, rather than cookies.)

 

MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS NOTES: You must use miniature chocolate chips in the cookie dough! Regular sized chocolate chips are too big, and they’ll make the cookie dough bits fall apart when you try to roll them into spheres. If you only have regular-sized chocolate chips, then chop them first.

 

Also, do not add more miniature chocolate chips to the cookie dough! Too many will also cause the cookie dough to fall apart when to try to shape it into spheres.

 

OAT FLOUR NOTES +  ALTERNATIVES: This is my favorite oat flour (and this as the gluten-free version). I also show you how to make your own oat flour at home here!

 

White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the oat flour.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. These have a different acidity level, which can change the taste and texture of your brownies. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without using either of these!

 

If your cocoa powder is very bumpy and/or clumpy, then sift it into the mixing bowl.

 

EGG WHITES ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

COCONUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVES: In the brownie batter, if you’d prefer, ½ cup (120mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the coconut sugar AND 4 tablespoons of the milk. (You still need to add those 2 final tablespoons of milk!)

 

Brown sugar or granulated sugar may also be substituted for the coconut sugar, but the brownies will no longer be clean eating friendly.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free oat flour. Alternatively, for a non-oat-flour gluten-free option in the brownie batter, use as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Substitute dairy-free milk for the nonfat milk, and substitute dairy-free yogurt (ie soy- or oat-based) for the Greek yogurt.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days, if not closer to a week or more. (They freeze really well too!)

 

EATING PRO TIP: Once your brownies have fully set (after 6 hours!), then try microwaving individual brownies for a few seconds to warm them and make the chocolate chips turn melty again. (This is my favorite way to eat them!)

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, dairy-free option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bites
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough “Peanut Butter” Cups
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars
♡  Healthy Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy brownie recipes and healthy cookie dough recipes!