Healthy Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies
This fun flavor twist makes these some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies! They’re soft and chewy, just like traditional recipes, and they have plenty of rich chocolate morsels. They’ll keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or about one week (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (If they last that long!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (28g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the honey and liquid stevia. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a spoon and a spatula. Flatten to no more than ½" thick using a spatula. (The cookies don’t spread much, if at all!) Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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 of will make your cookies cakey, bready, or dry and crumbly, instead of soft and chewy.
If your cookie dough is too dry and you can’t incorporate all of the flour, add more milk ½ teaspoon at a time until you can incorporate all of the flour.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t really spread much, if at all. They’ll basically look exactly the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!), so it’s important to flatten the cookie dough before baking. I like to use these mini spatulas to do so.
Also, do not over-bake these cookies! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. The heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest for 10 minutes after pulling the pan from the oven.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may also be substituted, but be extra careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
CORNSTARCH NOTES: The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. (See my blog post above for more information!) I haven't tried substituting anything else for it. You may omit it, but your cookies won't be quite as soft and chewy.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
HONEY ALTERNATIVES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.
LIQUID 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. 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, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found.
If you really prefer not to use the liquid stevia, then substitute ½ cup (96g) of coconut sugar or light brown sugar for both the honey AND the liquid stevia. (You won't use any honey if you're using coconut sugar or brown sugar! You cannot substituting additional honey because that would add too much liquid to the cookie dough, so your cookies would spread excessively and turn out with a bready or cake-like texture.)
CHOCOLATE CHIP NOTES: These are my favorite dark chocolate chips, and these are my favorite miniature chocolate chips. Both of those turn melty in the oven, which I love!
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: 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 (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this. Alternatively, certified gluten-free oat flour may also be substituted, but be extra careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use your preferred dairy-free milk and the coconut oil option. Alternatively, substitute stick-style vegan butter (I really like this one and this one) in place of the unsalted butter.
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe is easily doubled!
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. If left at room temperature, they’ll keep for at least three days. If refrigerated, they’ll last about a week (if not longer!). Once baked and fully cooled, these cookies also freeze really well!
{gluten-free option, dairy-free option, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
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.