Skip to content

Healthy Cookies (Nut-Free)

These Healthy Cookies are a powerhouse of nutrition. Great for pre/post workouts, afternoon pick-me-ups, or even an easy breakfast-on-the-go!

healthy cookies
These healthy cookies are loaded with only the good stuff – they’re delicious, to boot.

Healthy Cookies

Cookies aren’t usually synonymous with healthy. That said, when you include ingredients such as whole oats, whole grains, flax, and even carrots into a cookie, healthy cookies happily emerge as a delicious reality.

The obvious must be stated: no matter how healthy the cookies are, if nobody eats them, it’s pointless. Thankfully, that’s not going to happen here. These healthy cookies are as every bit as delicious as they are nutritious.

Healthy cookies on tray
These healthy cookies are made with simple, pure, healthy ingredients.

Good, Simple Ingredients

These healthy cookies are teeming with simple ingredients you’ll feel fantastic about:

  • Flaxseed
  • Ripe bananas
  • Fresh carrots
  • Whole oats
  • Whole wheat
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Chocolate chips for good measure

We left them nut-free so those with nut allergies can joyfully partake. However, if you’re so inclined, feel free to add your favorite chopped nuts.

Healthy Cookies on Tray
These healthy cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly balanced in sweetness.

Soft, Chewy, and Just Sweet Enough

I first tasted these healthy cookies at a big health fair, where some precious lady stayed up all night baking an endless basket of good-for-you cookies. These healthy cookies are:

  • Soft
  • Super flavorful
  • Chewy good
  • Not too sweet but sweet enough

Of course I fell for it at first bite, but the true test? Whether all my eaters agreed. No point in making healthy cookies my guys won’t eat. Everyone gobbled these healthy cookies up in seconds and tried to grab more from the basket. Note taken.

Healthy Cookies on Tray
Make these healthy cookies in advance, as they keep well.

Make Ahead and Storange

These healthy cookies keep superbly well:

  • Make dough ahead of time and chill airtight until ready to use.
  • Baked cookies can be wrapped airtight and kept at moderate room temperature for several days.
  • Baked cookies can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to a couple of months.

Healthy Cookies
Common Questions

What’s the difference between ground flaxseed and ground flaxmeal?

Both milled or ground flaxseed and flaxmeal refer to the same thing. You can use either one interchangeably.

If I don’t have a stand mixer, can I use an electric hand mixer?

Yes, you can use an electric mixer. Just be sure to cream the butter, bananas, and sugar well.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes, the baked cookies can be wrapped airtight and frozen for 1-2 months.

Can I add nuts to these cookies?

If you’d like to add nuts, we recommend roasted and chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.

More to Bake and Eat

Also Try This Baked Oatmeal

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

healthy cookies

Oatmeal Energy Cookies (nut-free)

4.97 from 28 ratings
These Oatmeal Energy Cookies are a powerhouse of yummy goodness! They’re healthy, full of nutritious ingredients, and can be eaten any time of day: breakfast, snack, workouts, or a guilt-free evening treat. Note that the dough needs to chill several hours before baking.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine ground flax with water and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the butter, banana, and both sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, flax mixture, and vanilla until combined. Add carrots and mix to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, both flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, whisking to combine well. Gently combine dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix on medium low speed just until incorporated. Hand-stir in the mini chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. Form dough into a ball, cover tightly, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone bake mats.
  • Form dough into rounded tablespoons and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press down to form a thick disk, as they won’t spread much. Bake 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Will seem underbaked, but they’ll set upon cooling. Cool a few minutes on sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool fully.

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ❤️

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Amerian
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: baking, Oven
4.97 from 28 votes (26 ratings without comment)

Add a comment

Recipe Rating




12 comments

    • Sleepy

    Ok, I did make some changes to this one and because I like seeing what other people have changed and if it works, I will post it. Please forgive me and hopefully this doesn’t turn up on r/I didnthaveeggs.

    Firstly I was feeling too lazy to grind flax seeds so I replaced them with applesauce. Because these are breakfast cookies for my kids, I cut the sugar in half, and used a combined 3/4 cup total. Also because I was tired I slipped and accidentally added two or three times the amount of vanilla required! Then, because my kids are little weirdos and don’t like chocolate chips I replaced those with raisins (what have I done to deserve this?). Finally because I was half asleep, I didn’t realize I was supposed to refrigerate these so I skipped that step and stuck them in the oven anyways.

    Despite this, they came out rather well. The lack of refrigeration didn’t seem to hurt them much. Because of the flour, they are a bit more cakey than granola-y (?) which my kids prefer anyways. And definitely sweet enough with half the sugar. I may reduce it even more next time.

    Now that I know I can make it the night before I will do that, and save myself the trouble of reading recipes at 6 am.

    Great recipe and apparently pretty friendly to modification! Plus hidden veggies for the win!

      • Amy Dong

      So glad you all enjoyed these! Thanks for the ideas 🙂

    • Sarah
    • 4 stars

    Great recipe, overall. However, there is WAY too much sugar. 2/3 cup EACH white and brown sugar is excessive, IMO. I did 1/3 and half of a 1/3 scoop (so about 7TB), but will probably cut it even further, to a 1/3C of each. I also added a scoop of protein powder for an added boost. The boys loved them, and in will be sending them in their lunch boxes for snack time!

      • chewoutloud

      Thank you, Sarah!

Get our free email series: 5 Easy Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less

Plus our newest recipes each week