10+ Healthy Cookie Recipes

Updated October 12, 2020
Credit: Oxmoor House

Whole grains, low-cal, and heart smart additions and substitutes make these cookies good-tasting and good for you. From healthy Breakfast Biscotti (because, yes, such a thing does exist) to fruit- and veggie-packed desserts (you absolutely must try these Zucchini Cookies and these Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies), you're sure to find a new favorite in this collection of healthy cookie recipes. 

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Healthy Breakfast Biscotti

Credit: Photos by Davide Luciano

Healthy Breakfast Biscotti Recipe

Eating cookies for breakfast is easy and healthy when granola, oats, dried fruit, and nutritious almonds are involved. They have a grainy, wholesome flavor and an irresistible crunch.

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Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

"Mashed ripe banana adds sweetness and flavor to these chocolate chip cookies. I found I could reduce the usual amount of sugar and butter." --Cathy Brixen, Phoenix, Ariz.

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Zucchini Cookies

Credit: Thomas J. Story

Zucchini Cookies Recipe

If zucchini cookies are a new concept for you, these soft and flavorful chocolate chip cookies with a velvety center will blow your expectations. In the same way zucchini disappears into zucchini bread, the vegetable is nearly undetectable in these light and delicious cookies. Not only does the zucchini provide moisture, but it also adds vitamins and fiber to the cookies. This recipe is an easy (and kid-friendly) way to use up your abundance of summer veggies. If you have a picky eater on your hands, you can skip the raisins, but they will add extra sweetness and texture to these baked treats.

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Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies

Credit: Victor Protasi; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies Recipe

All the ingredients can be picked up at your local grocery store, and they are items you will actually recognize, such as almond butter, eggs, oat flour, ground cinnamon, uncooked quick-cooking oats, and trail mix. The only equipment you need is an electric mixer to ensure that everything is combined evenly for the perfect consistency.

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Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies Recipe

"I love chocolate and cherry flavors together, and I found great dried cherries from Maine for this recipe. I also used bittersweet instead of milk chocolate: Not only does it have less sugar, but it has a deeper flavor, too." —Marcie Dixon, Arlington Heights, Ill.

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Lemon, Lavender, and Poppy Seed Cookies

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen

Lemon, Lavender, and Poppy Seed Cookies Recipe

Simple homemade dough provides the ideal base for a cookie made with naturally sweet ingredients.

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Salted Chocolate-Topped Shortbread

Credit: Greg DuPree

Salted Chocolate-Topped Shortbread Recipe

These whole-wheat cookies have the expected “short” texture of classic shortbread, plus an irresistible buttery flavor. Cultured butter is worth seeking out here; the richer flavor really comes through in a cookie like this where the butter is front and center. You can also use regular unsalted butter for a still delicious but slightly less complex flavor.

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PB, Banana, and Oat Cookies

Credit: Oxmoor House

PB, Banana, and Oat Cookies Recipe

"I love oatmeal cookies, so I did my best to come up with a low-fat version." -Christine Dohlmar, Valrico, FL

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Banana Rum Coconut Cookies

Credit: Howard L. Puckett

Banana Rum Coconut Cookies Recipe

Finalist--Desserts. "I love oatmeal cookies, so I did my best to come up with a low-fat version." -Christine Dohlmar, Valrico, FL

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Breakfast Fig and Nut "Cookies"

Breakfast Fig and Nut "Cookies" Recipe

These oversized cookies are more like muffin tops, but calling them cookies makes them seem more fun. These healthy treats make a great breakfast or snack when they're paired with a glass of milk. Unprocessed bran is usually found near the hot cereals in the grocery; if you can't find it, substitute oat bran or crushed bran-flake cereal.

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Coconut Macaroons with Bittersweet Chocolate and Pistachios

Credit: Oxmoor House

Coconut Macaroons with Bittersweet Chocolate and Pistachios Recipe

Sweet and chewy coconut macaroons have always been an easy favorite for anyone following a gluten-free diet. We jazzed up these naturally gluten-free beauties by dipping them in bittersweet chocolate and studding them with salty pistachios.

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