Introduction: 6 Solid Tips to Make Healthier Cookies
I love cookies. I mean who doesn't? They're soft, sweet and delicious. And very unhealthy. So today, I'm going to share 6 tips to all those people who love baking their own cookies. These tips are going to make your cookies healthier, but without losing any of the taste. If anyone else has tips to make cookies healthier, please post them in the discussions!
To test these tips I used this recipe. So thank you Jaron.
I did have to mess around with the recipe a lot to get it to work for me because I was using date paste.
I forgot to take a picture of my cookies before they were all devoured and I ran out of dates to make another batch so I used a homemade cartoon image:)
Step 1: Replace Sugar With Dates.
When I'm baking my cookies or any food actually, I always sub sugar with dates. Dates are full of fibers, potassium and magnesium. I use medjool date paste as a 1:1 replacement for sugar. This will work in any dish unless you're creaming butter. In that case it would be too watery. Here is my recipe for making date paste:
Tools/ ingredients:
- Blender
- measured amount of dates*
- Water
- Measuring cup
* You can use any amount of dates as long as you're willing to do the math.
Steps : Place measured amount of dates and water in blender and blend until thick and creamy.
For 1 cup of dates use 8 tablespoons of water.
Step 2: Use Healthier Fats in Cookies.
Butter makes up a large amount of the ingredients in cookies and it is full of saturated fats. Now, I'm going to tell you how to sub out your butter with healthier ingredients.
Way 1:
Sub butter with coconut oil as it has less saturated fat.*
Way 2:
Replace half of the butter with greek yogurt.
Way 3:
Use half coconut oil and half greek yogurt.
* Use refined coconut oil if you do not want a coconut taste in your cookies
Step 3: Replace All Purpose Flour With Healthier Flours
The image above contains chickpea ( bottom right), rice ( top) and whole wheat flour (bottom left).
Warning: This is not a gluten free option unless you only use rice flour.
Option 1: Use white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour
Option 2: Use rice flour or whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour*
Option 3: Use coconut flour instead of all purpose flour. This is the flour that works the best as a replacement but I usually don't have it hanging around
Option 4: ( this is my preferred option) Use 1/4 - 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and the rest rice flour '
* If you only use rice flour, it will be very weak and crispy after the baking is complete.
' The more rice flour you add, the crispier the finished product will be.
Note: You can also use other flours such as almond, quinoa and chickpea flours but they have not been tested by me.
You can use these flours as a 1:1 ratio for the all purpose flour. If you use whole wheat flour, you will have to add some extra liquid to the recipe.
Step 4: Switching Out Eggs With Vegan Options
You can switch out eggs with bananas to make vegan cookies. It also fills your cookies with fibers from the bananas.
Use one ripe medium mashed banana for each egg the recipe calls for to make it vegan.
Step 5: Add Fruits and More to Your Cookies.
Add fruits, nuts, seeds and grains to make your cookies healthier. Just mix it into any recipe just before the baking and make your cookies instantly healthier! Fruits, nuts and grains are full of nutrients, fiber and protein! Using this tip will make any recipe healthier and taste better! I prefer to use fruits such as apples, raisins, bananas and more such as pumpkins. I also like to use nuts such as almonds and cashews. Experiment and try new things!
Step 6: Use Multiple Swaps in Your Recipe
Using multiple swaps will not affect your cookie recipe in a negative way. Doing multiple swaps helps to make your cookies healthier and full of fibers and nutrients.