Learn How to Make Healthy Cookies Everyone Will Love
Cookies are an important part of every diet! Okay, so they’re not important but they taste amazing and they don’t have to be as unhealthy as many people make them out to be. They can be a healthy snack depending on how you make them.
Not sure how to make healthy cookies? The secret is to get rid of or reduce the ingredients that aren’t the best for you. If you can’t bear to part with the sugar and butter, make smaller cookies.
Those are the basics for making guilt-free cookies but there are some other methods you can use too. Get out your bowl and whisk and follow along as we go through the steps.
Swap Out the All-Purpose Flour
The first rule of baking cookies that are healthy is to swap out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. It will help you get a good amount of fiber in your diet and you can’t even taste the difference.
If you are worried about the slight wheaty taste that comes from whole wheat flour, you can use white wheat instead. It’s just as healthy as whole wheat and will nail down the flavor of all-purpose a little better.
Toss in Oats
Oats aren’t only for farm animals and breakfast. You can toss some in with your cookies as well. Replace some of your flour with part of the oats.
If you want the oats to have the same consistency as the flour, you can run them through a food processor first. You can also make some yummy oatmeal cookies.
Drop the Sugar Count
The thing that makes cookies, cookies, is the sweetness. You’ll find that many healthy cookie recipes reduce the amount of sugar though. Even cutting the sugar by a single teaspoon will make a world of difference.
Since you’re not using as much sugar, you might have to add in a little bit of milk to stop your cookies from drying out. If you want to cut out the sweetness altogether, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to kick the sugar completely. You can trade it out for coconut sugar, fruit juices, or even purees.
Reduce the Fat
You can make cookies healthier by reducing the amount of butter that the recipe calls for. There are millions of other things you can use such as applesauce, bananas, or Greek yogurt.
As far as measurements go, if the recipe calls for a single cup of butter, do half butter and half of whatever you’re planning to sub it with. This will be enough to drop the fat content while also allowing the cookies to keep the soft texture that you love.
Eggs Aren’t a Requirement
Egg yolks are an important part of every baked good but they’re full of cholesterol. The good news is that they’re not as much of a requirement as recipes let on.
You can sub them out with squashed bananas. One medium banana is the same as a single egg. Using them won’t only make your cookies have a better texture but it will add a touch of delicious sweetness. If you don’t have any eggs on hand, applesauce and flaxseed also make a good replacement.
Use Healthier Ingredients
As long as you put healthy ingredients in the cookies, that means you’re putting something good in your body. At least, that’s what you like to tell yourself.
When making chocolate chip cookies, you can use dark chocolate instead of traditional chocolate chips. Chopped nuts and dried fruits are great too.
There are certain spices that are better for you than others as well. Cinnamon tastes great, it’s full of antioxidants that will keep you healthy, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and it may reduce your chances of developing heart disease. It’s one powerful ingredient!
Make Smaller Cookies
You can eat pretty much whatever you want and still be healthy as long as you practice good portion control. You can do this by using smaller bowls, not eating your snacks straight out of the container, and making smaller cookies.
Eating a small button-sized cookie will be enough to quell your sugar craving. They’re also cute and pack fewer calories so you can indulge a little bit without feeling guilty. Make sure you don’t go overboard though or you’re kind of defeating the purpose.
Flaxseeds or Chia Seeds
We know, we covered better ingredients better you already but we’re going to touch on it again with flaxseeds and chia seeds. They’re rich with omega-3 fatty acids. There is no end to the benefits of Omega 3s.
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers out there. Eating stuff containing this helpful vitamin can reduce your risk. It does this by getting rid of plaque and blood clots.
It can also stimulate brain development in infants and improve your eye health. So, it’s more than worth it to sprinkle a few flaxseeds and chia seeds into your cookie recipe. Again, you can even use the flaxseed as a replacement for eggs.
How to Make Healthy Cookies That Taste Awesome
It’s hard to believe that cookies and your wellness can go hand and hand. As long as you know how to make healthy cookies that contain the right ingredients, you can eat as many as you want without the guilt.
If you don’t want to give up the sugar and butter, make smaller cookies. Since you’re using fewer ingredients, it will have fewer calories by default.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your whisk and get started making your first batch of guilt-free sweets.
Are you looking for more healthy recipes for you and your family to try out? Check out the savvy recipes section of our blog for all the latest in tasty meals.
