How Can I Make Healthy Cookies? - Healthy Cookie Recipes

The moment someone mentions cookies, the taste buds go on an overdrive, in both the young and the old. Munching on cookies, no one gives a thought to its health quotient. And why should anyone, when they are so delicious. Sweets are our greatest love, which can be vouched by the fact that there are so many stores that have shelves loaded with sinful stuffs. Brownies, cookies, pastries, tarts, pies - the list is endless. It seems that our love affair with them will never fade away. Until, little by little, the accumulation of sugar, hydrogenated fats and flour manifests itself in the form of numerous illnesses. And, the result is - an unhealthy body. So, it is very necessary that there be a healthy alternative for such sweet items - especially cookies. Here, healthy cookie recipes come to your rescue. They substitute the unhealthy ingredients with the ones that are a source of nutrients and keep avoidable ailments at bay. So, in case you are also wondering how can I make healthy cookies, go through the following lines and check out the recipes that have been detailed below.

Healthy Cookies Recipes

These recipes use whole-wheat pastry flour instead of refined white flour and maple syrup instead of white sugar, along with organic peanut butter, dry fruits, coconut oil, and olive oil, which makes them very healthy.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Fine-grain Sea Salt
1 cup Organic, Natural Peanut Butter
1 cup Maple Syrup
1/3 cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

Put baking soda, salt, and flour in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
In another bowl, mix peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla.
Now, pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and combine together.
Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Take one teaspoon of the mixture and heap it on a baking sheet, one spoonful at a time.
Gently press with the flat side of a spoon.
Bake for 10 minutes, in an oven preheated at 350 degrees F.
Transfer to a cooling rack.

Carrot Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredient

1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Fine-grain Sea Salt
1 cup Rolled Oats
2/3 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 cup Carrots, shredded
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Unrefined Coconut Oil
1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated

Method

In a large bowl, put flour, baking powder, salt and oats and whisk them together.
Now, add the nuts and grated carrots.
In another bowl, combine maple syrup, coconut oil and ginger and add it to the flour mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Take one tablespoon at a time and drop on the baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

Oat & Almond Cookie Recipe

Ingredient

3 large, ripe Bananas (mashed)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
2 cups Rolled Oats
2/3 cup Almond Meal
1/3 cup Coconut (finely shredded & unsweetened).
1/2 tsp Cinnamon.
1/2 tsp Fine-grain Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
6 - 7 ounces Dark Chocolate Bar (chopped).

Method

Mix the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil in a large bowl.
Add oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in another bowl.
Mix both these mixtures together.
Put in the chocolate chips.
In a baking sheet, drop one spoonful of the mixture and bake for 15 minutes, at 350 degrees F, taking care not to burn the bottom.

Additional Tips

Cookies are very rich in calories and substituting some of their ingredients with healthier alternatives is a very good option.

You can replace white flour with whole grain wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour. In this way, you can add the much needed protein and fiber to the cookies.
You can also use half wheat flour and half-whole flour for a smooth texture.Another healthy option is multi-grain flour.
Replace white sugar with honey or sugar cane natural, like sucanat. You can also use brown sugar, as it is healthier than white sugar.
Other sweeteners that can be used in cookies are fruit purees, turbinado sugars, molasses and fruit juice concentrates. It is better not to use artificial sweeteners.
Pureed fruit can also be used to replace hydrogenated fats, like butter and margarine. You can also replace butter with liquid oil, though it makes the cookies a bit chewy, rather than crispy.
Replace eggs with whole eggs. Whole eggs are organic eggs, in which no synthetic hormones or antibiotics have been injected. You can also use more egg whites than the yolk, as the yolks are rich in fat and calories. Even applesauce is a good substitute for eggs.
Chocolate chips can be replaced with the healthier dark chocolate. You can also go for semi-sweet chocolate chip varieties.
Add plenty of toasted nuts and dry fruits.
Always remember that cutting down on the unhealthy ingredients is not enough; you have to add more nutrients and minerals to the cookies as well, to make them healthy.

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How Can I Make Healthy Cookies

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