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With a few changes, you can make a healthier chocolate chip cookie.

By Grace Zeleznock, RDN

While cookies come in many shapes and sizes, one thing’s for sure: They’re the source of many sweet memories we make with our family and friends. And there’s nothing like the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. When they come out warm from the oven, they pair so perfectly with a cold glass of milk.

For me, a chocolate chip cookie recipe brings to mind memories of baking with my children when they were small and having flour all over the kitchen. I remember baking with my mother, too, and with my mother-in-law, who would always bake these cookies for her grandchildren.

When you pull out your favorite cookie recipes, you can tweak them slightly to make them a little healthier — while still keeping the sweet memories and the love put into them.

Simple swaps to make cookies recipes healthier

There are several easy ways you can modify cookie recipes to make them healthier. Simple healthy swaps can include:

  • 1 cup applesauce/fruit puree in place of 1 cup of oil
  • 1 cup of margarine in place of 1 cup of vegetable shortening/butter
  • 1 cup of plain yogurt in place of 1 cup of sour cream
  • ¼ cup applesauce in place of 1 egg

Below is a recipe shared by our dietitians for low-fat chocolate chip cookies. Here, we use a fruit puree for our fat source and we use only egg whites to make a delicious low-fat cookie.

Low-fat chocolate chip cookie recipe

Yields 70 cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of prune puree (see below) or prune butter (called lekvar, found in the jam/jelly section)
  • ¾ cup of sugar
  • ¾ cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (16 ounces) chocolate chips

Directions:

Prune puree:

  1. Combine 1⅓ cup pitted prunes and 6 tablespoons water in a food processor.
  2. Pulse until finely chopped.

Cookies:

  1. Heat oven to 375° F. Coat baking sheets with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, beat prune puree or prune butter, sugar, egg whites and vanilla thoroughly.
  3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Stir dry ingredients into prune mixture; mix completely.
  5. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonful on prepared sheets and flatten slightly.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

Nutrition information per cookie: Calories 47, fat 1 g, protein 0 g, carbohydrate 14 g, sodium 38 mg

Next steps:

Looking for more? Explore our dietitian-approved recipes
Want to meet with a nutritional specialist? Find a nutritionist near you

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