Cookies have always been my favorite dessert, treat, pastry, snack, whatever – so much so that my parents called me Cookie Monster when I was little. While they certainly have their place, super healthy fig-and-quinoa-flour-no-sugar-type cookies just don’t scratch that itch for me. That’s why I developed this recipe. My Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies have less sugar and butter than the standard recipe we all know and love, plus extra fiber thanks to white whole wheat flour and walnuts. You can leave the nuts out or substitute with another type if needed, but I would encourage you to leave them in if possible. Walnuts are the most brain-healthy nuts we know of.

So never fear, these cookies are still sweet enough to taste like dessert (and you should definitely treat them like a pastry when it comes to the MIND Diet recommendations). My sweet-toothed preschooler, I kid you not, said they were better than candy a few nights ago. I don’t know of a better endorsement than that.

Included in the recipe are some bonus instructions for my favorite life hack: freezing dough in pre-portioned cookies so you can have freshly baked treats whenever you want. Baking all your cookies at once means you have to eat them all within a few days or put the extras in the freezer. They’re never as good after a day or two on the counter or a stint in the freezer. And luckily, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie dough freezes beautifully. I usually bake one pan and freeze the rest of the dough.

I hope you’ll think of these cookies the next time you want a bit of a sweet treat without the sugar-and-white-flour overload. Leave a comment to let me know what you think about this recipe or if there’s a dessert you’d like me to try to make a bit more MIND Diet friendly.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies have less sugar and butter than the standard recipe we all know and love, and extra fiber thanks to white whole wheat flour and walnuts, while still tasting sweet enough to feel like a treat.

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Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 4 dozen

Notes

You can skip the refrigeration step if desired, but it will impact the texture of the baked cookies a bit.

To freeze dough, drop by heaping teaspoons 1/2 inch apart onto a small baking sheet or plate. Gently flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Place in freezer for 4 hours or overnight. Once the dough is frozen solid, remove from sheet and place in a freezer-safe zip bag. To bake frozen cookies, heat oven to 375F. Place as many frozen cookies as desired 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until edges are lightly browned and middle is just set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack.

Ingredients

  

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter softened
• 6 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons low- or non-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped

Instructions

 

Instructions

• In large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, butter, and avocado oil. With an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until well blended.
• Add white whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt; mix on low until soft dough forms. Gently stir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.
• Cover mixing bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight). Heat oven to 375 °F.
• Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until outside edge is lightly browned and middle is just set. Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer from baking sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.

Keyword avocado oil, Nuts, Oatmeal, oats, reduced sugar, walnuts, white whole wheat flour, whole grains