You know the phrase, “Have your cake and eat it, too”? Yeah, I used to hate that because at no point were there desserts I could have daily on any typical diet. However, the FANTASTIC thing about eating whole food plant based is that there are so many ways to create HEALTHY desserts that you can have WITHOUT blowing your diet and keeping everything 100% WFPB kosher. This Vegan Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe use whole wheat flour, no refined sugar, and is oil free! Happy dance!
Coconut sugar is unrefined and lower on the glycemic index
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I love discovering coconut sugar as a WFPB alternative to white sugar. Coconut sugar is unrefined and lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar. Coconut sugar gets a score of 35, while white sugar is around 65 on the glycemic index.
You can sub coconut sugar for any white sugar or brown sugar in any dessert recipe at a 1:1 ratio. If you are unfamiliar with coconut sugar or can’t find it at your local grocery store in the baking aisle, then you can find it here.
Date pate is full of fiber & nutrients
Date paste is another fantastic substitute for sugar in sweet treats to keep them whole food plant based. It has a glycemic index rating of 42, so a little higher than coconut sugar, however date paste has fiber & more nutrients than coconut sugar. Date paste can also be subbed at a 1:1 ratio for white or brown sugar in most dessert recipes.
In this dark chocolate chip cookie recipe, I used 3/4 cup of coconut sugar & 3/4 cup of date paste. You can also do ALL of one or the other if you prefer. If you use all coconut sugar, then they will actually have a little more of a cookie texture. If you use all date paste, they will be a little thicker with more of a cake texture. But they all taste great so, you do you!
If you are following an Eat to Live or Dr. Fuhrman plan, he recommends using date paste rather than coconut sugar because it is more nutrient dense.
Check out this easy date paste recipe here – you can keep it in your fridge or freezer so you always have some on hand.
Best Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
Oh heavenly chocolate! I really love using dark chocolate chips in my recipes, especially since I’ve discovered they are high in fiber & antioxidants! 2 grams of fiber per tablespoon! Heck yeah!
Dark chocolate has so many health benefits including being rich in minerals, lowering blood pressure & cholesterol, and even has anti-inflammatory effects. Check out all the great health benefits of dark chocolate here.
Chocolate loses its health benefits when it has a ton of refined white sugar, oil, & dairy added to it. Dark chocolate does NOT contain cocoa butter, which is an oil from the cocoa bean (always read labels to make sure). So go with vegan dark chocolate for healthy whole food plant-based treats!
Make sure you get a vegan dark chocolate that is 69% cocoa or higher and doesn’t contain cocoa butter. I like the Enjoy Life brand of Dark Chocolate Chips and can usually find them at my local Kroger or Walmart. If you can’t find them locally, then you can get them here from Amazon.
Make sure you buy the DARK chocolate chips and not the semi-sweet. Semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips contain cocoa butter and more refined sugar.
Unsweetened applesauce substitute instead of oil when baking
Oil & butter are mainly used to create a moist texture so in baking dishes, subbing unsweetened applesauce works really well in most desserts to make them WFPB.
I typically use about a 1:1 ratio when subbing unsweetened applesauce instead of oil or butter.
Because there is no oil or butter in this recipe, the dough is thick and won’t flatten out into cookie shapes on its own while cooking. Simple fix! After you place the tablespoon balls of dough onto the baking mat, wet your fingers slightly and then mash & shape them into cookie shapes.
Plant Based Chocolate Chip Cookie Storage Tips
Because there are no preservatives in these cookies, it’s best to store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They will last at least 7 days; well, maybe….if they aren’t all gone before then!
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No mixer needed – get messy!
If you don’t want to get your dusty mixer out of storage and hassle with something else to clean, then no worries! You don’t even need a mixer for this recipe. You just have to get your hands a little messy!
Basically, after you mix all the dry ingredients together, add the wet ingredients and then knead it together with your hands until a dough forms and is mixed evenly. Then add the dark chocolate chips and any other mix-ins you might like to try like chopped walnuts or unsweetened coconut flakes.
Tip: have the dark chocolate chips (and walnuts/coconut flakes if using) already portioned out in a measuring cup so you don’t have to wash your hands to measure them out.
More WFPB CHOCOLATEY treats!
- Easy Vegan Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Dr. Fuhrman’s Chocolate Cherry Cookie Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Nice Cream
If you try this recipe, please comment below and let me know how it turned out for you!
Healthy Vegan Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup date paste or more coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cups unsweetened plant milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips at least 69% cocoa; I use Enjoy Life
Optional mix ins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, & coconut sugar).
- Add the date paste, apple sauce, plant milk, & vanilla extract. You can use a mixer, but I just use my hands to knead the dough until completely mixed. (Little messy but saves time & effort of getting out the mixer & cleaning it!)
- Fold in dark chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
- Drop heaping tablespoon balls of dough on the baking sheet. Wet your fingers slightly and then flatten each on into a cookie shape. (They won't naturally flatten out while cooking because they don't contain oil or butter)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes then let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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I love this! I’m just 5 weeks into my wfpb lifestyle & I was so hoping to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I would feel good about making ~ and here it is!!
I just purchased date sugar & am going to try that in place of the coconut sugar/date paste. Hoping it works well! Thank you so much for sharing, Kim!
You’re so welcome Connie! Date sugar should work GREAT! The only reason I don’t mention that one is I can NEVER find it at my local stores. But that’s a fantastic option!
Would date syrup work instead of paste? I happen to have some on hand.
Thanks!
It might be more moist, so you will probably want to use less. The batter should be pretty thick.
I made these delicious cookies but they spread instead of staying in shape. I had to change the flour to almond flour as my husband can’t have wheat. I am unsure that the flour was the right choice. Do you have another suggestion? Love your recipes!!!
Yes, almond flour doesn’t hold together well. Oat flour would be better!
Thanks, Kim, for the site and cookbook. I am new to WFPB cooking and lifestyle. Since I am a Type 1 diabetic and need carb/fiber counts with each recipe, your book is especially helpful.
Awesome! I’m glad it’s helpful!
What does one do to replace eggs in cake recipe?
Depending on the type of cake, you could use flax seed, banana, applesauce to name a few.
Wow! We are a WFPB no oil family and these cookies are amazing. I have 2 picky kids who LOVE them. Thank you so very much!
Yay, picky kids approved.🙂