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Does Your Cookie Need All That Sugar?

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I’ve made these cookies three times in the past 3 weeks. They are chewy, crispy, ridiculously delicious and SWEET. The best part, they have hardly any added sugar. I used only a 1/4 cup of organic coconut palm sugar because the almond flour I also used has a natural hint of sweetness. Did you know the famous Nestle Toll House cookie recipe has 1 and 1/2 cups of added sugar plus the sugar contained in 2 cups of chocolate chips?! That is over 400 grams of added sugar per recipe, which is crazy! I still can’t believe I used to use make those cookies back in the day. Talk about a sugar hangover.

If you’ve never used coconut palm sugar in your baking, I recommend starting ASAP. This type of sugar is a perfect 1 to 1 substitute for any recipe that calls for regular old sugar. Coconut palm sugar is completely unrefined and not bleached like typical refined white sugar, helping to preserve all of its beneficial vitamins and minerals. It is naturally high in amino acids – has 10,000 times more potassium, 20 times more magnesium and 20 times more iron than conventional sugar. Converting to this type of sugar could also lower your risk of developing diabetes because it’s glycemic index is half of that compared to sugar. It is light years better than other sugars on the market!

The best part of this cookie recipe is that it is completely versatile. My favorite combo so far (pictured above) is walnuts and currants… but I also like goji berries and raw cacao nibs too. A good ole’ fashioned chocolate chip wouldn’t be bad either, I think I’m going to try that one next but with only a half cup of chocolate chips, of course!

Food Babe's Low Sugar Cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 20
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Place the coconut oil, sugar in a bowl and stir until well combined
  3. Add flaxseed or egg, vanilla extract and stir for another minute until smooth.
  4. Add rest of ingredients and stir
  5. Place dough mixture in fridge or freezer for 10 mins
  6. Using an ice-cream scooper, scoop out dough and press each cookie on silpat or parchment paper lined baking pan
  7. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
  8. Cool at least 7 mins and serve
Notes
***Choose all organic ingredients if possible***

 

After you make them, I know you’ll feel just as good as I do about devouring them one by one. 🙂

Food Babe

P.S. If you know someone who needs a revamped cookie recipe… share this with them and prove you don’t need a ton of added sugar for sweetness in life.

 

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194 responses to “Does Your Cookie Need All That Sugar?

  1. Interesting. I will have to try this in baking that I do. Question – is Palm Sugar the same thing as Coconut Sugar? I’ve seen references to both online and just wanted to confirm.

    Also, the classic Toll House recipe calls for 1 cup granulated, 1 cup brown sugar, and 2 cups (1 bag) of chocolate chips. It makes 6 dozen cookies, however, so that’s spaced out a bit. I like to add oatmeal and pecans to mine as well.

    I will definitely be trying this sugar substitution. From what I’ve seen online, substitution is 1:1 for beet sugar in recipes.

    1. Nestle Toll House does make about 60 cookies, however they are SMALL…. this recipe makes 20 big cookies 🙂 For the same amount of flour, this recipe is the bigger bang for the buck for sure (health wise!).

    2. Hi Jennifer – make sure you are buying Coconut Sugar or Coconut Palm Sugar (palm sugar not the same thing)

  2. Oh! Those sound YUM! I made those naughty no bake oatmeal cookies recently but they have way too much sugar, wonder if the coconut palm sugar would work in those?

    1. Are you talking about those fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal cookies that are prepared in a stove-top pan where ya cook the ingredients just a few minutes, let sit, etc and add oatmeal as the last ingredient? (then drop on wax paper, and refrigerate. I freeze’m!)

      If so… OMG – They are positively addicting. And terrible for you. The sugar and butter over the top. I would love to find a site that can revise this recipe into something *somewhat* healthier. I would be SOOO happy!

      1. Are you referring to haystacks/no bake cookies/fiddle diddles(they have many names)?

      2. Yes. I’ve heard names like “Preacher Cookies” to “Poop Stacks”.
        (No coconut though, which is sometimes associated with haystacks.)

      3. Yes. I’ve heard names from Preacher Cookies to Poop Stacks!
        (Not made with shredded coconut usually associated with typical haystack cookies.)

      4. Wow! I will definitely check it out! Maybe use cacao nibs in place of the chips but still… It looks wonderful.
        Thank you so much. 😀

    2. Hi Susan, yes you can use coconut palm sugar as a substitute for regular sugar in any recipe.

  3. Does anyone else have trouble seeing the pictures on the website? For a few days now every time I come to the blog no pictures show up so I was wondering if it was simply a problem on my end or with the actual site.

  4. We have a serious tree nut & peanut allergy in our house. What would be a good substitute for Almond flour? Would I need to adjust the coconut palm sugar?

    1. Well maybe… but not sure. Try grinding oats into flour to sub the almond flour and use some coconut flour (which is also naturally sweet)…

      1. My friend who has nut allergies and I just made french macarons out of pepita flour that we ground ourselves. We both agreed that if one can access a local flour miller they would probably be better able to get a more finely-ground flour. However, neither of us minded the slight grittiness of what we ground. So I would assume if you can use them in finicky french macarons, you should easily be able to use them in a recipe like this!

  5. What brand almond flour do you like? I usually get mine at Trader Joes but its a hike to get there. Might order online…

    1. I’m also wondering where you buy your coconut palm sugar and almond flour. Are there any special considerations when buying coconut oil?

      1. Hi June and Tracy – in the recipe ingredient list, you can click on the coconut oil or the coconut sugar and it will take you to Amazon and you can buy it there or see which brands she likes. As far as almond flour, you can find on Amazon as well or any health food store. I believe some grocery stores are carrying now as well. Hope this helps!

  6. hmmm. i know it’s not foodbabe’s bag, but I often wonder about the impacts of food fads and new food “rages” (especially purported “healthy” ones, like coconut oil, coconut water, etc.) on the third-world cultures and landscapes that sustain them.

    Anyone out there w/insights?

    1. It’s definitely important to support companies that have fair trade standards and promote sustainable practices

      1. I made them last night and used all almond flour because I was out of oats. They turned out great! So yummy…kids and hubby liked too!

  7. Yummy! What about soaking the Oatmeal the night before? Soaking the oatmeal for Baked Oatmeal recipes seems to work better for us! I have used Coconut Sugar (Nutiva of course:P) before in muffins and it turned out great! Definitely need to curb my Hubby’s sugar addiction……Maybe start with these for his lunch box!

  8. Many people do not realize that gogi berries are part of the nightshade family. FYI for anyone who has nightshade sensitivity and experiences arthritis pain, migraines or gastro-intestinal distress when eating nightshades.

    1. Goji berries make me really sick. It’s so strange that it affects some people but not others.

  9. Regarding effects of coconut usage in the countries that use them, its not at all like the palm oil impact, which his horrid. Coconut trees are fast growing and only seem to enhance the environment. Every single part of the tree is used, even the spines from the leave/palms, to make brooms. Living in Indonesia for over 20 years, I have yet to see negative coconut tree impact.

  10. The same thing happens to me when I’m using a Firefox browser. But I can see them in Internet Explorer. Haven’t tried it in Google Chrome yet, but I would appreciate a solution to the problem if anybody knows one.

    1. With all things, it’s important to know where you get your coconut sugar… I eat it in extreme moderation, not every day, so this is a sustainable approach on it’s own. Big Tree Farms is very reputable, as well as Nutiva for Coconut Palm Sugar if you are looking for companies you can trust to practice business the right way without hurting farmers. Thanks for your concern! Also – you may want to check this out to learn more – http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/collection-of-coconut-sap.php

  11. Will, thanks for the article. I think people should read that before utilizing coconut sugar as FB suggests.

  12. Hold the phone. Before you substitute a lot of coconut oil for sugar, consider this: (It’s just from Wikipedia, and I am not an expert and they are not the last word, but what we don’t want to do is start eliminate things we think are bad for us, but haven’t killed us yet, with things that will kill us even quicker)

    “Many health organizations advise against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat, including the United States Food and Drug Administration,[22] World Health Organization,[23] International College of Nutrition,[24] the United States Department of Health and Human Services,[25] American Dietetic Association,[26] American Heart Association,[27] British National Health Service,[28] and Dietitians of Canada.[26][dead link]

    Coconut oil contains a large proportion of lauric acid—a saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.[

    1. Hi Diane – The saturated fat in coconut oil is the good kind of fat we should all use. Last June, my doctor wanted to put me on Statins, which I refused; so as an experiment, I threw out all my olive oils and changed to coconut oil, consuming at least 4 Tbs a day. Re-testing showed a drop of cholesterol from 339 down to 209. I am elated! Please do more research on coconut oil before tossing it down the drain.

  13. Made these tonight, used mini choco chips instead of currants (not even close to half of a cup though), and organic evaporated cane juice sugar since I don’t have coconut sugar (yet)… the kids love them & when my son came back asking for more (the third time) I said “okay, they are pretty healthy” to which he replied in excitement “WHAT? They’re pretty healthy?!?!”. We have been experimenting with a lot of new ‘healthier’ recipes lately & they say this one is a ‘keeper’. Thanks!

  14. Hi, Vani! These look really yummy! I was looking up coconut sugar, though and came across this article. Wondered what you think?

      1. Hi Aimee – see Vani’s reply above to Will. Thanks!

    1. Yes 1/2 cup walnuts and same for currants. Thanks for pointing that out!

  15. I made this according to recipe but left out the currants and added dried cherries and coconut flakes and I thought they were delicious! My husband said he wishes they were a little sweeter and then proceeded to eat a couple of more. The kids loved them too. Always happy when I can find a snack that is relatively healthy AND great tasting. Thanks for the great recipe!

  16. Just made these! I added chia seeds and used organic raisins for the fruit. Plus dumped in a little extra cinnamon 🙂 So delicious! I love getting my medium chain fatty acid fix.

  17. Just a quick report that these worked very well for almond pulp that I had in my freezer from making homemade almond milk (no carageenan in the homemade stuff!). It was not dehydrated like flour, so I decreased the water in my flax egg by a tablespoon or so.

    This will be my go-to to use up all that almond pulp! Thanks!

  18. To Shell Lady: What! I thought Olive Oil was the answer for everything. I am really amazed by your information. I guess the lesson is, moderation in all good things., too

  19. There’s just something special about homemade cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies, so far as I’m concerned. It’s a great family activity, something even children can help with, and everyone loves eating the results..

    <Most recent write-up on our blog site ^",;"http://www.caramoan.co/caramoan-tour-package/

  20. Should the recipe be two eggs rather than 1? Although the flavor was good, these were so dry and crumbly they made a mess to eat- some even fell apart while baking.

    I did make one substitution- I didn’t have enough almond flour so I used half almond and half coconut flour. Other than that I followed exactly…

    1. You need to add more eggs when substituting coconut flour for other flours. Typically recipes using coconut flour need at least double the liquid/eggs!

    2. I agree with Tami – it is the coconut flour that is making it more dry. The recipe is one egg. So sorry they didn’t turn out – hope you will try again!

  21. Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC. In the 8th century, King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. Now, thirteen centuries later, some experts say we have preliminary research to back up what Charlemagne suspected.’*

    Have a good day
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  22. My family devoured these cookies in just 2 days! I had to make another batch tonight. My kids don’t even notice a difference. Thanks for the recipe.

  23. Made these cookies last week and they are DELICIOUS!!!! I actually crumble one cookie over greek yogurt and drizzle local honey over it for breakfast… so yummy! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  24. I made these for the first time today. I did not have any almond flour so I used whole wheat flour in its place. Not sure that was a good idea. My cookies would not stick together & they didn’t taste all that great either. The only ingredient I changed was the flour. I have made 100 days of real food’s cookies many times & they are great! That’s why I had the whole wheat flour available bc that is what is used in her recipe. I want to try this again with almond flour to see if I get a better result. If anyone can comment about the flour making a big difference or not in this recipe I would appreciate it.

    1. Hi Amy – sorry they did not turn out. Not sure why… hope you will try again with the almond flour.

      1. I am definitely going to try again with the almond flour. Everyone comments on how delicious they are so I am assuming that the almond flour is better than the whole wheat flour. I am trying to make homemade cookies for my family instead of buying packaged ones.

  25. I just made the cookies and added a few tspbs of milk because dough was a little dry and hard to form cookies. I used almond slices snd dried tart cherries. The cookies are deliciuos 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.

  26. Made these last night. Didn’t have currants so used organic raisins. They are delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.

  27. Just made these using honey instead of the coconut sugar (didn’t have any on hand) and they were delicious! They did turn out a little softer than expected but I suspect that’s a result of the honey. I saw a comment about adding chia seeds and think I will try that next time since they can serve as a great binder!

  28. These cookies are exactly the recipe I’ve
    been looking for! I am making these today for my kids.
    I love coconut sugar!

  29. Early on someone asked “is Palm Sugar the same thing as Coconut Sugar? I’ve seen references to both online and just wanted to confirm.” I think a response was overlooked and I didn’t see the question asked again (maybe I missed it?). Anyway, is there a difference? I’d like to order some from Amazon but want to make sure I’m getting the right stuff! Thanks a bunch.

  30. Hi Kelli- make sure it says Coconut Sugar or Coconut Palm Sugar (not just palm sugar) If you click on Coconut Palm Sugar in the recipe it links you to Amazon and to the brand that Vani buys.

  31. These cookies were absolutely the best. They were sweet and delicious. I have doubled the batch and more than 2X and they have been hit with the kids. Just replaced walnuts with coconut flour. Thank you for this recipe. This has now become my go to cookie recipe.

  32. I made these cookies last night what an amazing and healthy recipe they are absolutely delish! This will be my cookie go to recipie for years to come thanks so much for sharing : )

  33. I made these tonight (followed the exact directions)and they were good but did not hold together at all. They just crumbled when I picked them up. I even let some sit longer to cool and it didn’t help.
    Any idea what I can do next time or maybe what went wrong?

    1. Try throwing the dough in the fridge/freezer for 10 mins before baking next time…that may work better. Good Luck!

  34. I made these today. My 5 year old didn’t like
    them but my 21/2 year old did.
    I liked them, but they definetly taste “healthy”
    My hubby wasn’t a fan either.

  35. when you are asked for the recipe…it is the nicest compliment!
    had three boxes of dried currents in the pantry for a while now (they were priced to move). this is a perfect way to eat them!
    i love these cookies.
    thank you!

  36. I just made these with coconut flour instead of almond flour. Based on other comments regarding coconut flour, I added 2 eggs instead of one, but they still came out dry and crumbly. 🙁 Is there any sort of liquid that could be added to help with this? Thanks!

  37. I made these cookies tonight with chocolate chips, cherry craisins and cinnamon sugar. . . SOO GOOD!! they were fluffy and decadent. Almost like a guilty breakfast. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe. One downside…the majority of the flours/oils are so expensive!!!

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