Whole Wheat Granola Date Chocolate Chip Cookies
This chocolate chip cookie recipe is the perfect combination of healthy and decadent. Literally chocked full of good for you ingredients Whole Wheat Granola Date Chocolate Chip cookies are the perfect healthy cookie to have on hand for lunches, healthy snacks, or as breakfast cookies.
Why I love this cookie
This recipe was born out of necessity, when my favorite breakfast spot in Grand Rapids closed and I could no longer get their addicting “everything” cookies. It, in my mind, is the perfect cookie. This restaurant has since reopened, but somehow it will never live up to the old location for me. Call me nostalgic, I just want the old original back. Enough of my whining about the days of yore. This everything cookie recipe is amazing and in my mind very close to the original. I used to call this recipe dump cookies, because you can pretty much dump whatever you want into it and it turns out delicious, but some friends pointed out the fact that it is full of fiber and does indeed cause you to, well you know what I’m saying. I thought it was time for me to repost this recipe with a more seo friendly name. Tee-he-hee!
Gather these ingredients
How to make these cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. No need to bring butter to room temperature. Take from refrigerator cold and cut into small cubes. Place in mixing bowl add in brown sugar and beat until butter and sugar is creamed together, about 3 minutes on medium speed. If using a stand mixer the paddle attachment works best for this thick cookie dough.
3. Add in eggs one at a time, scrape bowl after each. Add in vanilla extract. Mix until dough is smooth and fluffy. Add pitted, chopped dates and mix until well incorporated.
4. Use measuring cup to measure flour, and granola into a separate bowl, add in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrap sides, and bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix. Mix until ingredients have just come together.
5. At this point you can add all your add-ins: unsweetened coconut flakes, nuts, dried fruit, and bittersweet dark chocolate chips. Mix, and scrape sides of bowl. At this point the bowl becomes quite full, so if you are using a electric hand mixer or even a stand mixer you may want to use some elbow grease and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula.
6. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop or you can just eyeball it using a large spoon drop equal amounts of cookie dough on to parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 350 degree. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for a minimum of 10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. (You may need to leave in oven a few extra minutes longer depending on your oven. All ovens bake differently.)
Tip & Variations
- Flour: You can use any flour in this recipe. I have used a combination of white flour with whole wheat, white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, gluten-free flour. You can even use a nut or plant based flour such as almond flour or coconut flour the texture is not as chewy, but it works and it does not compromise the flavor. I prefer to use whole grains flour in this recipe. It adds a nuttier flavor and lots of nutrients.
- Dates and Dried Fruit: Dates are a non-negotiable in this cookie. The chewy dates add a subtle sweetness and chewy texture, you’ll wonder why you don’t add dates to every cookie recipe! The dried fruit is negotiable you can leave it out, but honestly I wouldn’t. You can add literally any dried fruit you like. I would try to find fruit with no added sugars. Our favorite is raisins or dried cherries.
- Chocolate: I prefer to use a bittersweet chocolate chip in this recipe. I have even chopped up bittersweet chocolate bars and used instead of chips. Use at least 60% cacao bittersweet chips, if you can find them with a higher percentage of cacao this works great as well. You may use regular semisweet chocolate chips if that is all you have, they will make the cookie sweeter than the original cookie.
- Nuts: I love walnuts in cookies so that is what I normally use, however this recipe lends itself well to just about any nut variety! Pecans, macadamia, pistachios, almonds, they all taste exceptional in this cookie!
- Granola: Use whatever you have on hand. My only advice would be to make sure its broken up into finer pieces. I have taken the ends of several different bags and thrown them into this recipe. Depending on the flavor of your granola it may change up the flavor of the cookie, for example if you are using a peanut butter granola your cookie will end up with a peanut buttery taste. But its all good. These cookies are super versatile, you cannot ruin them. I swear on the life of my 20 year old stand mixer! She is like one of my children, although I don’t hug her as much as I should.
- Sea Salt: Secret weapon for cookies is to sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt on the top of each cookie before baking. This elevates this sweet treat to another level!
- Cookie Size: I tend to make these quite large, you can make them any size you like, adjust your baking time accordingly.
- Freezing: Whole Wheat Granola Date Chocolate Chip Cookies freeze wonderfully! After baking, I wrap them tight in plastic wrap and place them individually in sandwich bags, and pop them in my freezer. They are perfect for lunches, or grab one as you run out the door for a quick breakfast.
- Freezing the dough: Measure out scoops of cookie dough on a baking sheet, place the sheet in your freezer until the dough balls are frozen solid. Remove the frozen cookie dough from the cookie sheet and place them in zip-loc freezer bags or a freezer safe container. Leave in your freezer for up to 2 months. Take them out as you like, thaw, and bake them. This works with any cookie dough.
- Cookie dough can be kept in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days before baking cookies.
FAQs
I have tried to answered any questions you might have above, however if I have not please feel free to ask them in the comments and I will do my best to get right back to you. My email is in my contact information, this is also a good way to reach me.
More amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes
- Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Monster Cookies this cookie recipe is gluten-free
- Cowboy Cookies this classic cookie recipe has peanut butter, oatmeal, and butterscotch chips in it
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies if you love the soft baked boxed cookies you will love this exceptionally soft and chewy cookie, you’ll never guess the secret ingredient!
I hope you give these decadent, chewy, chocked full of healthy ingredient, cookies a try! Please remember to Pin, share on Facebook, Twitter, or just print out the recipe card below and make these cookies, then take a photo and share it to Instagram! Am I being too pushy? It’s nice to share. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy! XOX Sheila
Whole Wheat Granola Date Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 Tblsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup heaping cup pitted and chopped medjool dates
- 2 cups whole wheat white flour see variations in post for other flour choices
- 1 1/2 cup granola any granola works, preferable unsweetened or naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
- 1 cup chopped nuts pecans, walnuts, pistachios taste best
- 2 cups 60% or higher bittersweet chocolate baking chips I prefer ghirardelli baking chips.
- 1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cherries, or any combinations
Instructions
preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper
- Add butter cubes and brown sugar to bowl and mix on high until smooth and incorporated, with no butter chunks visible.
- Add one egg at a time to butter/sugar mixture, beat until light and fluffy. Add Vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl before adding dry ingredients.
- Measure out flour add baking powder, baking soda, and salt, add these ingredients gradually to the butter mixture. Do not over mix mix until just combined. Add dates and mix.
- Add in granola, coconut, nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips. Your mixing bowl will be very full, take time to scrape bowl making sure all ingredients are well distributed through out the dough.
- At this point you can measure out cookies with a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12 minutes or until edges appear browned and top of cookie is not longer doughy. This may take a few minutes longer than 12 minutes depending on your oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minimum of 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling racks.
