8 Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies—and 3 To Avoid

If you love chocolate chip cookies, you're not alone. According to one survey, the average American eats 200 cookies a year, and their favorite variety is—you guessed it—chocolate chip.

Chocolate chip cookies have deep roots in American culture. They were invented in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield, the innkeeper of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass. After Nestle bought the recipe from Wakefield, the cookies became a nationwide staple. Today, they're the official state cookie for both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

While traditional chocolate chip cookies are loaded with sugar and refined carbs, many "healthier" options are now available at grocery stores, health food shops, and online retailers. But are they better for you? To help you make the best choice, a registered dietitian weighs in on which chocolate chip cookies are a healthier choice—and which ones you might want to avoid.

How We Chose the Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

When shopping for a better-for-you cookie, it's essential to scrutinize the ingredient list and nutritional content. Although we'll highlight some key nutritional guidelines in this article, remember that even healthier cookies are still cookies, and not a substitute for nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables.

Here are the criteria we used to identify better-for-you options:

• Calorie controlled: We capped our best-bet cookies at no more than 200 calories per serving. A serving can range from a few smaller cookies to one larger one, so be sure to look at the serving size of the cookie.
• Lower in added sugars: All the cookies we identified as best bets have less than 12 grams (3 teaspoons) of sugar. Many of the more decadent store-bought cookies will have 12 or more grams of sugar per serving.
• Provides nutrient-rich ingredients: We looked for cookies that were made from wholesome ingredients like almond butter, dairy protein, and a source of fiber.

It's important to remember that even healthier cookies are still treats. Since they're usually rich in refined flour, sugar, and butter, cookies should be an occasional indulgence, not a staple in your diet. If your meals are generally balanced with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins, enjoying a cookie now and then is fine. On the other hand, if your meals and snacks already lack nutrients, it's better to focus on improving your overall diet before searching for a better cookie to satisfy your sweet tooth.

8 Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best: Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies

We liked these cookies because they are plant-based and have a smaller serving size, helping to keep calories, fat, and sugar within our recommended limits. They are not a health food, per se, but they can be enjoyed occasionally as a sweet treat.

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Best: Made Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

These gluten-free cookies are lower in saturated fat and are one of the only cookies we found that provide fiber. What's more, sugar is kept to less than 10 grams. As a bonus, they're organic and gluten-free. Four cookies will provide 30% of the vitamin E, 20% of the vitamin D, and 25% of the vitamin B1 that you need daily.

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Best: Lenny & Larry's Complete Crunchy Cookies

Not only do these cookies have the same amount of protein as an egg, but they are also relatively low in added sugars, with just two teaspoons per serving. The first ingredient is a plant-based protein blend, and the cookies also are made with inulin, a natural, plant-based fiber. As a bonus, the cookies are also vegan.

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Best: Emmy's Organics Classic Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

This cookie has many organic, natural ingredients like coconut, agave syrup, and almond flour. It is higher in saturated fat than our recommendations, but that is due to coconut being the first ingredient. The cookies have lower carbs, keep added sugar in check, and have 2 grams of fiber. As a bonus, they're organic and gluten-free.

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Best: Heavenly Hunks Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bites

These popular vegan chocolate chip bites have oats as their main ingredient, which makes them gluten-free. They are one of the lower-carbohydrate choices and have a little more than one teaspoon of sugar per serving. Fans rave about the deliciousness of these cookie alternatives.

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Best: Wonderslim Protein Cookie, Chocolate Chip

This cookie is a low-carb, protein-packed alternative to traditional carby chocolate chip cookies. They're an excellent option for anyone following a keto or low-carb lifestyle. The ingredients include almond butter and milk protein, providing 10 grams of protein. The cookies are nearly sugar-free because they're sweetened with allulose and monk fruit extract. They also offer 5 grams of filling fiber, as the cookies are made with mushroom fiber. These cookies are also gluten-free.

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Best: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies

These diminutive cookies are a great snack or dessert. They are not made with especially healthy ingredients, but the smaller serving size keeps the calories, saturated fat, and sugar low. The challenge is to eat just three of them.

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Best: Murray Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, the main ingredients include fat (butter or vegetable oil), sugar, and refined flour. If you're following a low-carbohydrate or low-sugar diet, this cookie reduces sugars to zero by using artificial sweeteners, including sucralose and acesulfame potassium. We prefer packaged foods that are naturally sweetened but, in a pinch, will accept products with artificial sweeteners instead of nutrient-poor added sugars.

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3 Chocolate Chip Cookies To Avoid

Worst: Mrs. Fields Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

The quintessential mall food, Mrs. Field's store-bought chocolate chip cookies are high in calories, saturated fat, and sugar. One cookie has nearly 5 teaspoons of sugar—or way too much for one small snack.

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Worst: Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grandma's cookies are larger, so the calories are at the upper end of what we recommend. The bigger problem with this cookie is its 13 grams of sugar.

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Worst: Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tate's is a well-known brand of gourmet supermarket cookies. The brand uses traditional cookie ingredients, including cane sugar and brown cane sugar, plus the sugar used to make chocolate chips. The result is a cookie with 12 grams (3 teaspoons) of sugar per cookie. Compared to the healthier cookie options on this list, Tate's just doesn't make the grade.