This Healthy Salted Caramel Cookie dough is the perfect indulgent treat that also happens to be healthy. If you love eating cookie dough, but don’t love all of the added sugars and processed ingredients, then you are going to love this recipe. Plus, it’s packed with protein thanks to the addition of a special ingredient, so you won’t feel sluggish afterwards. It’s a win-win!
If you have been following me for a while, you know that I am always looking for treats that satisfy my sweet tooth without guilt. I am, without a doubt, a dessert person, so anytime that I can make a dessert that’s gentler on my tummy, healthier for my body, and supports me in my fitness and nutrition goals? I’d call that a major win.
You are probably wondering, “Nicole, how can this cookie dough support ALL of that?” and the answer to that question lies in one simple ingredient: chickpeas! Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a staple of mediterranean cooking, and are one of my favorite ingredients to use, because they’re cheap, easy to find, packed with protein, and relatively neutral in flavor.
And if you’re worried about this cookie dough tasting like chickpeas, fear not. While it does taste like a sweet variation of hummus, the chickpea taste is masked by the sweetness of the dates, the vanilla, and of course, the chocolate! And, if you like your cookie dough even sweeter, add an extra date or a tablespoon maple syrup. I promise, you won’t taste the chickpeas at all.
Plus, this recipe makes about 2-3 cups of cookie dough, so there is plenty for you to share… or not. I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you want to keep the entire bowl of cookie dough to yourself. Life is way too short to be worried about how much we’re eating. And you deserve to eat the whole damn bowl of cookie dough, if you want.
What you need to make this healthy salted caramel cookie dough
By calling this recipe “cookie dough,” you probably think that this can only be eaten for dessert. But NOPE! You can eat this recipe for any meal, anytime of day, and that includes breakfast. The ingredients are so good, and so nutritious, it’s the perfect way to start your day!
- Dates: Dates are one of my favorite ingredients, because they’re super sweet, contain antioxidants and also important vitamins. Plus, when you use dates, there’s no need for added sugar in a recipe, which is a huge plus!
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are essential to achieving the right test and texture for our cookie dough. Don’t skip them!
- Cashew Butter: Cashew Butter adds protein, healthy fats, and creates the perfect creamy cookie dough base for this recipe.
- Sea Salt: A little touch of sea salt never hurt anyone.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is essential to any good dessert, and is the perfect balance to the chocolate.
- Chocolate Chips: To keep this recipe refined sugar free, I used dairy free chocolate chips, but use what you like!
- Non-Dairy Milk: This is optional, and you’ll only need if you need to thin-out your cookie dough!
How to make this healthy salted caramel cookie dough
This recipe is so simple, you’ll want to keep a batch of this cookie dough in your fridge, at all times! It’s so easy to batch prepare a head of time, so don’t say that I didn’t warn you!
- Start by soaking your dates overnight; I recommend that you soak your dates overnight so that they get nice and soft, and make for a creamier cookie dough. If you forget and don’t want to do that, it is ok! I promise your cookie dough will still turn out perfect.
- In a food processor, add the dates, chickpeas, sea salt, and vanilla extract.
- Blend it all up until you get a creamy texture.
- If the dough is too thick, add in the non-dairy milk to thin it out.
- Once the desired texture is reached, transfer your cookie dough into a bowl and mix in the chocolate chips.
- Add additional sea salt flakes on top, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a review and a rating below. This helps others decide whether to make my recipes, and also helps it appear in Google searches – so thank you for supporting me! And also, since I practically live on Instagram, feel free to tag me in your creations, so I can see them and repost on my IG stories! Enjoy! xx
Ingredients
- 6 large dates, pitted & soaked overnight
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed very well
- ½ cup cashew butter, or almond butter or peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup dairy free chocolate chips
- 2-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk of choice, if needed, to thin out
Instructions
- Soak dates overnight, then discard the water and remove the pits.
- In a food processor, add dates, chickpeas, cashew butter, sea salt, and vanilla extract.
- Blend it all up until you get a creamy texture.
- If it’s too thick, add the non-dairy milk.
- Once desired texture is reached, transfer to a bowl and mix in the chocolate chips.
- Add additional sea salt flakes on top.
- Enjoy!
Rate & review
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What others are saying
I am making this tomorrow as soon as those dates are soooooft! For the cashew butter… it just says 1/2. Is that 1/2 cup? Wasn’t sure how much, yummmmm!!! Thank you!
Yes! Fixed! Enjoy!!! It’s so good!
Ok, I’ve just made this and it’s ACE – cannot believe how incredible it tastes. It feels strange to eat cookie dough with a spoon but I quickly got over that. Thanks, brilliant recipe!
YAY! I am so so happy to hear that! Enjoy!
Hello , i’m Definitely going to try this recipe tomorrow, but I wanted to know how many calories does it contain ? Thank you!!
I am not sure! You can add the ingredients into My Fitness Pal and calculate it. My new website launching next month will contain nutritional information for all my recipes! 🙂
Do I use the water the dates soaked in as part of the recipe or discard it?
Hi! You discard it ❤️
This looks amazing! Do you think peanut butter or almond butter would work well with this recipe as well!
Do you have serving size information?
Hi, cashew butter is listed in the ingredients but not in the instructions. Is cashew butter used in this recipe, and if so when do you add it? Thanks!
Made with crunchy almond butter, extra salt, and dark chocolate chips— super tasty! I didn’t get a super strong caramel flavor but perhaps because the dates were older or I didn’t rinse the chickpeas enough, not sure. Still very good.
Love it, Emily! I definitely recommend using fresh dates and making sure your chickpeas are thoroughly rinsed 🙂
I made this with sunflower butter and cake batter extra (yes! It’s a thing).
That sounds wonderful, Candice!
Can I use tahini instead of the nut butter or sun butter?
Hi Kristin, you can absolutely try! However this recipe has not been tested with nut or sun butter, so I can’t guarantee that it’ll turn out the same!
Can you make a cooked cookie with this recipe?
Hi Heidi, you can certainly try! I would add one flax egg and 1/4 tsp baking soda if you do. However just note that I haven’t tested this, so it may or may not turn out!
How long does this last in the fridge? I made this recipe and can almost trick myself into thinking it tastes like cookie-dough. Maybe next time I’ll only do 3/4-can of chickpeas. I found if I add this to a little bit of vanilla ice cream it tastes great! 😁