These award-winning Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach Cookies are made with fresh spinach, pineapple, and banana and are kid friendly. Now you can have your chocolate chip cookies and healthy food too!
These Award-winning Chocolate Chip Cookies were a winner in the Farmers' Almanac Spinach Contest. They make a great dessert or healthy snack any time of the year. This recipe was inspired by my love of cooking contests and the challenge to create an award-winning spinach recipe.
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These cookies are so good that my kids (who don’t even like spinach) know there is spinach in them and still love them. If you are looking for a healthy spinach cookie recipe, look no further.
If you love cookies with vegetables try my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Drop Cookies too!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
Did you know that spinach is very calcium-rich and contains more calcium than milk?
For this spinach cookie, you'll need some basic ingredients:
- Unsalted butter. I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt in my baking. The amount of salt varies between brands of salted butter.
- Ripe banana. You can use previously frozen bananas, but just make sure they are fully defrosted and any excess liquid is drained before mashing.
- Spinach. You can use regular or baby spinach, but baby spinach is a bit sweeter so it's ideal for these cookies.
- Pineapple. You can use fresh or canned. If using canned, drain well, but you don't need to squeeze out the liquid.
- Milk chocolate chips. Milk chocolate pairs best with the ingredients in this recipe.
*Please see recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips -you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
- Butter -You can use salted butter and skip the salt in the recipe.
🔪How to Make Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach Cookies
PREP: Preheat oven to 370 degrees F/187 degrees C and spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
- Step 1: Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
- Step 2: Beat in mashed banana.
- Step 3: Then beat in egg just until combined.
- Step 4: Then add vanilla, pineapple, spinach, and chocolate chips.
- Step 5: Mix together with a spoon.
- Step 6: In a separate bowl mix flour, cinnamon baking soda, salt, and baking powder together.
- Step 7: Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (spinach mixture) and mix until well blended.
- Step 8: Drop by the heaping tablespoonful onto the cookie sheet.
- Step 9: Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked in the center and bottoms are golden brown.
- Step 10: Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. *I recommend cooling these completely before eating, as the banana flavor can be overpowering if they are still warm when served.
Recipe Tips
- Drain Pineapple Well. If you are using canned pineapple, be sure to drain it thoroughly to avoid excess moisture in the dough, which can lead to soggy cookies. *It is not necessary to squeeze out any liquid.
- Don't Overmix the Dough. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can result in tough cookies because it activates the gluten in the flour too much.
- Chop Spinach Finely. Chop your spinach finely before adding it to the dough. Large pieces of spinach can be harder to incorporate and may create uneven pockets of spinach in the cookies, affecting texture and taste.
- Let Cookies Cool on the Baking Sheet. After baking, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This helps them set and prevents them from breaking apart when transferring to a wire rack.
- For the best flavor, allow your cookies to cool completely before eating. The banana flavor can be quite strong when the cookies are still warm, so letting them cool enhances the overall taste and helps the other flavors to shine through.
👪 Serving size
This healthy spinach chocolate chip cookie recipe makes about 24 -30 cookies depending on how large you make them . You can make these cookies smaller by using a heaping teaspoon or a small cookie scoop instead and cooking for 9-12 minutes.
If you want to cut the recipe in half, double or triple it, simply click on the servings in the recipe card, select the number of servings you'd like and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
Ideas for Leftover Spinach Recipes
You may have some leftover fresh spinach, so here are a few savory ideas:
- Easy Homemade Lasagna
- Potato, Spinach and Beef Casserole (Gluten-free)
- Stuffed Beef Cannelloni
- Mediterranean Breakfast Burritos
- Mediterranean Pasta Toss
If you're looking for sweet ideas, try these:
🌡️Storing
- Fridge: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, then in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
❔Recipe FAQ's
These Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach cookies are healthier than traditional chocolate chip cookies because they are made with whole food ingredients like fruit and vegetables, giving them a nutrient boost from the spinach, bananas and pineapple. The fruit also serves as natural sweetener, reducing the overall amount of added sugar and avoiding highly processed ingredients.
If you’re not a fan of banana, you can substitute it with unsweetened applesauce or mashed avocado. Keep in mind that the flavor and texture may vary slightly, but it will still help to keep the cookies moist and sweet!
To prevent spreading, make sure the cookie dough is thick enough before baking. If the dough feels too soft, refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes before scooping it onto the baking sheet.
Although I am trying to eat healthy, I can't live without chocolate! So if I'm going to eat chocolate, I'm going to at least try to get some health benefits out of it. And that's why I love recipes like this Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach Cookies (with bananas)!
And if you're interested in additional healthy desserts, then check out my other healthy desserts with fruits and veggies!
📋More Healthy Desserts with Veggies!
Did your family❤️this recipe? Did you know that commenting and⭐rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite recipe creators? If you LOVED this recipe, please comment and rate it in the recipe card or share photos on social media using the hashtag #foodmeanderings or tagging @foodmeanderings !
🍪 Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach Cookie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- ½ cup fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces (can substitute canned- I use crushed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 370 degress F/187 degrees C and spray baking sheets with non- stick cooking spray.
- Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup packed brown sugar
- Beat in mashed banana2 ripe bananas
- Then beat in egg.1 egg
- Stir in vanilla extract, pineapple, spinach and chocolate chips.1 cup fresh spinach, ½ cup fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- In a separate bowl mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder together.¼ teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (spinach mixture) and mix until well blended.
- Drop by the heaping tablespoonful on cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until cooked in the center and bottoms are golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack.
- Cool completely before serving.
Notes
-
- Drain Pineapple Well. If you are using canned pineapple, be sure to drain it thoroughly to avoid excess moisture in the dough, which can lead to soggy cookies. *It is not necessary to squeeze out any liquid.
-
- Don't Overmix the Dough. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can result in tough cookies because it activates the gluten in the flour too much.
-
- Chop Spinach Finely. Chop your spinach finely before adding it to the dough. Large pieces of spinach can be harder to incorporate and may create uneven pockets of spinach in the cookies, affecting texture and taste.
-
- Let Cookies Cool on the Baking Sheet. After baking, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This helps them set and prevents them from breaking apart when transferring to a wire rack.
-
- For the best flavor, allow your cookies to cool completely before eating. The banana flavor can be quite strong when the cookies are still warm, so letting them cool enhances the overall taste and helps the other flavors to shine through.
- Fridge: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, then in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
David Chau
Looking forward to try out the recipe. The ingredient list calls for butter, but the instruction says shortening. I love butter!
Terri Gilson
Hi David - thanks for pointing that out. Butter is often used interchangeably with shortening, but I can see how it could be confusing so I will change it. I hope you enjoy the cookies! 🙂
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper
Sounds delicious! I always love to make treats healthier! I mean, why not? I also get you about running. haha I'm not fast and I don't go far either, but it is addictive! 🙂
Terri Gilson
Hi Gabrielle: thanks for your comments! I find chocolate and running equally addictive- I just hope they balance each other! lol
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
I need my chocolate as well. But I agree that it is all about balance. For me, eating healthy and doing exercise keep me in good shape. I'd love to try these cookies, never thought of adding spinach to any of my baking. They look great! Pinned them!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Nicoletta! Yes, the spinach makes me feel less guilty about the chocolate 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!
Wendy Cairns
Can't wait to try these!
Terri Gilson
I hope you like them Wendy!
Denise - UrbnSpice
These cookies sound so intriguing and healthy. And, well, chocolate. How can you go wrong ? Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Denise! I know, hey? Chocolate just makes everything better!