These healthy cookie dough cups are a delicious, healthy version of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and Tollhouse cookie dough mixed together! These eggless cookie dough cups make the perfect easy no bake healthy dessert for anti-inflammatory diet, plus they are vegan, dairy free, grain free and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and a homemade chocolate shell.

By now, you all probably have noticed that I love cookie dough and make healthy cookie dough recipes in the most unexpected forms, like this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Milkshake with hidden veggies, this Salted Cookie Dough Banana Bread recipe, these Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pancakes, and of course this Healthy Edible Cookie Dough to eat right out of the bowl with a spoon.  

Cookie dough is probably my favorite unhealthy food. When I was a kid, I used to eat it straight out of the Tollhouse tubes. That buttery, sweet goodness, studded with chocolate chips…is there anything better?

Once I made these easy, healthy cookie dough cups, I can attest that these don’t only taste better, but they make you FEEL so much better. The chocolate shell is made with superfood cacao butter and cacao powder that has anti-inflammatory benefits, while the inside of these no bake cookie dough cups is made with cashews, almond butter, vanilla extract, cacao nibs, and honey. This cookie dough recipe is definitely the ultimate no bake dessert to stash in your freezer for whenever you need a sweet treat.

What’s in these healthy cookie dough cups?

I’ve given them to so many friends (without sharing that they were secretly healthy). When I told people what was in them, literally not one person believed me. No flour? No refined sugar? No dairy?? What was in these things – unicorn tears? These delicious mini cookie dough cups are only loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients that’ll make you feel amazing. You’ll need:

• Cashews: we use soaked heart-healthy cashews to give this healthy cookie dough creaminess, plus cashews are linked to weight loss.
• Vanilla extract: adds that distinct cookie flavor and is proven to help with depression and inflammation.
• Almond meal or flour: helps us make this cookie dough grain free and gluten free, plus adds in heart-healthy benefits and makes this a great dessert for weight loss. Almond meal is actually the secret for the powdery, flour-y flavor that makes cookie dough so distinctly delicious.
• Almond butter: use creamy and unsalted almond butter to give this healthy cookie dough recipe that buttery, creaminess of real cookie dough.
• Honey: we naturally sweeten the cookie dough filling with honey. If you’re vegan or low sugar, you can substitute it for rice malt or 4 to 5 Medjool dates.
• Maple syrup: we’ll sweeten the homemade chocolate shell with maple syrup, or feel free to use honey.
• Cacao nibs:  I like to use cacao nibs in place of chocolate chips because they don’t melt and are much healthier. They’re the raw form of chocolate and have the most antioxidants. These chocolatey superfood bites add tons of antioxidants to these cookie dough cups.
• Raw cacao butter: it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which are proven to be great for helping with depression and diabetes.
• Raw cacao powder: cocoa’s antioxidant-rich, superfood cousin is what’ll give our chocolate shell that rich, dark chocolate flavor and well-researched anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Fine grain sea salt: makes the flavors pop!

Make the perfect healthy cookie dough in a Vitamix

As a healthy cookbook author and minimalist nomad (keep up with our nomad travels here!), having quality a kitchen tool that does it all is key. And for me, my Vitamix is my most beloved kitchen tool.  I use it daily to make my green smoothies for Green Smoothie Society, nourishing soups, superfood popsicles, chia seed puddings, and healthy desserts like the Pecan Pie Tarts with Salted Caramel which, PS, if you haven’t tried this recipe, you must!

The Vitamix is the best super high-powered blender and food processor, which means your green smoothies are always creamy and thick and your soups are always super smooth. It’s the blender of choice at nearly all smoothie and juice shops, as well as the vast majority of high end restaurants.

While you can make the cookie dough in a food processor or normal blender, the power of the Vitamix ensures you’ll get that perfectly smooth result every time.  The trick is to keep blending, scraping down the sides as you go.  You want your batter to look like this:

How to make healthy cookie dough cups

1. Make your edible cookie dough by combining all cookie dough filling ingredients (except cacao nibs) together in the Vitamix or food processor until very, very smooth like the photo above. Then, mix in the cacao nibs and pulse.
2. Make the homemade chocolate shell by melting the cacao butter in a double boiler over simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the top pan) or the microwave at 15 second intervals, then whisk in all other chocolate shell ingredients until very smooth.
3. Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners and spoon in a heaping teaspoon of your chocolate shell, then use your spoon to push it up the sides of the liner. Put this in the fridge for 10 minutes to set, then add spoonful of cookie dough batter to the center of each muffin liner.
4. Cover it with more chocolate shell, until no cookie dough is visible and the sides are connected to the top of the chocolate.
5. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes until set. Then, enjoy!

Can I use store-bought chocolate?

Yes! If you’d prefer to make your chocolate shell using store bought chocolate, simply melt 1.5 cups of dark chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the top pan) or the microwave at 15 second intervals. Then, follow the rest of the instructions.

Can I make this without a mini muffin tin?

Sure! While you won’t get that classic Reese’s peanut butter cup shape, you can turn these into healthy cookie dough bites by spreading a layer of chocolate in a parchment-lined pan, top with a layer of cookie dough and another layer of chocolate, letting it set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before cutting.

Storing & freezing tips

Keep these chocolate covered cookie dough cups in an airtight container for whenever you need a healthy no bake dessert. If you store them in the freezer, I recommend letting them thaw for a few minutes so they soften a bit.

If you follow the homemade chocolate shell recipe, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

If you use store-bought chocolate for the shell, you can store them at room temperature for up to a day, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 6 months.

More healthy cookie dough flavors

Glucose Friendly Cookies & Cream Cookie Dough Bites

Healthy Cookie Dough Truffles

Caramel Apple Cookie Dough Bites

Monster Cookie Dough Bites

Brownie Batter Cookie Dough Bites

If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and tag me on Instagram (@lizmoody!). I can’t wait to see!

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