Ben and I spent the better part of this week cleaning our old house in preparation for the new owners. My scary task: clearing out the refrigerator and freezer. While there were plenty of, um, questionable discoveries, one that I was very pleased to find was a frozen container of cookie dough from my last batch of Healthy Oatmeal Cookies!
The universe must have anticipated my needs.
These soft, chewy oatmeal cookies are going to be key players in this weekendโs marathon unpacking session at our new house.
I highly recommend them for all of your sweet treat and pick-me-up snack moments too.
If youโve been looking for the consummate healthy oatmeal cookie recipe, look no further.
These thick and goodie-packed low calorie oatmeal cookies are made from wholesome ingredients, yet they taste like a true treat!
Secrets to Baking the Best Healthy Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
It doesnโt get much more delightfully old school than an old fashioned oatmeal cookie.
Thus, it feels especially appropriate that I used one of the oldest healthy baking tricks in the book when developing the recipe:ย applesauce.
- Replacing half the usual amount of butter with applesauce still keeps the oatmeal cookies plenty moist, without the need for extra fat.
Next, I wanted to see if I could sweeten the healthy oatmeal cookies without sugar. Honey did the trick!
- In addition to being a more wholesome alternative, honeyโs homey, comforting flavor is a classic and lovely combination with the oatmeal.
Now, we need to talk about one of the more divisive oatmeal cookie topics: raisins.
I know that a healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe would have been the *most* traditional route, but I simply could not do it.
Far better is a healthy oatmeal raisin cookie WITH CHOCOLATE.
I love my oatmeal cookies fully loaded, which is why to go along with the raisins, youโll find melty dark chocolate chips and chunky toasted nuts too.
I adore the overall effect the range of mix-ins gives these healthy oatmeal cookies.
We have the crunch and warmth of the nuts and the sweet chew of the raisins, and I donโt think I need to tell you that if you stack an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips next to an oatmeal cookie without, one of them is going to be the clear crowd favorite.
Recipe Adaptations
- Do not swap all of the fat in this recipe for applesauce. The modest amount of butter is key to the healthy oatmeal cookiesโ texture and keeps the cookies from being excessively cakey.
- If youโd like the healthy oatmeal cookies vegan, you can swap said butter for a vegan butter substitute (my recommendation for that buttah flava) or coconut oil. Use maple syrup in place of the honey.
- For healthy oatmeal cookies banana edition, donโt miss my Banana Oatmeal Cookies, this recipeโs different but equally delicious cousin.
- If you are seeking healthy oatmeal cookies no flour (meaning no wheat flour in order to make the cookies gluten free), Iโd suggest using a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend like this one in place of the wheat flour. Make sure your oats are certified GF also.
- For healthy oatmeal peanut butter cookies, you can bake Monster Cookies, which have a peanut butter oatmeal cookie base, but use raisins, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts for the mix-ins instead. YUM!
- For oatmeal cookies with a festive twist, try these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies.
How to Freeze These Cookies
- As I can recently attest, these healthy oatmeal cookies are highly freezer friendly.
- If you anticipate craving cookies in the future (who doesnโt?), you can either double the recipe and freeze half or bake only the oatmeal cookies you think youโll eat in the next day or two right away, then freeze the remaining dough for fresh-baked healthy oatmeal cookies on demand.
^^Between you and me, I canโt believe that I actually had enough self control to freeze some of the dough versus baking and eating every single cookie immediately, but I am certainly happy that I did!
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups quick oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup well chopped raw walnuts or pecans (in this recipe, we usually go for pecans, but both are delicious) or an additional 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, butter, egg, vanilla, and honey. Whisk until blended. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if it is very stiff, you may need to let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes). With a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space around each. With your fingers, gently flatten each cookie to be about 3/4-inch thick.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges and set on top, about 9 to 10 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- I recommend quick oats for this recipe, as they yield a more tender cookie. You can use regular rolled oats, but they will have a heartier consistency.
- To make gluten free: you can experiment with oat flour (I havenโt tried this yet, but I would suggest swapping 1 1/4 cups oat flour for the white whole wheat flour) or use a 1:1 GF baking blend instead of the wheat flour.
- To make vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey. For the egg: I havenโt tried this with a flax egg instead of the regular egg yet, but Iโd love to hear how it goes if sometime does play around!
Nutrition
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So good! Just what I needed today. I substituted the butter with liquid coconut oil and used cherries instead of raisins which REALLY complemented the dark chocolate and pecans I used. I put some raw oats on the top and squished them onto the tops of the cookies once they were placed on the cookie sheet for added texture also. Loved these and will defiantly be making them again for the kiddos. :)
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Pretty bland. Would add more cinnamon and some nutmeg and bump up the add-inโs. Also, I would press down the ball a bitโฆ it doesnโt spread when it is cooked. Otherwise, love the healthy aspect and are a good belly filler for the kiddies!!
Iโm sorry to hear you didnโt enjoy the recipe, Laura. Many other readers have tried it and loved it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I truly wish you would have loved it!
These are so good! Came out chewy and delicious
Hi Carrie! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
So delicious
Hi Gina! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Overall, this cookie tasted decent enough, but I had to make a LOT of modifications to the original recipe. After following the instructions very closely, the dough was still way too wet, so I had to add extra oats and add-ins to even it out. The dough itself also smelled kind of sour and funny, but after baking them, they tasted ok.
Iโm sorry to hear you didnโt enjoy the recipe, Joyce. Many other readers have tried it and loved it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I truly wish you would have loved it!
I just made these and thought the dough smelled lovely! I am wondering if your flour might be off? I’ve found that to be the case whenever I encounter that “sour” smell.
I loved them. I enjoy things that don’t taste so sweet – and they are perfect for my kids. I recommend to squish them quite flat if you prefer more of a “cookie” shape as the dough does not spread – but personally I like them chunky and chewy!
I substituted the nuts for sliced almonds and left out the raisins.
Super delicious! The kids and hubby all loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
So good! I’ve made this recipe about five times in the last month, super delicious and addicting! Definitely a crowd favourite!
Hi Lulu! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
My husband liked the softness and the loads of choc chips and walnuts. For my taste i would like em crispier. Will try quick oats next time. And there will be a next time. Also the recipe read well and was easy to follow. ๐๐ฝ
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for your feedback and review!
They were so good, I thought they were going to be too sweet but the pecans and salt worked perfectly well with everything else
Hi Paola! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
SO GOOD. I store mine in the fridge and eat them cold. game changer!! I could eat these every day, this recipe is def a keeper.
Hi Caitlin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Omg! I’m a sweet freak. I made this recipe out of necessity for health reasons. Just took them out of the oven. They are the moistest, most delicious oatmeal cookies I have ever had. I did toss in a bit of coconut cuz hubby loves it. So glad I chose your recipe for my first sugarless cookie! Thank you!
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
These are really good cookies – not too sweet, and healthy but still satisfy the chocolate cookie craving. My only problem is that my kids ate half the batch when I left them unattended. Batch 2, here I come!
Hi Kelly! Love that problem! LOL! Thanks so much!
Turned out perfect! Wonโt be changing anything in this delightful recipe!
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
These are wonderful! Followed the recipe almost exactly. I used coconut oil instead of butter. I only had non-instant oats, so I gave them a few pulses in the food processor. So yummy and the house smells wonderful!!
Hi Caitlin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’m so glad I found this recipe… It’s surprising how good it is despite being healthy and very low in fat. I make a batch every week and everyone loves them.. :) I also replace the flour with gluten free flour. Thank you Erin!!
Hi Alain! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I followed this recipe exactly. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.
*Too Dry
*Too much Cinnamon
I personally did not like chocolate chips in my oatmeal raisin cookies however it was the above 2 things that really made me not like them.
I would love advice on a different healthy Oatmeal cookie recipe if you have one.
Thank you.
Iโm sorry that this recipe wasnโt to your liking, LJR. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed the recipe as written, so I truly wish it wouldโve been a hit for you too!
Also, the vanilla extract was overpowering.