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: 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 ¼ cups quick oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ 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 ½-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 ¾-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 ¼ 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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Just made your healthy oatmeal cookies. Doubled the recipe. Threw them all out
Iโm so sorry to hear the cookies didnโt come out for you, Cathy. I (and many other readers) have loved this recipe, so I really wish you wouldโve enjoyed it too!
Iโm not a raisin fan but found a dried fruit medley at my grocery store (cherries, blueberries and cranberries) and my goodness they were amazing. I thought the texture was a bit strange, a bit gummy, but no one else thought so. They were gone as soon as I brought them to work!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Tara! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
NEVER TASTED ANYTHING BETTER OMG GO TRY THESE NOW!!!!!!
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed them, Eleanor! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Love these healthy little balls of goodness! I used coconut oil instead of butter, which made mixing tricky. Dark chocolate chips and a mix of dried cran, rasp, and blueberries. 10 min in oven. They’re exactly what we wanted! Nice and filling – especially for a husband with a never ending stomach. So easy – thanks!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Mallory! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Delicious. We substituted unsweetened coconut instead of nuts. Really fits well. Would probably cut back on the honey a little, sweet for our taste but we usually do cookies just sweetened with banana or Applesauce.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Theresa! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi Erin! Hope you are doing fine.
I want to make egg free coolies. Can you suggest how can i replace the egg in the recipe
Hi! While I’ve only tested the recipe as written, other readers have omitted the egg or used a flax egg with success. I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them!
I love these! I made them with Lilyโs semisweet chocolate chips and dried cherries and walnuts. AMAZING. They are the perfect amount of sweet (not too sweet) and would be great with coffee for breakfast. Thanks!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies, Rachel! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I tried your recipe just now- excluded the raisins and replaced it with chocolate chips instead. They came out TREMENDOULSLY DELICIOUS! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies, Mia! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi ! I was wondering if this cooky recipe would work for bars. Just press the whole thing in a pan and bake . It contains the 3 ingredients I’m looking for .. chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, low in fat too.. thank you !
Hi Nan! I haven’t tried the recipe that way myself, but you could experiment with it. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
I used this recipe as a base and made a couple adjustments so it was gluten free. Substituted the whole wheat flour for 1/4 coconut flour, ghee instead of butter and added an extra egg. Cookies turned out great!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing this kind review!