Can you get someone fired by giving them cookies?
I’m not sure I want to know the answer to that… Because I certainly thought I did last fall!
In October, after perfecting the recipe for my toffee coffee cookies, I packed up a few in a little bag to hand to the hilarious college-age cashier with dreadlocks at Trader Joe’s. When I failed to see him on every one of my bi-weekly shopping trips after that day, I basically blamed myself for him losing his job.
A few months later, on a rainy Saturday morning in February, I sprinted through the downpour and into the store; picked up my usual bananas, spinach, and eggs; and hopped into the shortest line. As I waited for the girl to finish packing up the previous patron’s bags, I glanced towards the employee station — and there he was! Smiles, positivity, dreadlocks, and all.
Whew — he had just changed his shift!
Fast forward to a random Wednesday in July, and I happened to pick his line again. As I handed over my eight bananas (I eat one every morning with breakfast, so they disappear faster than my dark chocolate stash!), he asked if I planned on baking banana bread.
“I’m not sure yet,” I replied. “But I’m baking cookies this afternoon!”
“Will you bring me some?”
“I already did!”
“I remember — and they were the BEST cookies ever!” He turned to the shopper ahead of me and explained, “She’s the nicest person ever! I just asked if she’d bring me cookies one time, and she showed up, like, 40 minutes later with the best cookies!”
He continued, looking back at me, “I get off work at 6, so… If I gave you my address, would you mind dropping them off? I live just around the corner!”
Laughing, I agreed. But… I kind of forgot to mention that I needed to photograph them first. Sometimes people don’t quite understand the whole “food blog” thing.
“Wait, so you bake… And take pictures… Of everything? As your job?” is the typical response I get.
Sometimes it’s just easier to say that I bake for a living!
But anyway, back to the story… These healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies were the ones that I baked and shared! Incredibly soft and chewy, with just a subtle hint of spice, these treats taste like the epitome of summer from their sweet dough and fresh juicy berries. They’re also easy to make using common ingredients. You probably have everything you need in your kitchen already!
So… Are you ready to bake (and eat!) some cookies??
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY RASPBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make these healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies! While developing this recipe, I started with the most popular recipe on my blog: my ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies. Hundreds of readers have baked them, and they commented that those were the softest and chewiest cookies they’ve ever made… And that their families and friends couldn’t tell they were healthy. That’s basically the biggest compliment a healthy baking blogger could ever ask for!
I tweaked a few things from my original recipe to let the raspberries shine, but I kept many of the others the same. Here’s a rundown of the key ingredients that you’ll use!
Oats. Other than the fruit, the oats are the most important ingredient! You’ll use instant oats to make these cookies, which are also called “quick cooking” and “one-minute” oats. They’re not the ones that come in those individual packets with flavors like apple cinnamon and maple brown sugar! Just like old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oats only contain one ingredient… Oats! However, they’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats, which means they soften faster. That gives your oatmeal cookies the best moist and chewy texture!
Tip: To make these healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies gluten-free, then use certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!
Flour. To make these raspberry oatmeal cookies healthier, I opted for whole wheat flour. It has more fiber and micronutrients compared to all-purpose flour! My taste testers couldn’t tell… With how sweet and irresistible these cookies turned out, they assumed I used regular all-purpose flour!
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included my top recommendations there!
Cinnamon. I love the combination of oats and cinnamon! To ensure the raspberries’ bright fruit flavor shone through, I reduced the amount of cinnamon compared to my ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. That smaller amount provides the perfect cozy background warmth. Yum!
Unsalted butter or coconut oil. Just a bit! Unlike traditional recipes that call for ¼ to ½ cup (or more!), you only need 2 tablespoons. That helps keep your raspberry oatmeal cookies low calorie and low fat! Both produce the same soft and chewy texture, so use whichever one you prefer or have on hand. No need for a special trip to the store!
Tip: If you use coconut oil, then your healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies will be dairy-free!
Sweetener. Instead of refined granulated sugar, I turned to honey to sweeten these oatmeal cookies (and make them clean eating friendly!). Because of its liquid state, it helps them spread while baking, and it yields a really soft and chewy texture too!
Tip: If you’re not a fan of honey, then check the Notes section of the recipes, as well as my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page. I’ve provided alternatives there!
Raspberries. They’re the most important part! I prefer fresh raspberries, and I dice them into bits approximately the same size as chocolate chips. This ensures they’re evenly distributed and every bite contains a burst of sweet fruity flavor!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY RASPBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
Let’s cover how to make these raspberry oatmeal cookies! This recipe is easy and straightforward, but I still have some tips to ensure you bake the best possible cookies.
Measure correctly. To make sure your raspberry oatmeal cookies turn out extremely soft and chewy, make sure you measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Do NOT stick the measuring cup into the container and scoop them out! You’ll end up with 1 ½ times as much of both ingredients, which will dry out your cookies and turn them cakey or crumbly. But if you measure the flour and oats properly, you’ll end up with the softest and chewiest oatmeal cookies imaginable!
Chill. Initially, the dough will be very sticky, almost like thick muffin batter, so chilling is mandatory! Chilling allows the oats to absorb some of the liquids and stiffens the dough. If you forget to chill, you’ll end up with one big cookie blob… So learn from my mistake and pop your bowl in the fridge!
Drop + shape. When dividing up the cookie dough to place on the baking sheet, try to drop them into rounded scoops, about as tall as they are wide. The raspberries contain a fair amount of water, which they release while baking, so the cookies spread a lot. Shaping the dough into taller mounds helps minimize the spread (so they don’t form that dreaded cookie blob!).
Bake. Because you’re using honey, which caramelizes at a lower temperature than granulated or brown sugar, you’ll bake these cookies lower and slower than many typical recipes, at 325°F. Do not over-bake them!
When you remove the cookies from the oven, they should still look and feel underdone — and that’s a good thing! You’ll let them cool for at least 15 minutes on the warm baking sheet, which allows the centers to finishing cooking through without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy. They’ll stay soft for an entire week, if they last that long!
(And yes, I did double check. It was pure torture leaving the container on the counter for a full seven days!)
Bright and fruity, these healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies may require some serious willpower to avoid polishing off the entire batch… Those cute pink freckles, with the oaty flecks peeking through, are just too tempting — and their extra soft, chewy texture makes them even more addictive! 😉
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy raspberry oatmeal cookies!
Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) honey
- 6 tbsp (53g) fresh whole raspberries, diced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the honey until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the raspberries. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. (If chilling longer, cover with plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the entire surface of the cookie dough.)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops on the baking sheet. (If chilled longer than 1 hour, flatten slightly.) Bake at 325°F for 13-15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Apricot Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Can I substitute black rasberries instead of red ones AND can I use applesauce (same amount) instead of butter or coconut oil?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Reggie! Yes, you can substitute blackberries for the raspberries. That’s a fun idea! However, I don’t recommend substituting applesauce for the butter / coconut oil. The cookies turn out cakey and a bit gummy, instead of soft and chewy. I’d love to hear what you think if you try making them! 🙂
Hi, I love your recipe and currently the mix is chilling in the fridge :). What will happen if I add about 15grams of extra fruit? Also can I add extra chopped nuts/seeds? Thank you :).
Just to add, instead of baking the mix as cookies, could I make it as a tray bake like a flapjack and then slice it up once baked and cooled? Thanks again :)!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe April! Yes, you can definitely add chopped nuts or seeds. I don’t recommend adding too much extra fruit (unless it’s dried fruit!) because the raspberries add lots of extra moisture to the cookie dough, which negatively impacts their texture. The cookies turn out really wet, unless you bake them longer… And baking them longer often makes them cakey or muffin-like. It’s a delicate balance! 😉 You can definitely bake them in a square baking pan and slice them into bars once they’ve cooled, if you prefer! I’ve done that before when I’m feeling lazy and don’t feel like shaping the individual cookies. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi Amy, thank you for your reply :)! Well…I didn’t see your reply till today, so I shaped them into cookie shapes and baked them and left them on the tray for the 15 minutes, then cooled them but they all turned out very sticky/wet/crumbley. My lower fat and sugar version ones actually turned out better than the ones that I made near enough to a tee following your recipe (I used mashed banana in place of the oil/butter and a skinny natural vanilla syrup instead of honey – I also added chopped almonds). I did add a small amount of chopped nuts/seeds and used diced strawberries and cherries instead of raspberries for the ‘normal recipe cookies’ but maybe I would’ve been better off making them as a whole bake, rather than the cookies :’). Your recipe is really good but sadly didn’t work out very successfully for me :). I shall tag you in my instagram post :)!
It’s my pleasure, April! I’m always happy to help. As I previously mentioned, that extra fruit probably made your original batch so sticky and wet. I think you’ll have better luck if you use no more than the amount of fruit that I call for in the recipe, if you decide to make the recipe exactly as written again. I love hearing about your fun recipe modifications though — it’s always fun to hear what tweaks work! What’s the exact natural vanilla syrup that you used? How much of it did you use? And how much of the mashed banana as well?
Hi Amy :). It defintely will have been the extra fruit that made the mixture a little wet, also I think I’ll add a little less syrup into the cookies next time or maybe a tiny bit more of the oats…Just a pinch :P. Thank you :)! I used 120ml of the syrup and 28g to 30g of banana (I usually use banana as a substitute for butter as I rarely ever have apple sauce to hand). You should give it a go. I find that honey or golden syrup does have quite an overpowering taste in baking…although honey in a greek orange cake is lovely as it really complements the orange and soaks into the semolina :).
I forgot to say that I popped the cookies in the freezer and they chilled to the perfect temperature and texture and didn’t freeze :). Much preferred eating one for breakfast straight from the freezer than from the fridge. Maybe because of the banana and syrup they just turned out better that way also just a note to say that I found that the banana hadn’t changed the colour of the cookie in any sort of way, as they do sometimes in other bakes (usually turns my banana bakes a little purpley as the banana continues to ripen) :).
Thank you so much for sharing all of your experiences April! That’s wonderful that they tasted delicious straight from the freezer. Such a fun idea! 🙂
Just wondering how you think subbing maple syrup for the honey would affect the final product. Was looking for a quick breakfast treat for the kiddos this week but my honey pot is nearly empty and my desire to leave the house very low!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Keighlen! I’ve actually covered this exact question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to it at the bottom of the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your kids think of these oatmeal cookies!