I lived in the dorms during my freshman year of college, and with only a small fridge the size of a microwave and no kitchen, I purchased a meal plan and ate most of my lunches and dinners in the dining hall. Although usually somewhat skeptical of the entrées, I could always count on the salad bar for healthier options before stopping by the dessert station for sweet treats. Even then, I needed my daily fix!
Sometimes I felt adventurous and sampled their latest raw vegan carrot cake or tofu chocolate cupcakes, but their cookies were always the best. Chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, tuxedo… Those were the softest and chewiest you’d ever imagine. It was like biting into little circles of heaven!
But with the extra chewy factor and ample amounts of cinnamon, the oatmeal raisin cookies were always the first I’d reach for. I often headed down to dinner with my next door neighbor, who enrolled in many of the same classes and quickly turned into my study buddy. Since oatmeal raisin were his favorite too, we’d grab a plate to nibble on while quizzing each other about mechanisms and equations for our next chemistry and physics midterms.
Thank goodness the rest of the freshmen seemed to avoid that flavor!
So now, quite a few years later, I decided that it was finally time to develop a recipe of my own that rivaled—if not surpassed—those oatmeal raisin cookies. Something incredibly soft, unbelievably chewy, and absolutely irresistible… Exactly the opposite of the boring, bland, or dry reputations oatmeal cookies sometimes attract. And of course, being me and my blog, I wanted to make them healthier.
So… These are it! They’re the Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. They’re chock full of hearty oats, sweet raisins, and lots of warm cinnamon. They’re also just 100 calories with no refined flour or sugar. Trust me, you’ll never need another recipe ever again!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Now let’s go over how to make these ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies! I’m going to walk you through some important ingredients you’ll need and a few keys steps to help you avoid some of the more common issues. I cover many of these things in the video beneath the recipe too. If you’d rather skip straight to the recipe and start baking, go right ahead!
To start, you’ll need whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour. No refined all-purpose flour in these cookies! You’ll also need instant oats (also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats). Instant oats are smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which keeps your ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies supremely soft and chewy! You can usually find instant oats in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store. (And no, they’re NOT the same thing as in those flavored individual brown paper packets!)
It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly. Use this method or a kitchen scale if you own one. (I highly recommend the latter! This is the one I own.)
If your cookies turned out dry or failed to spread on the baking sheet, it’s mostly likely because there was too much of either of those dry ingredients, especially the oats. They act like little sponges and soak up moisture, so adding too many will quickly turn the cookies crumbly.
I promise these ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies are worth taking the extra 10 seconds to measure your flour and oats correctly!
Whereas traditional recipes usually call for a full stick (or more!) of butter, you just need 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or butter. That really helps keep your ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies low calorie and low fat, and if you use coconut oil, they’re also dairy-free!
Also unlike traditional recipes that use refined granulated sugar, you’ll actually sweeten your ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies with honey, agave, or pure maple syrup. These are unrefined sweeteners, and they all work equally well!
Then here’s one of my favorite tips for making the best ever healthy oatmeal raisin cookies…
Don’t add your raisins into the cookie dough straight from the package! Instead, hydrate your raisins first. This is super simple to do! Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, and place a lid or plastic wrap on top. Microwave them on high for 1 minute. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes (or while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients!). By the time you’re ready to drain them and stir them into the cookie dough, they’ll be exceptionally plump and juicy… Which definitely creates the best healthy oatmeal raisin cookies imaginable!
Now that your cookie dough is all mixed together, chilling is mandatory. Most of the time. If you added the correct amount of oats and flour, the dough should be wet and look more like thick muffin batter. Chilling will help stiffen the dough so it doesn’t spread as much while baking. If your cookie dough is already stiff, skip the chilling and bake it right away.
(The video just above the recipe shows what the textures before and after chilling should look like!)
However, your ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies will only spread some after chilling (not excessively!), so if you want wider, somewhat thinner cookies, make sure you flatten them slightly before baking. Just give them a little pat with a spatula. If you prefer thicker cookies, skip that and bake them right after scooping them onto the baking tray.
Finally, do not overbake these cookies! I always pull mine out slightly early, then let them sit on the warm baking sheet longer. This allows the centers to continue to set without turning the outsides crisp and crunchy. Your ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies will stay soft and chewy for an entire week that way!
These Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies didn’t stand a chance at my house. Even with just me eating (and sneaking) them, they only lasted four days. I hope you enjoy them just as much!
And when you make your own oatmeal raisin cookies, 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 ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies!
(My Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is full of sweet and healthy recipes like these oatmeal cookies! You can see a sneak preview of all of the recipes inside here!)
The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this & gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) honey or agave
- ¼ cup (40g) raisins (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the honey or agave. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the raisins. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes (see Notes!). Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Here is what the cookie dough should look like just before chilling. It resembles thick muffin batter more than cookie dough!
Here is what the cookies look like before and after baking. They some, but not too much, so be sure to flatten them slightly with a spatula just before popping the baking sheet in the oven.
You may also like Amy’s Other Recipes…
♡ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
I just made these and they are so good! I used chocolate chips instead of raisins and I think I’ll use a bit less agave next time. Genius healthier recipe for my sweet tooth!
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Autumn! That means a lot to me! 🙂
I just made them and they were sort of a fail. I used coconut flour which made them really dry.. Tastes great though. I’ll have to use less next time. Also I used cranberries as I didn’t have raisins. Overall the flavor is good but texture is bad.
Any idea on the nutritional value (fat, cal, etc)?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Mary! The full nutrition info is already included directly beneath the recipe. Unfortunately, coconut flour doesn’t work. I go over that on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, which is included in the Notes section of the recipe underneath the Instructions. I highly recommend reviewing that before making another batch — it’ll definitely help you achieve the perfectly chewy texture! 🙂
Hi there, could I substitute agave for stevia? I would never use agave in any of my baking (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/agave-nectar-is-even-worse-than-sugar#section5)
All the best, Laoise
I’ve actually covered this on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page! It’s linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think if you try these cookies Laoise!
Hi Amy,
Just discovered your blog a couple days ago and tried this recipe today, and it turned out delicious! :)))
I’m not an experienced baker, much the opposite, but your recipe is so well explained that it encouraged me to try it – and I’m glad I did 🙂
I’m always looking for healthier alternatives – that tastes great – and these are it!
I’m exploring your other recipes now and want to try several of them! Your website is also beautiful and your posts a joy to read. So thank you!
PS: even after the cookies were cold they remained very soft, more like a little muffin than a cookie, is that supposed to be like that? I did everything you said, baked it for 13 mins and let it set afterwards for 30 mins. I looove it anyway, just wandering if I should have baked for longer to make it more crunchy 🙂
PS2: Could I substitute the flour for protein powder? Or at least partially? Would it work on this recipe?
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog and recipes Larissa! That means so much to me! 🙂 If the cookies were more like muffins, rather than chewy like cookies, then there were probably too many oats in your cookie dough. I recommend reviewing my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page (see the Notes section underneath the Instructions!) because I cover how to avoid that cakey texture. This recipe was designed to be chewy, so the cookies won’t ever be truly crunchy. All protein powders behave differently (I have a Protein Powder FAQ Page here, so I recommend reviewing that!), so I don’t actually recommend substituting protein powder for the flour — at least until you have a lot more baking experience under your belt and feel more intuitive about how batters and doughs are supposed to behave! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
My pleasure Larissa! 🙂
These were delicious! I used the brown sugar and milk to sweeten mine and after my 2 year old took the first bite he said “mmmm, yummy!” So, toddler and mama approved! Thank you for the yummy recipe!
I’m so glad you and your toddler enjoyed these cookies Amara! That means so much to me! 🙂
HELLooo i just wanted you to know that i have tried ur recipe and it’s perfect for chewy cookies, knowing that i hv substituted agave with sugar & water… but how to make crispy & crunchy cookiessss?
I like chewy cookies but kids prefere crunchy
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Mira! The recipe is meant to be soft and chewy, so I don’t think you’ll be able to make these particular cookies crunchy. 🙂 I have a new crunchy chocolate cookie recipe I’ll be posting in the next few weeks though — so stay tuned! 😉
Well, we made these today, since we are trying to eat healthy and avoid sugar and white flour.
Ours came out less than the rich, crispy chewy perfect oatmeal cookie we imagined. They were still somewhat chewy and didn’t taste bad.
We did use liquid coconut oil instead of solid coconut oil, and we substituted Splenda (1/2c) and milk (1/4c) instead of the Agave since we are trying to avoid sugar. This was based on your advice about substituting brown sugar.
Would these substitutions have caused the issue? I think we had the proportions correct, since we used a kitchen scale to measure the dry ingredients down to the gram.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jeff! Thank you for your detailed notes; that’s really helpful. Once mixed into cookie dough or batters, Splenda actually takes up less volume than brown sugar, so I’ve found the cookie dough needs an extra 1-2 tablespoons of milk (so around 6 tablespoons total!) to compensate and be the correct consistency. What did you feel was lacking from their flavor? Not sweet enough, not enough spices, something else? And just so we’re on the same page — these cookies are meant to turn out soft and chewy, not crunchy or with crisp edges. 🙂 I’m sure we can also come up with a solution about the flavor so your next batch turns out better!
Just made a batch of these, they turned out really well. Just the right amount of chewiness. i used vanilla agave syrup and a few more raisins, as I love them so much. Perfect cookie recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Michael! 🙂
These cookies are so good! It’s the second time I’m making them, and they turned out better than the last time 😉 I used large flake oats instead of instant oats (mostly because I was too lazy to go grocery shopping) and 100g of brown sugar instead of agave. I also used 4tbsp margarine instead of butter. The first time I mixed the brown sugar with 1/4 cup non dairy milk and the cookies had a weird texture. Love the amount of cinnamon and the juicy raisins! I’ll be making your other recipes very soon 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Xieyu! That means a lot to me that you already want to try more of my recipes. I’m honored! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you pick next!
I can definitely tell they are healthy! They don’t taste sweet at all, but you still get the good oatmeal/raisin/cinnamon flavor.
That’s really strange that they don’t taste sweet to you, Dani! How did you measure the oats and flour? Did you scoop them directly from the container, by chance? And did you make any substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section or my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page?
I scooped them from the container and leveled them out with the backside of a knife. I didn’t make any substitutions. The cookies were more wet than dry which was the good part.
Thanks for the info Dani! That method of measuring is actually what caused the bland/not sweet flavor. When measured like that, you can end up with 1.5 times as much flour and oats as when you lightly spoon and level, and that extra flour and oats are definitely causing the issues that you’ve experienced! If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and oats, cocoa powder, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with perfectly sweet cookies. Does that make sense? 🙂
I’ll try that next time! Thanks!
My pleasure Dani! 🙂