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!
Hi, I wanted to make some of these cookies for my kids but I don’t have any wholewheat flower left (we’re in lockdown at the moment so no shopping for a while). If I use all-purpose white flour will this recipe still work?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Julia! I’ve actually covered this exact question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page at the bottom of the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 We’re in total lock-down mode where I live too, so I can relate. I hope you and your family stay as safe and healthy as possible, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies if you do end up baking them! 🙂
Sorry, yes I did miss that, my bad. I’ll make them tomorrow and let you know what the family thought of them.
I’ve just been looking at some of your other recipes and I must say that they all look very tempting. I’m just going to have to ration myself and perhaps only try one new one each week!
Stay safe.
Julia
No need to apologize Julia — it happens ALL the time! 😉 That’s the sweetest compliment I could’ve ever received, if you think that many of my recipes look tempting! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. That truly means a lot!! ♡ Sending so many happy, healthy, and good baking thoughts your way! 🙂
Turned out terrible. Starting over with something else.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nancy! That sounds really disappointing. I’d love to help figure out what happened! If you can describe the issues that you experienced (taste, texture, etc), then I’ll have a much better idea of what could’ve happened and how to fix it! 🙂
Hi Julia – I just made these without flour by accident, whoops and they were still delicious! 🙂
Best,
Tanya
What would you use for egg substitute?
I’ve made your delicious recipe lots of times but would like to try a vegan version. I’ve got egg substitutes at home but was wondering if you’ve tried any that wouldn’t change the lovely result? Thanks x
I’m so honored that you’ve made these cookies many times, Julia! That truly means the world to me! 🙂 My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Just in case you’re unfamiliar with it, Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. If you decide to try using Ener-G in these cookies (it doesn’t change the flavor or texture at all!), I’d love to hear what you think of that vegan version!
Thanks for your swift reply. Unfortunately Ener-G is not available where I live but I’ll try a couple of other options and will let you know how it turned out.
It’s my pleasure Julia — I’m always happy to help! I’d love to hear what you end up trying and how your cookies turn out! 🙂
Thank you for a great recipe ! Tried it once before and loved it but thinking of trying to make them crispier and more crunchy. Would increasing the heat for the last 5min or so help ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Jade! This recipe was specifically designed to be soft and chewy, so I’m not sure that they’ll turn out perfectly crisp just by baking them longer. (The ratios of ingredients also factors into the texture, not just the baking temperature and time!) However, you can definitely make them more crunchy by baking them longer! I’d recommend 5 additional minutes to start and up to 10 minutes, depending on just how crunchy you’d like them. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you end up trying and how your cookies turn out!
The cookies taste amazing, however they all merged together in the oven to form 1 big cookie and then just separated when taking them off the tray just crumbing apart.
The only things I did differently was I used normal porridge oats and I was little short on the honey?
Have you experienced this before?
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe Georgia! I’m happy to help you solve that mystery. 🙂 Usually, extreme spreading into one big cookie blob is either a result of (a) not chilling the cookie dough {or not chilling long enough!}, (b) too much liquid, or (c) not enough dry ingredients. How long did you chill the cookie dough? How long did you bake the cookies?
By “normal porridge oats,” do you mean old-fashioned rolled oats? Did you make any other modifications, including those listed in the Notes section of the recipe? How did you measure the ingredients, especially the flour, oats, and honey — with a kitchen scale or measuring cups?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but once I know your answers to all of them, I’ll have a much better idea of the potential culprit and how to fix it! 🙂
Thanks for you response!
I chilled for 30 mins. Cooked for just over 10 mins as there were starting to brown at the edges.
They aren’t as big as rolled oats but think they are the same – just bog standard supermarket branded porridge oats. The only other thing is I use gluten free flower that was past its sell by date – but I didn’t think that would make a difference.
I weighed the oats and flower on the scales, but the honey with a measuring spoon but as I said I was little short on the honey.
It’s my pleasure Georgia! I’m always happy to help! 🙂 What gluten-free flour blend did you use (the exact brand and product name would be so helpful!), and how many grams? How did the texture of your cookie dough compare to mine in my recipe video (located directly above the recipe!) before and after you chilled it?
I used the free from brand on gluten free flour and exactly the amount you recommend. The consistency wasnt too dissimilar from yours. The mixture had solidified from being in the fridge.
Thanks for sharing Georgia! I’ve spent the last 15 minutes trying to find information on that brand of flour, but I’m really not finding much. Is it “The Free From Fairy” brand? Do you happen to know how many grams per cup your gluten-free blend is? After chilling, was your cookie dough totally solid, where it would hold its shape on a spoon or on the baking sheet and not ooze / spread at all?
These were great! Definitely healthy. Dont expect a sweet treat but they are slightly sweet and a cookie so the kids ate them! Will def make again. Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Nikky! I’m honored that you’d make them again — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 Just out of curiosity, did your cookies spread much while baking?
Beginner baker. Tried. Made. Delicious ????
Thank you x
I’m so honored that you tried my recipe, and I’m even more excited that you enjoyed these cookies!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot, Tim! 🙂
Great recipe! I made them without the flour, which actually turned out pretty well. I also chopped the raisins (mine were huge). The only thing I would tweak is – add a little bit less honey, the raisins make it plenty sweet for us.
Thanks again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Tanya! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that truly means a lot to me! 🙂
I just made these yesterday and they turned out perfectly. Didn’t have quite enough honey so topped up with a bit of maple syrup. They are delicious and it’s now a struggle not to eat them all at once. Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Sam! That’s the best kind of compliment if they’re that tempting — I’m honored! 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know too. That truly means a lot! 🙂