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!
Now let’s go over how to make these ultimate healthy oatmeal raisin cookies! I’m going to walk you through 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. 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. I cannot emphasize this enough. Use the spoon and level 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 or oil 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 | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this & gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat 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!)
- 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. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Instant oats are also called quick-cooking oats and one-minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. (They're not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal!) To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until they're ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
If you prefer, pure maple syrup may be substituted in place of the honey or agave. You may also substitute ½ cup (106g) brown sugar plus ¼ cup (60mL) of milk. Any milk will work.
For the best soft and chewy texture, do NOT overbake these cookies! They're actually done baking when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. By letting your cookies sit on the warm baking sheet for 10 minutes at the end of Step 3, it allows the centers to fully bake through and continue to set without turning the outsides crisp and crunchy.
SECRET STEP: For the best ever oatmeal raisin cookies, hydrate your raisins first! It makes them SO plump and juicy, which makes your cookies taste incredible! To do so, add the raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them completely with water, and top with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds. Let the raisins sit and absorb water until just before you’re ready to add them to the dough. Drain them thoroughly before folding in.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: use gluten-free instant oats the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE VERSION: Use coconut oil or stick-style vegan butter (like this!) instead of unsalted butter.
For all other questions regarding this recipe (including other ingredient substitutions!), please see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ + Video Page.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat}
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
♡ Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Delicious cookies!! Thank you for the recipe (:
I’m so glad you like them, Alyssa! Thank YOU for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
I made these cookies, substituted 1/2 cup splenda and 4 tbsp water for the honey. They were still a bit dry, but soft and chewy inside and a bit crispy on the outside. Yum! Thanks for the recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Rachel! If you used Splenda’s product that sweetens cup-for-cup like granulated sugar, then that would be why the cookies were dry. Although it sweetens cup-for-cup like sugar, it doesn’t sweetens cup-for-cup like sugar! It dissolves differently, so you’d actually need ½ cup of milk or water to achieve the same cookie dough consistency. Your cookies also won’t spread (I’m not sure if you noticed that!), so you’ll need to flatten the cookie dough before baking.
If you decide to try making these cookies again with those modifications, I hope you like them even more! 🙂
Thank you for your recipe. It is by far the best tasting oatmeal cookie I’ve made. I am a health nut so my goal has been to make a low calorie, delicious oatmeal cookie for our family. I got it down to 85 calories and will work to lower it just a little more. I subbed 1/4 cup of the flour for protein powder, subbed 1 TBSP of coconut oil with apple sauce, and only used 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I may be able to reduce calories with a flax egg although I ve not done the math. Thanks again. These will be my go-to recipe. Oh and I forgot to smush them a bit before baking but they were still delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Myrna! It means a lot that you’d call them the best tasting oatmeal cookies that you’ve made and already consider this your “go to” recipe. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it truly means a lot!
If you’d like to reduce the maple syrup to ¼ cup, then add ¼ cup of milk (any type will work!) to compensate for the missing liquid. That should help with the texture of the dough and the fully baked cookies! If you use unsweetened cashew milk (my favorite!), it’s only 25 calories per cup, so the increase would be less than ½ calorie per cookie. Unsweetened almond milk (usually 30 calories per cup) would be very similar as well!
To further reduce the calories, you could omit the egg yolk (that saves about 4 calories per cookie) and add 1 ½ teaspoons of milk (again, any kind will work!) to compensate for the missing volume.
I hope that helps with your experimentation! 🙂
Amy, my husband asked for a batch of cookies for his upcoming trip so I made a new batch and incorporated the addition of the milk to moisten and replaced the raisins with currants. They came out perfect. Thank you for the additional instruction. I will post a picture somewhere on social media so you can see it and people can become more aware of your healthy recipes.
That’s fantastic, Myrna!! I’m so glad the batch with milk and currants turned out even better. I’m honored that you’d call them perfect, and it truly means the world that you’d want to share a picture on social media. You’re so thoughtful and sweet to do that and let me know — thank you so, SO much!! ♡
I made these last night. I substituted pancake syrup because I was out of pure maple syrup. I also used a thumbprint to flatten them just a little. CAME OUT GREAT! They were soft and had wonderful flavor. I made them for a friend, have to say, I kept a few for myself.
Thank you so much.
I’m so glad you loved these cookies, Richard! That’s the best kind of compliment, if you couldn’t give them all away and ended up keeping a few for yourself. 😉 Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Do I store these at room temperature or refrigerate them?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Cathy! Either will work, but if you refrigerate them, they should last longer (by up to a few days). 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you try making them!