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!
These were the best! I used almond flour. I subbed the sweetener for 0 calories 0 sugar Truvia brown sugar and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Instead of raisens, I used Bake Believe dark chocolate chips. Alot of time healthy dessert recipes are just eh, but not this one. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m really glad you love them, Valerie! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you’d say these cookies were the best and rate the recipe so highly. I’m honored — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I really appreciate you including your recipe modifications too. I always love to hear what tweaks work out!
Hi Amy! These are awesome! I’m trying to eat healthier so thought I would give them a shot.
T
I just made them again but this time I used egg whites and about a half a cup of applesauce instead of the butter and I used the yogurt covered raisins. They are really really good also. Just a tad more chewy but besides that, both ways turned out awesome! My cat even liked um haha. Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂
We’re so happy you (and your cat!) enjoyed these cookies, Michelle! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know and rate the recipe. It really means a lot! We appreciate you sharing your modifications, too. We always like to hear which recipe tweaks work well! 😉
These are sooo good. Feel like I hit the jackpot. Took a few tries to really nail them and now I’m in cookie heaven. Thank you Amy!
I’m so happy you like these cookies, Alan! Cookie heaven and hitting the jackpot — that’s such high praise! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe as well. It really means a lot! 🙂
The gluten flour blend that I have has brown rice flour, tapioca starch chickpea flour and guar gum. Can I use this flour and if so do I add xanthan gum and how much?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Gail! What’s the exact gluten-free flour (brand + product name) that you have? As of right now, my best guess is that you probably won’t need to use xanthan gum since it contains guar gum, but if you’re able to share those details, I’m happy to do a little research on it and get back to you! 🙂
Thank you Amy for your swift response. The brand of flour that I have is called Cuisine Soleil an organic all purpose mix. It is manufactured in Quebec Canada and the website is cuisinesoleil.com
It’s my pleasure, Gail! Thank you for this detailed information and link to the Cuisine Soleil website. That’s incredibly helpful!
For this particular recipe, it should be fine to use the Cuisine Soleil all-purpose mix as a 1-for-1 replacement for the whole wheat flour. No xanthan gum needed! However, since it contains chickpea flour, I highly recommend avoiding any temptation to taste the raw dough. Chickpea flour has a very strong “bean” taste when raw, but it completely disappears during the baking process and once the cookies have fully cooled! 😉
Also, if measuring by weight, I’d recommend using 90g of this gluten-free blend, rather than the 111g (or 37g per ¼ cup) that their nutrition label suggests. That should help your cookies stay soft and chewy!
I’m really excited to hear how they turn out, Gail! 🙂
Can you use mini chocolate chips instead of raisins?
Yes, absolutely! As a chocoholic, I’ve definitely done that before… Too many times to count! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you end up making them, Tracy!
They were delicious! I went ahead and added the mini chocolate chips and subbed no sugar added apple sauce for the butter, too. Will definitely make them again😊
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Tracy! That’s the best kind of compliment, if you already think that you’ll make them again. Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too — it truly means a lot! 🙂
These are the ultimate healthy cookies! The change that I made was I substituted the honey for my fresh maple syrup from my trees! They came out perfect.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies, Cindy! Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate the recipe, it really means a lot! I appreciate you sharing about the maple syrup too. We always like to hear about the recipe tweaks that work well, and I bet that fresh maple syrup was delicious! 🙂
Does the recipe really need baking powder or soda?? Usually cookie recipes have soda that’s why asking
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Amy! Any recipe that calls for baking powder almost always has baking soda in it by default. This is because baking powder is a mixture of a base (most commonly baking soda — aka sodium bicarbonate!), an acid (often cream of tartar), and sometimes a buffer that also helps with consistency (such as cornstarch).
So if you look at your container of baking powder and it lists “sodium bicarbonate” as an ingredient, that’s baking soda — and you’ll automatically be adding baking soda to these cookies by using that jar of baking powder. 😉
We’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you do try making them!
Mrs. Carol Claus will be doing story programs about children working together to make cookies for Santa [a riff off of the Stone Soup story]. She plans on giving the families a recipe card with your recipe [with link to this page noted to acknowledge you as the creator], as well as letting their grownups know about all the substitutions available to them on this site.
That sounds so sweet, Carol! I personally love the Stone Soup story and the theme of working together…especially for something delicious! 😉 We are truly honored you would choose one of our recipes for this special program, and appreciate the acknowledgement too! Thanks so much for taking the time to share!
Hey! I’m thinking about making these but want know if I can add chocolate chips and nuts? If so in what proportions? Whenever I try modifying a recipe it gets messed up so that’s why I’m asking. Also can I use olive oil instead of coconut oil?
It means a lot that you’d like to try my recipe, Lauren! You should be able to add another ¼ cup of mix-ins without causing any issues — so a total of ½ cup combined between the chocolate chips, nuts, and raisins. If you substitute olive oil for the coconut oil, you’ll likely detect a savory olive-like flavor in your cookies, and there’s a chance that they might not spread as well (because olive oil is a liquid even when chilled, unlike butter and coconut oil!). Just something to keep in mind!
I’d love to hear how your cookies turn out and what you think of them if you do end up making this recipe! 🙂
Thank you! Made the cookies with some choc chips and used butter in the end for the oil. They came out really good but I think I made them too small and over baked because they weren’t so soft (I also did the raising tip). Will definitely make again and try to get the size and baking time better.
You’re welcome, Lauren! And thank YOU letting me know and rate the recipe too! It really means a lot that you’d take the time to do that. ♡ I’m so glad you enjoyed them, and I hope your next batch turns out perfectly soft! In case it’s helpful… I pull my cookies out of the oven when the centers still feel a teensy bit moist and underdone. That gives them an incredible soft and chewy texture! 😉
Hi I was wondering if you can freeze the dough and cook at a later time?
I really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Rena! I’ve found it’s actually much better to freeze these cookies once they’ve been fully baked and cooled. To thaw them, I pop individual cookies in the microwave and cook them on 30% power for 30-ish seconds or until they’re warmed all the way through. They taste freshly baked when thawed like that! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making them!
This recipe looks great. Totally baking newbie here….pretty much never bake, but find myself wanting something sweet through-out the day. If I wanted to incorporate less Maple Syrup, and more dried dates and Stevia as my sweeteners, what would you recommend to make up the moisture difference?
Cheers!
That’s so kind of you to say, Bart! We’re honored that you’d try out our recipe for these oatmeal raisin cookies!
What is the exact stevia brand and product that you’d like to use? That will help us figure out the correct amount! Also, how much maple syrup would you be comfortable using? Once we know that, we can get the maple syrup and stevia ratio right for you!
It should be fine to add up to ½ cup of chopped dates without affecting the chilling time or baking time! If you are using dried dates, I would recommend using the “secret” step of hydrating them in the Notes section, like we do for raisins in this recipe. 😉
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for the timely reply! I could use say, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and mostly dates (I’d like to use more than 1/2 cup though) I was thinking closer to 3/4-1 cup. I could probably go without stevia if I put those two together, but if I did put stevia in, I use President’s Choice granulated Stevia (Canadian brand). I think it’s technically stevia extract, which I never realized until now.
You’re welcome, Bart! We’re happy to help, and thank you for sharing this additional information. It makes things a lot easier on our end! 🙂
If you’re using the chopped dates in place of the raisins, we don’t recommend adding much more than ½ cup. Too many “mix-ins” can prevent the cookies from holding together properly, so they’ll be rather flimsy and prone to falling apart. (Amy’s done the baking experiments, and although still delicious, it’s a bit disappointing when the cookies almost disintegrate in your hands! 😉 )
We tried to research President’s Choice granulated stevia. It looks as if it’s made from maltodextrin and stevia extract, and it’s supposed to sweeten cup-for-cup like granulated sugar. Is that correct? If so, and if you’re comfortable using 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, you’ll need 6 tablespoons of President’s Choice granulated stevia plus 6 tablespoons of milk (any type should work!) to compensate for the “missing” liquid volume from the pure maple syrup. Your cookies probably won’t spread as much when made with milk, so we’d suggest flattening them to between ⅜” and ½” thick in Step 3, prior to putting the baking sheet in the oven.
We’d love to hear how your cookies turn out, whenever you get a chance to try making them!
Hi – looking forward to making these. We have a fan oven… should we still cook at 375 or lower it slightly? Thanks. x
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Anna! If you still have your oven’s manual (or are able to find a digital copy of it online!), I think that might produce the best answer. I’ve baked with different types of convection (aka fan assisted) ovens, and they’re not all the same. Some require setting the temperature around 25°F lower than the recipe’s temperature to compensate for the convection fan. Other newer convection ovens (including the one I own now!) do that internally, so with these models, setting the the temperature for 300°F with convection/fan means the oven is not actually baking at the equivalent of 325°F, like with the first kind of oven, and your cookies will therefore take longer to bake. (Does that make sense? I hope so — but please let me know if not!)
I know it’s not always possible to find the manual in person or online though! So if you can’t find your oven’s manual, and if you normally have to set the temperature lower than what a recipe calls for, then that would probably be true for these cookies too.
And one last quick thing… This recipe’s baking temperature is 325°F, not 375°F. (I really don’t want your oatmeal cookies to burn! 🙂 )
I’d love to hear what you think of them if you do end up trying this recipe!