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 used date syrup as my sweetener because I’ve been on a date sugar kick since I learned it has such a low glycemic index number. The results were delicious. I might enjoy them even more with a half walnut pressed into the top of the cookie for added crunch. Your instructions are perfect.
That is so sweet of you to say, Marianne! I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate the recipe, it really means a lot! I appreciate you sharing about using date syrup, too. We love to hear which recipe tweaks work well! I think the walnut would be the perfect addition, so if you try that please come back and let us know! 😉
These turned out so delicious! I used maple syrup in place of the honey/agave but followed everything else exactly and they were so soft and just sweet enough!
Thank you!
Joslyn B.
I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies, Joslyn! I’m glad the maple syrup worked well for you. Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
I didn’t enjoy these. The honey flavor was overpowering and the texture was gritty.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out. They should be soft and chewy (not gritty!) with a balanced flavor, so we’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons for all of the ingredients — especially the oats, flour, and honey?
Which flour option did you use: whole wheat flour or the homemade gluten-free flour blend provided in the Notes section?
What brand of instant oats did you use?
What’s the exact brand + product name of the honey that you used?
Have you baked with this honey before? (For some readers, it’s their first time baking with any type of honey, so we like to double check!)
Could you taste the oats or cinnamon at all?
Besides the grittiness, did your cookies turn out soft and chewy? Or were they more cakey, bready, and/or dry?
I know I just asked a lot of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of the culprit (and how to fix it!) once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂
I Tryed them out with my 10 year old they were really yummy can you use coconut nectar?????🤔💭🤨🤔💭🤨(:
It means so much that you and your 10-year-old enjoyed these cookies, Beatriz! No need to apologize. I’m honored that you’d consider this recipe worthy of 5 stars! 🙂 I don’t have experience with coconut nectar, but at least one other reader has substituted it with great results. I’d absolutely love to hear how that version turns out if you do end up using it too!
Sorry
I really loved this recipe, I did this with my 2 year old to give to my husband as a post work treat. Both he and my son love raisins so this was a great and easy bake to follow. I didn’t manage to get 15 but rather 7 cookies? I’m guessing I made them far too big? I did bake them a little longer but managed to large bakery school cookies as a result. Could you give an indication of how big they should be scooped out too? Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that you all enjoyed these cookies, Jasmine! It’s so sweet of you to make after work treats for your husband with your son, I’m sure he really appreciates that!
Amy actually has a video within this blog post, shortly before you get to the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! In that video, you can watch her scoop these onto the baking sheet, so hopefully that will help compare to the size that you baked! 🙂
These are my weekly cookies for my cookie jar. I can finish all in one day. DELICIOUS!!! Always love finding good healthy cookie recipies.
Oh my goodness — such high praise, Syeda!! That’s the best kind of compliment, if you make these cookies weekly and they all just might disappear in one day. I’m honored! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too. It truly means a lot! 🙂
I just made these. I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and used chocolate chips instead of raisins (family request lol). Absolutely delicious! This will be a staple recipe in our home now! Thank you 😊 🍪
Wow, Stephanie! That’s the best compliment we could ask for! I’m so happy that your family enjoyed these cookies (and I totally approve of the swap to chocolate chips 😉 ) Thanks so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe, it really means a lot!
Hi, this recipe looks amazing. I have afew question before I start. Instead of honey, I’d like to use either monk fruit sugar or swerve white granules. What measurement would you recommend. I’m adjusting my regular cookies to be more diabetic friendly. Thxs
I’m honored that you’d consider making my recipe, Chloe! If you’d like to use Swerve’s white granular sweetener, then you’ll need ½ cup (96g) to replace the honey or agave. Because it dissolves differently compared to honey, agave, and even granulated sugar and coconut sugar, you’ll also need to add ½ cup (120mL) of milk to achieve the correct cookie dough consistency. Any type of milk will work! Just make sure it’s at room temperature so it doesn’t re-solidify the melted butter/coconut oil.
I’m excited to hear what you think of these cookies!
I followed the directions exactly and every one of the my cookies turned out perfectly. Your suggestions on how to do things along the way helped me a lot with measuring. These cookies are delicious. The sweetness is perfect and they are moist and chewy I just love them. It’s actually late morning right now and I’m having two for breakfast/lunch. Ive searched for a while for an oatmeal cookie recipe … truly gluten free with balance and taste. You nailed it Amy … thank you!
Oh my goodness, Wendy! What a huge compliment! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, and I’m really honored that you think they’re perfect. Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too — it means the world to me! ♡
I also love the sound of your breakfast/lunch! I may have done the same thing once or twice too… It’s hard to beat enjoying cookies as a meal! 😉
Most everything I bake at home is gluten free so oatmeal is my go to in 95% of what I make. The basic recipe was very good. I tweaked it a bit. I used 1/4 cup honey and topped up the liquid using 1/4 cup of homemade unsweetened apple sauce. In place of the raisins I subbed rehydrated cranberries. In place of the vanilla, I used maple extract. I also replaced the coconut oil / melted butter with olive oil. Although I took these from the oven 2 hours ago, there are only 3 out of 18 cookies remaining. Treats don’t last too long in my house! These were a hit. I think I’ll put unsweetened nut butter in these next time, taking out the olive oil ,and putting in dark chocolate pieces in place of the cranberries. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed these cookies, Corinne! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if they disappeared that quickly. 😉 Thank you for taking the time to share your modifications too. I always love to hear what tweaks work, and yours sound so creative and fun!
In case it’s helpful, I’ve shared both a peanut butter version and almond butter version of these oatmeal cookies. These recipes use unsweetened nut butters and include chocolate chips too! Perhaps they might come in handy for referencing when you bake your next batch? 🙂