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!
Great recipe!!! I doubled it and used oat flour and half maple syrup / half coconut sugar.
Turned out perfectly delicious.
We’re so happy you enjoyed these cookies, Kristy! Thanks for taking the time to let us know, it really means a lot! I appreciate you sharing your modifications, too. We love to hear about recipe tweaks that work well! 🙂
Wanted to do a fresh comment, but don’t want to sign up/enroll/etc. I hope you get this. (I despise having to sign up and give my email, etc. Just to say thanks – so rude of the platform). I made these with BUTTER, and golden raisins – yes, I soaked them! My “no can do chocolate” family memeber was thrilled. Chewy and naughty! And no preservatives or stress!
Mahalo!
I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies! It truly means a lot that you’d take the time to comment and rate the recipe. That’s the best kind of compliment too, if your chocolate-avoiding family member loved them! I’m honored! ♡ Mahalo and happy holidays to you as well!
I tried this recipe with my son, and we love it!
Your son is really lucky to have you, Aya! I have fond memories of baking with my parents during my childhood, and I loved every minute of it. I’m so happy you two enjoyed these oatmeal cookies! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe as well. It truly means a lot! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your recipe! They really scratched the itch that my husband and I had for oatmeal cookies! Easy recipe, MUCH less butter than a standard oatmeal cookie recipe which calls for two sticks of butter. My husband sadly doesn’t like raisins so I added a a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips. I used maple syrup for sweetening. I will make these often and will share them at work meetings. I will also try your other recipes. I baked them longer than called for, but my oven’s thermometer is out of wack. It is either too high or too low. Unfortunately, my husband and I ate all of them so there were none left to share with our dog.
I’m so happy to hear that you both enjoyed these cookies, Christine! We’re honored that you plan to keep this one in rotation and have deemed it worthy of sharing. I love the idea of chocolate chips! I enjoy raisins in my cookies, but that sounds like a delicious option to try. Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
Can you substitute oat bran for the oats or whole wheat flour? A tip for scooping the cookies: I used a small ice cream scoop, which worked perfectly!
I’m so glad the ice cream scoop worked, Vin! I always love hearing about tricks like that. 🙂 I don’t think oat bran will work in place of the flour, but there’s a chance it could potentially work as a substitute for the instant oats. I haven’t personally tried, so I can’t vouch for the results though and don’t want to lead you astray. Because of the size difference between oat bran and instant oats, the cookies’ texture might be a bit different. If you do end up experimenting, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Thanks for the feedback. You’re right about the texture of the oat bran; the chew wouldn’t be as pronounced as the oats. I think I’ll stick with your recipe!
It’s my pleasure, Vin! I’m happy to help. 🙂 If you have some oat bran you’d like to use and are mainly looking for things to make, I’ve shared some bran muffin recipes! Perhaps one of those might be of interest? I completely understand if not — just thought I’d mention it, in case that could be useful!
Thanks! Great website!
You’re so kind! That really means a lot, Vin!
Made these with my son and we loved them!! Hubby too! I like that there is not as much butter! Thank you:)
I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed these cookies, Kat! You’re so kind to take the time to share and rate this recipe too. It truly means a lot! 🙂 I hope you and your family have a lovely holiday season!
Absolutely perfect! I switched to clean eating about 6 months ago and it’s recipes like this one that keep me on track. I’ve made these cookies several times now with different sweeteners and add-ins, and they’re perfectly delicious each time. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s going down as the GOAT in my kitchen cookbook!
Oh my goodness!! That’s the best compliment there is, to call this recipe the GOAT in your kitchen cookbook. I’m truly honored — that’s such high praise, Charlotte! I’m absolutely thrilled that you love these cookies. Thank you for taking the time to share all of this and rate the recipe too. It means so much!! ♡
I made these gluten free but they came out cake like almost like they need more oil?
The flavour is good.
What do u think I did wrong!?
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Jamie! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out, so we’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
As a quick note, we’ve actually covered the most common culprits of what makes these cookies turn out cakey, rather than soft and chewy, in the Notes section and on our Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page. (There’s a link to that FAQ Page at the bottom of the Notes section.) I know it can be easy to miss though! 😉 Now on to those questions!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section and/or on our Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, instant oats, and honey?
If the latter, can you describe how you used them to measure? For example, did you dip your measuring cups directly into the containers of instant oats and/or flour?
Did you use the whole wheat flour option or one of the gluten-free options we provided? If the latter, which one?
Which sweetener did you use — honey, agave, or something else? And did you use the full amount?
How long did you chill your cookie dough?
Can you describe the texture of your cookie dough before and after chilling? (And did it match the consistency of ours in the video directly above the recipe?)
How much did you flatten your cookie dough prior to baking?
How long did you bake your cookies?
How was their sweetness level? Was that off too, or was it just the texture that wasn’t what you were expecting?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of what happened with your batch (and how we can fix it!) once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂
I’m not much of a baker, but this recipe was quick, easy and a definite crowd pleaser! Soaking the raisins and using the kitchen scale definitely helped.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies, Lynn! Soaking the raisins is a tip I learned from Amy, too, and it’s such a game changer! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know and rating this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
Just tried this recipe this evening! Makes a lovely soft cookie, just the right amount of sweetness to give you the feeling of a treat without the refined sugar. I used maple syrup as my sweetener, and subbed chopped dates for raisins as that’s what I had on hand. Excellent recipe, can’t wait to try the other versions too!
We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed these cookies, Laura! Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it means a lot! Thanks for sharing your modifications, too. We love to hear about recipe tweaks that work well. I can’t wait to hear which recipe you decide to try next! 😉
My granddaughter is 9 and has problems with her cholesterol. I want to send her a treat but shipping is at least 5 days out. Will these cookies keep that long?
We’re honored that you’re interested in making these cookies for your granddaughter, Karen! You’re such a thoughtful grandmother to want to send her some treats that suit her dietary needs! We typically use USPS’s two-day flat rate shipping boxes, and the people on the receiving end have never had any issues with the cookies spoiling while in transit. They should last for at least 5-6 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container or zip-topped bag at room temperature. If the recipients don’t think they’ll eat the cookies that quickly, then we often recommend to refrigerate them (they should last more than a week that way — and sometimes up to two weeks, depending on the refrigerator’s temperature!) or freeze them once the cookies arrive. We’d love to hear what your granddaughter thinks if you decide to make and send some of these cookies to her! 🙂