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!
Amy, we loved these. They were soft on the inside, crisp on the outside. They satisfy my craving for Alyssa’s Healthy Oatmeal Bites I buy at the store. This will be our oatmeal cookie going forward. We did made some changes to the recipe. We were out of raisins, used currants instead. I subbed 1/4 cup of flour with vanilla protein powder. I don’t eat anything without protein. We reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 cup since the protein powder was also sweet. The flour was oat flour. They were excellent. We may need to double it next time.
You’re so kind, Myrna! I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these oatmeal cookies so much. That’s the best kind of compliment, if you already think you’ll make them again — and might need to double the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share. It truly means a lot! 🙂
I really appreciate you mentioning your modifications as well. I always love to hear what recipe tweaks work, and your ideas of protein powder and currants sound creative and fun!
HOPE it works this time, I’m making your Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe, AGAIN. First batch made me a believer, doubling it this time. WOULD send U the photo, but don’t know where to do so. Ask/show me how and I’ll gladly send it. Maurice.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying these cookies, Maurice! Making them again and doubling the recipe this time is the best kind of compliment. Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe — it truly means a lot!
I’d love to see your photo! I can send you an email. That would probably be the easiest way to share it. I’m excited to see how your oatmeal cookies turned out!
I was looking for a healthy grab and go breakfast. Most breakfast cookies recipes have peanut butter which I don’t care for. This is the third time I have made this recipe and I really like it! I did alter the wet ingredients to make the cookies less dry. The addition of another egg and doubling the butter really helped. I used home rolled oats and milled wheat flour so that may have been the reason I needed more moisture. Thompson raisins and walnuts added in perfected the recipe for me. Thank you!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying these oatmeal cookies, Kim! That’s the best kind of compliment, if you’ve already made them three times. Thank you for taking the time to share — it truly means a lot!
Home rolled oats sound really fun! I haven’t tried working with them before, so I can’t personally vouch for whether that’s why your mixture was dry. I’m glad you were able to find an easy way to fix it though!
If it’s helpful, I’ve shared the most common culprits that make this cookie dough dry on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page (there’s a link to it in the Notes section as well — I know it can be easy to miss!), and the number one reason is how the oats are measured. I just wanted to mention this FAQ Page in case the common culprits might have also been a factor in one of your batches! 🙂
Loved them! I used agave as the sweetener and made as directed.
I will be making again for sure.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies, Ann! We’re honored to hear that you plan to make them again, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
Made these cookies for my husband and grandkids and they loved them. Rehydrating the raisins is game changing!! When I made them the second time I added a quarter cup of lily‘s chocolate chips and it was amazing. The third time I made it I added a quarter cup of shredded coconut, and it was again amazing.
Wow, we’re honored that you’ve already made these cookies three times, Kelly-Ann! I learned about rehydrating the raisins from Amy and agree that it’s such a game changer! I appreciate you sharing which other mix-ins worked well. I haven’t tried the coconut yet, that sounds delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
Cookies were wonderful! I think next time I’ll add a dash of ginger.
I’m so happy you liked these oatmeal cookies, Zar! Thank you for taking the time to share and rate the recipe. It truly means a lot! 🙂
I love your idea of adding ginger. I’ve done that with a few batches, and it provided such a wonderful cozy background warmth. I hope you enjoy it too!
Can I use just all purpose flour?
Yes, absolutely! I’ve covered this in the Notes section of the recipe box (located directly underneath the Instructions), but I know it can be really easy to miss that tidbit. 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them like that, Carissa!
Im new to baking and tried this recipe and they came out great! The extra notes were helpful, without it I probably would have used reagual oats or too much flour.
It’s great to hear that you enjoyed these cookies, Anya! We’re so happy that you found the extra notes helpful, too. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂
Hi there, this sounds delicious, I was curious if you know how many grams of sugar is in a cookie? I’m looking to be able to enjoy a sweet snack that doesn’t make me worry about sugar or sodium. Thanks in advance!
Mike
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Mike! We linked the nutrition facts (including the grams of sugar!) at the bottom of this recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! We’d love to hear what you think if you decide to make some!
Can these be baked using convection oven mode. I would lower the temperature and shorten the cook time. Has anyone tried it? They look amazing and I can’t wait to try!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Debb! I’ve baked these cookies in a convection oven, and they turned out really well. For the convection oven that I used, I lowered the baking temperature by 25°F (but I’d recommend consulting your oven’s manual, just to double check what’s best for your model!), and they finished in the same amount of time. I didn’t have to reduce the baking time. It’s worth checking on them sooner, to be safe, but that might be true for your particular convection oven too!
I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you end up making them!
I made them and they were fantastic! The perfect morning cookie with my coffee. I took your advice. I lowered the temp by 25 degrees and used convection mode on my oven. The bake time remained the same. I hope this review helps others. Thank you Amy for perfecting this recipe. 👍😊
That’s wonderful, Debb! I’m thrilled to hear that it worked so well with your convection oven. Thank you for taking the time to report back and share — it really means a lot! 🙂 I love your idea of pairing them with coffee too. That sounds like such a delicious and cozy way to start the day… I just might have to try that myself! 😉
Love all the alternatives listed!
I’m so happy you found the notes helpful, Sophie! Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂