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’m looking for recipes that might have something to do with carrot or apple pulp, because we recently made carrot apple juice, and I was wondering if I could use the pulp in a recipe instead of wasting it. Also, do you happen to have any scone recipes on your website?
I do have scone recipes on my blog Mary! You can find them under the “Recipes” tab, then “Breakfast,” then “Muffins, Donuts & Scones” (I’ve also linked to them here). In the future, the best way to find a specific recipe is to click on that “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located on the right side, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). That will give you an answer much faster than waiting on a response from me! 🙂 I’ve never used carrot pulp before, but it sounds like a great idea!
Hi there! Do you happen to have an idea of how many calories would be in each cookie? Thanks!
The full Nutrition Information for all of my recipes is included beneath the recipe Buffy! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the cookies!
I just made these today, and they’re a big hit! Your blog is my go-to whenever I’m looking for healthy desserts. Here are the modifications I made:
– half Bisquick (somehow, we have 10+ pounds of pancake mix…), half all purpose flour since I’m running low on ingredients
– honey instead of agave
I will be sharing a photo to Instagram later today! 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Elaine! I haven’t been on IG much today, but I’ll check it later tonight. I’m so touched by how many of my recipes you’ve shared on your account! ?
Love your blog !! Wow…and I love love love oatmeal raisin cookies. Thanks to your various substitutes I don’t have to go to the store! 🙂 Thank you for this amazing blog.
I made these yesterday. They were simple and delicious but the texture was more like a scone-ish cake instead of a chewy cookie? Any idea why this would have happened? I used maple syrup instead of agave. Also, the oatmeal became like oatmeal flour after being processed in the blender. Did I overdo the processing?
Thanks !
Uma
The oats shouldn’t be as fine as to resemble flour, but I explain the issues that cause that texture on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is already linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂
I will make them again very soon. They were a breeze to make. Also, perfect for my toddler. Thank you !!
My pleasure Uma! I’m so happy to hear that you and your toddler enjoyed the cookies!
My pleasure Uma! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies!
Amy, I can’t have oatmeal, so could I replace the oats with quinoa flakes? I found that I can make quinoa flakes in the same fashion that you would make hot oatmeal, so I was wondering if it would work in place of all oatmeal. Love your recipes and blog. Thanks for the good food.
Thanks for your kind words about my blog and recipes Alicia! 🙂 I don’t have any experience with quinoa flakes, but if you’ve been able to substitute them for oats in other recipes, then they would probably work in these cookies too. I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out if you try that!
Hi Lara! I was looking for a healthy recipe for my 10 month old. She had an oatmeal raisin cookie at a friend’s house and she loved it. This recipe is perfect, however my doctor suggested no agave nectar to babies. Do you think I could substitute that with maple syrup and have the recipe come out the same?
I meant Amy not Lara, sorry!
No worries Larissa! 🙂 I actually answer that on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is already linked to in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. I can’t wait to hear what you and your daughter think of the cookies!
My young adult children started whining as soon as they saw me add the whole wheat flour. I convinced them to try ‘”just a half.” Within minutes, the cookies were gone! I will be tripling the recipe next time! Note: I used honey instead of agave, and coconut oil. Also, I made my own instant oats, and measured very carefully, without using the spool-and-level method, because I don’t have the tools. They worked out fine. I think I baked them one minute too long because I waited for them to be firm with no look of moisture. Next time I won’t do that.
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the cookies Debbie! That means so much to me that your kids were so hesitant to try the cookies, yet they polished off the batch. Thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂 I really appreciate hearing your recipe modifications too — I love hearing what tweaks work!
Hi Amy, This my first time looking at this cookie. I have a medical condition that requires me to be very aware of my total fat and sugar intake, can you provide me with at least these two amounts? I look forward to baking them.
Thank you.
The full nutrition information is already included underneath the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies Thomas!
The recipe cold not have been easier to execute. Between my wife and our guests, I had just two for myself?. You have won me over.
Many Thanks.
Thomas
I’m so glad you, your wife, and your guests all enjoyed the cookies Thomas! I’m also truly honored that you’d bake these cookies to share with guests — that means a lot to me! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what recipe you try next!
So I used my scale for the first time. I did everything perfectly and was so excited for the results. The cookies all cooked into each other. They still tasted delicious after I rolled them into little snack balls! Will try again 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies’ flavor Brianna, and that’s so exciting about your scale! 🙂 How long did you chill the cookie dough before baking the cookies?