When I was 9 years old, my grandma moved from Ohio to California to live in the same town as my parents so we could see her more often. As she settled into her new house, I was giddy with joy. Before, she only visited once or twice a year, but she always brought baked goodies like zucchini or banana bread. With her only 10 minutes away, I thought she’d make those for us at least once a week!
My mom quickly explained that no, it was not Grandma’s job to feed us, but Grandma would still bring over homemade goodies every so often. The one I looked forward to the most was, hands-down, her apple pie.
She always made a double-crusted apple pie with the flakiest texture on both the top and bottom. The crusts were perfectly golden, without a burned patch in sight, and concealed the tender fruit hiding inside.
Grandma usually chose tart Granny Smiths, the traditional option she grew up with. She thoroughly doused them in cinnamon and sugar, then baked the pie until the sliced fruit was supremely soft and nearly falling apart.
She usually brought over one of her apple pies on the 4th of July and my dad’s birthday in September, and sometimes when I asked nicely, she would bake one around my birthday too.
This past week, in an effort to get back on the healthy track after the holidays, I bought a big bag of apples, but as I stared at them, willing myself to snack on a crisp and juicy one, all I could think of were Grandma’s pies. Because I didn’t have the patience for crusts or waiting for hours while it baked and cooled, I made these Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies instead!
Over the past few years, I’ve realized just how much you love cookies. They were your top three choices in the Readers’ Favorite Recipes of 2014! So a new clean-eating recipe for healthy January sounded perfect. Diets shouldn’t be about deprivation, after all!
Like my other clean-eating oatmeal cookies, these ones are made with 100% whole wheat flour and lots of instant oats. (They’re also called quick-cooking or minute oats and are sold in big canisters next to the old-fashioned oats. They aren’t the ones in the little flavored packets for breakfast!)
I love my oatmeal cookies to be chock-full of oats, so I actually use more oats than flour. Be sure to use the instant kind because they provide a better chewy texture. And even more importantly, measure them correctly using the spoon-and-level method like with flour! Too many oats will dry out your cookies and make them much less chewy.
These cookies are sweetened with agave, but I also included other options in the recipe notes below. Because of the liquid sweetener, chilling is mandatory! If all of the ingredients were measured correctly, the cookie dough should look more like thick muffin batter. Chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading into thin, flat discs on the baking sheet.
Hint: Check out my video for visuals and more tips!
Just like their namesake, these Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies are full of fruit and lots of warm spices. With this easy, no-fuss recipe, they’re ready much sooner than pie, which makes them a little dangerous! I can’t stop eating them… But at only 97 calories each, I still feel on track for a healthy New Year!
My newly released Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is full of sweet and healthy recipes like these oatmeal cookies! Reserve your copy here today!
| Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured correctly & gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) agave
- 1 cup (125g) finely diced red apple (about 1 medium)
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the agave. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the apple. Chill 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 13-15 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.
For the best results, dice the apples very finely. The larger the chunks, the crisper and less soft they’ll be. Finely diced apples will not completely soften while baking, but they won’t be quite as crunchy as larger chunks. If the cookies are stored in an airtight container for a few days, the apple pieces will naturally soften over time as well. I prefer Fuji apples, but any red apple will work. If you prefer a tarter taste, green apples would be fine too.
Honey or pure maple syrup may be substituted for the agave. Alternatively, ½ cup (105g) brown sugar + 5 tablespoons (75mL) milk may be substituted as well. The chilling and baking times stay the same.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon (2g) xanthan gum.
For all other questions regarding the recipe, including ingredient substitutions, please see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ + Video page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
More apple oatmeal cookie recipes from other bloggers…
♥ Dulce de Leche Apple Caramel Oatmeal Cookies by Will Cook for Smiles
♥ Spiced Apple Oatmeal Cookies by Texanerin
♥ Oatmeal Cookies with Apples, Raisins, and Pecans by A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
♥ Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies by Love From The Oven
One evening I wanted to bake some simple and quick cookies and I was very glad, when I found this recipe. Cookies are delicious and they are made from simple products, which I always have in my kitchen.
I made some modification: I used old-fashioned oats, I didn’t use any sweetener and I didn’t have an apple, so I added and apple jam 130 g and it worked well.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Kristina! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It means a lot! 🙂 I also appreciate you sharing your recipe modifications. I always love hearing what tweaks work out — and your apple jam idea sounds really fun!
Can the batter and/or the cookies be frozen?
Yes! The fully baked cookies freeze and thaw really well. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you try making them, Rebekah!
What is the best way to freeze them?
Can I use regular AP flour ?
Can I use AP flour or coconut flour? If yes, same amount as whole wheat?
You mention that we can substitute the Agave for “Honey or pure maple syrup may be substituted for the agave. Alternatively, ½ cup (105g) brown sugar + 5 tablespoons (75mL) milk may be substituted as well. The chilling and baking times stay the same”.
My question with this substitution is are we to add the brown sugar and milk along with substituting with honey or maple syrup?
Would you store these on the shelf or in the fridge? Followed the recipe as is but didn’t have agave and used maple syrup instead. Me and the kids love them!
I’m so glad you and your kids enjoyed these cookies, Yasmina! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It really means a lot! 🙂
You can store them either way! They’ll last longer if you refrigerate them (closer to a week, if not more!), which is what I normally do. Otherwise, if stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they should keep for at least three days or so.