One summer while I was in high school, my mom pulled out an old, yellowing recipe card from her manila folder collection. Handwritten in my grandmaâs tidy cursive, it neatly spelled out the ingredients and instructions for her special peach pie. With half a dozen humongous ripe peaches sitting on our counter, we immediately started peeling and slicing to make the dessert.
Because I had grown up on just apple, pecan and pumpkinâall made with a classic single crust and nothing on topâGrandmaâs recipe for peach pie looked a little different. She called for a special no-roll crust, where we simply patted the dough into the pie plate, andâŚ
A streusel topping. Big, buttery crumbs generously sprinkled all over the fresh fruit, baked until slightly crunchyâthe perfect texture complement to the soft, juicy peaches underneath.
Until that day, I had never had anything like it⌠And I never want to eat a peach pie made any other way. Itâs literally the best peach pie Iâve ever tasted in my entire life. My four-member family managed to finish it offâthe entire 9â pieâin a single night! We may or may not have skipped dinner that eveningâŚ
And ever since then, weâve baked grandmaâs peach pie nearly every week during the following summers.
But because thatâs my grandmaâs secret recipe (and definitely not healthy!), I created a different treat with the same addictive flavors to share with you instead: these Healthy Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies! Full of juicy fruit, warm cinnamon, and one of Grandmaâs special ingredients, I can practically guarantee that these cookies will disappear just as quickly as that first peach pie my family made!
I started with my favorite clean-eating oatmeal cookie base. Have you tried any of my oatmeal cookies yet? Theyâre the most popular recipes on my blog (especially this carrot cake version!)⌠And for a good reason! Theyâre supremely chewy, extra soft, and full of healthy good-for-you ingredients.
The cookies start with whole wheat flour and instant oats. Itâs very important that you measure these ingredients correctly, using either the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. I highly recommend a kitchen scale if you have one! (I own and love this one.) Theyâre fairly inexpensive and are worth their weight in gold. I use mine for every baking recipe I make!
Why is it so important to measure the flour and oats correctly? Because too much of either will dry out your cookies, making them taste cakey or crumbly. Thatâs especially true of the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up all of the moisture in the cookie dough. So pretty, pretty please, measure these ingredients correctly!
These cookies are sweetened with honey because I love that flavor pairing with peaches. Then again, I also adore maple syrup with peaches too⌠So that would make a great substitution! As would agave, or brown sugar and milk. Just use whatever you usually stash in your pantryâno need for a special trip to the grocery store!
And now for my grandmaâs special ingredient⌠Almond extract! Weâll only add a little bit because the peaches are the true star of the show, but almond extractâs slightly sweet and sophisticated flavor provides the perfect backdrop for these treats.
Weâll use fresh peaches for these cookies (although canned in 100% juice and thoroughly drained will work too!). Because of the moisture in the juicy fruit and liquid honey, you must chill the cookie dough. Chilling helps thicken the cookie dough and allows the oats time to soak up that moisture. But rememberâif you chill the dough for more than an hour or two, the cookies wonât spread as much while baking!
If youâre impatient (like me) and want your cookies ASAP, drop the cookie dough into rounded scoops onto the baking sheet after just 30 minutes of chilling. The dough will still be slightly sticky, so use a spatula! I own these adorable piggy ones, and their small size is perfect for shaping the dough into rounded circles.
Then bake, cool, eat, and repeat!
So much easier than pie, donât you think? đ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees Iâll see your picture! đ ) Iâd love to see your healthy peach oatmeal cookies!
Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- ž cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- Âź tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup (100g) diced peaches
Instructions
- Whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and almond extract. Stir in the honey. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the peaches. Chill for at least 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, ensuring that the mounds are as tall as they are wide. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŚ
⥠Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
⥠Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
⥠Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
⥠Healthy Peach Oatmeal Muffins
⥠Healthy Peach Oatmeal Breakfast Cake
⥠Healthy Peach Scones
⥠âŚand the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
I made these for my kids to eat for breakfast (hey, they have fruit and oats in them!) and they loved them. Thanks for sharing this!
I approve of cookies for breakfast, Kelly! I’m so happy to hear your kids loved them! They are lucky to have a mom like you who would take the time to bake them something yummy to enjoy in the morning! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know and rate the recipe. It really means a lot! đ
Hey Amy, Made these once and INHALED all 15 in 2 days lol… They were delicious. Due to this face I must ask,
How many calories per cookie are these? Thanks!
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed these cookies, Alex! That’s the best kind of compliment, if the entire batch disappeared in two days. đ Thank you for taking the time to share and rate the recipe as well. It really means a lot!
The full nutrition information (including calories per cookie!) is actually included directly underneath the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss, but I promise that it’s there! đ
I didnât like these. The almond extract added a weird artificial flavor that didnât blend well with the peaches, they were a bit too sweet, and despite measuring the ingredients to the gram, the cookies still spread out too much and fall apart easily. I think they need more flour.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Austin! 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, we 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 to measure all of the ingredients, including the honey?
Which flour option did you use?
Did you use fresh, canned, or frozen peaches?
If either of the latter two, did you thoroughly drain the canning or thawing liquid?
Did you add all of the peaches’ juice to the cookie dough as well?
How long did you chill your cookie dough?
Prior to baking, were your mounds of cookie dough just as tall as they were round (ie as tall and spherical as possible)?
How long did you bake your cookies?
How much did they spread? (For example, were they as flat as crĂŞpes or turn into one giant blob?)
How long did you leave them on the baking sheet before trying to transfer them to a wire rack?
Have you baked with almond extract before? (We’ve had some readers say they’ve tried it for the first time when they’ve made one of our recipes, so we like to double check! đ )
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once we know your answers to all of them! đ
Can you substitute white flour
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Gerry! I’ve actually answered this exact question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page at the bottom of the recipe’s Notes section. (I know it can be really easy to miss though! đ ) I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you end up making them!
Can these be made in advance and frozen? Will they keep well?
Yes! Once fully baked and cooled, these oatmeal cookies freeze and thaw really well. (My favorite way to thaw them is to place individual cookies in the microwave on 30% power until warmed through, often around 20-30 seconds depending on the wattage of your microwave. They almost taste freshly baked that way!)
Iâd love to hear what you think if you try making them, Melissa!