Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Cookies

 
Partway through middle school, I started to visit the mall in my hometown about three or four times a year—or whenever an upcoming special occasion like Easter or Christmas required a new outfit—with one of my close friends. Since my mom rarely enjoyed shopping, she dropped off the pair of us at one of the big department store entrances and handed me a few larger bills before I hopped out of the car.  

As a saver rather than a spender, I mainly looked forward to those shopping trips for the social time to chat and hang out with my girlfriends, much more than trying on jeans and tanks in dimly lit dressing rooms with doors that never quite seemed to latch properly. (Especially the curtain “doors” at Forever 21 that simply flowed down from the ceiling—those always made me nervous!)

As a result, I typically returned home with a fairly full wallet and only one or two new pieces to add to my closet, but I almost always brought back a certain white paper bag with red scripted lettering… From Mrs. Fields!
 

 
My best friend introduced me to the little bakery located in a small corner at the end of the mall on one of our first few shopping trips. Thankfully, she ordered her cookies first, which gave me plenty of time to stare at the options in the display case and try to sort through my indecision. I usually ended up with snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin cookies, or something extra chocolaty!

On one shopping trip, my friend decided that she wanted a pastry from Cinnabon instead of Mrs. Fields. Since I had been looking forward to those warm, chewy cookies all day long, we briefly stopped by that little dessert stall for me before walking around the corner to Cinnabon for her ginormous cinnamon roll. It was bigger than my entire hand and completely doused in sweet cream cheese icing!

As we strolled around the mall nibbling on our treats, the wheels in my head started to turn. My oatmeal cookies have cinnamon… Her cinnamon roll obviously has cinnamon… I wonder how they would taste together…
 

 
That memory resurfaced when I recently drove past the mall, so I finally put my childhood musing to the test and baked these Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Cookies to find out. The result? Aaaahhh-mazing!! The cozy cinnamon made these cookies absolutely irresistible (I couldn’t stop myself from eating three in a row!), and the sweet cream cheese drizzle takes them over the top.

Pure bliss!
 

 
This is the next recipe in my clean eating oatmeal cookies series. Have you tried any of the others yet? They’re some of the most popular recipes on my blog, and for a good reason… They’re so soft and chewy, and they don’t taste healthy at all, despite containing NO butter, refined flour or sugar!

These healthier cookies begin with whole wheat flour and instant oats. No, instant oats are not the ones sold in the individual-sized brown paper packages! They’re also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats, and they’re usually sold in large canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats.
 

 
It’s incredibly important to measure both the flour and oats correctly, using either the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will make your cookies taste cakey or dry instead of chewy, especially the oats. The oats act like little sponges and soak up moisture from the cookie dough, so please measure them correctly!

I highly recommend a kitchen scale to ensure your cookies have the perfect texture. This is the inexpensive one that I own, and it’s worth its weight in gold. I use it every single day—it’s my all-time favorite kitchen appliance and the best $20 I ever spent!
 

 
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten these cookies with pure maple syrup instead. Be sure to use the good stuff! Skip the pancake syrups or sugar-free syrups; those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “pure maple syrup.” You can generally find it in either thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs on the same aisle as the oats in the grocery store. (I’ve also bought it online!)

These cookies don’t spread very much while baking, so remember to flatten the cookie dough before popping the pan in the oven. I use my favorite mini spatula to do this! The cookie dough tends to be rather sticky, so avoid using your hands or the bottom of a drinking glass, if possible. A spatula is definitely the way to go!
 

 
And of course, cinnamon rolls aren’t complete without cream cheese icing! You’ll use Greek yogurt cream cheese to make this healthier drizzle. I found my Greek yogurt cream cheese at Safeway (their own Lucerne brand), and many Walmart stores stock this brand as well. Neufchâtel cream cheese would work as a substitute.

Then you’ll sweeten the drizzle with one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s really concentrated, so a little goes a long way! You only need a few drops for this recipe. This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
 

 
Time to eat! And when you bake your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking. I’d love to see your cookies!

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