The spring after I earned my undergraduate degree from college, one of my old roommates and I planned a little reunion dinner date. We chose the newest Mexican place downtown, ran by the same owners of two of our other favorite restaurants on the same street, and we met out front on a random Tuesday evening.
When our server seated us at a table in the front corner of the room, he handed us menus and shared their special of the day: $1 tacos (with any filling!) in honor of Taco Tuesday. Both of our eyes lit up… My friend and I absolutely love tacos!
Although I opted to have mine à la carte while my friend selected the full meal with rice and beans, we nearly ordered one of each! As we waited for our chicken, steak, fish, and carnitas tacos to arrive, we occasionally dunked the complementary fresh tortilla chips into the spicy salsa and chipotle black bean dip while we traded stories about our lives since the previous summer’s graduation ceremonies.
After the server set down our plates and we each took our first bite, we looked at each other with huge smiles on our faces. Those were the best tacos we had ever eaten! Tender meat, a variety of juicy tomato salsas, and those small soft tortillas… We almost forgot to save room for dessert!
Almost… But not quite. We both have a huge sweet tooth!
I let my friend choose a treat to share, and when we looked at the menu, I immediately knew what she’d pick: the fried cheesecake burrito. Cheesecake is her all-time favorite dessert (closely followed by carrot cake!), so she looked for it at every restaurant we went to together.
That was the first time I ate a really creative cheesecake dessert, rather than a simple traditional slice, and the wheels in my head started spinning… What other fun cheesecake-themed treats could I make?? So far, I’ve swirled it into brownies, stuffed it in the center of dark chocolate truffles, turned it into froyo sandwiches, and now…
I’m combining it with cookies! These Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies, to be exact. They’re soft and chewy, exactly the way I love my cookies, and full of rich chips (practically a necessity for a chocoholic like me!). But that sweet cheesecake drizzle truly takes these cookies over the top and makes them oh-so-irresistible… Thank goodness they’re only 103 calories because it’s nearly impossible to stop after just one!
This version is the next flavor in my clean eating oatmeal cookies recipe series. ← Have you tried any of the others yet? They’re the most popular recipes on my blog—and for a good reason! The cookies are extremely soft and chewy, and although they contain no butter, refined flour or sugar, they still taste like normal indulgent cookies… Not healthy at all!
Just like with my other recipes, you’ll start this one with whole wheat flour and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats, and they are not the same thing as what’s sold in those flavored individual brown paper packets. Instant oats come in canisters, and you can find them right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.
Note: Don’t have instant oats? I explain how to make your own from old-fashioned oats here!
It is extremely important that you measure the flour and oats correctly, using either the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either one will dry out your cookie dough and make your cookies taste cakey, rather than chewy. This is especially true for the instant oats—they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure. This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I use it every single day! That kitchen scale ensures that my baked treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them, and I also use to measure ingredients for every recipe that I publish here on my blog. I love it!
Instead of granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten these cookies with pure maple syrup. Be sure you buy the good stuff! Skip the pancake syrups or sugar-free syrups; those contain refined or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “pure maple syrup.” It typically comes in thin glass jars or squat plastic jugs, and you can usually find it near the oats at the grocery store. (I’ve also bought it in bulk online!)
As a huge chocoholic (that’s why I wrote my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!), I want every bite of cookie to contain some chocolate. That’s why I use mini chocolate chips! Their smaller size is perfect for that. I absolutely love Ghirardelli’s mini chips because they have an amazing rich flavor and melt so well. They’re like little pockets of bliss!
And finally, that last important part… The cheesecake drizzle! You’ll use a combination of Greek yogurt cream cheese, milk, and vanilla crème stevia. I found my Greek yogurt cream cheese at Safeway (their own Lucerne brand), and many Walmart stores stock this brand as well.
As for the sweetener, stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s very concentrated—a little goes a long way! You’ll only need a few drops for this drizzle. This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. ← That’s where I buy mine! (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Got milk? ?? 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 that I’ll see the notification from you! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- for the cookies
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ 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) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- for the drizzle
- 1 tbsp (14g) Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp nonfat milk (or more, as needed, for a thinner consistency)
- 8-12 drops vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- To prepare the cookies, 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 maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to about half of their original height using a spatula. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Just before serving, prepare the drizzle by stirring together the cream cheese, milk, and stevia in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled cookies.
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. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
Well-softened Neufchâtel (⅓-less fat) cream cheese may be substituted for the Greek yogurt cream cheese.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
You may substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the vanilla crème stevia. If you use this substitution, omit the milk as well.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Raspberry Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Omg a Fried Cheesecake Burrito sounds insane, I don’t know if I could handle that 😉 Thank goodness for cookies like these though, because I know I can handle 3 or 4! 🙂 So intrigued by the Greek yogurt cream cheese too, I know you’ve used it in a lot of your other recipes and I have to try it for sure!
I had my eye on the Nutella chimichangas… They looked just as decadent, but I doubt I would’ve been willing to split that! 😉 I don’t know what grocery stores are out where you are, but I hope at least one of them carries the Greek yogurt cream cheese. It’s a great staple to have around!
Oh my gosh, these look like heaven, and the best part is I have all the ingredients except the cream cheese in the kitchen right now! Gonna whip up a batch of these after dinner I think 🙂 They look like they’ll taste just as amazing on their own.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies Laurel! That means a lot to me that you want to bake them today. 🙂
What’s better than a cookie? A cookie with icing on top. BOOM!!!
And when you’re pregnant, you automatically have to eat TWO cookies. It’s basically a rule. 😉
OMG Amy!! These sound and look insanely delicious! Are you doing mail order yet?? :)) I hope your week is going good so far!
Thank you so much Mike! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try the cookies!
Wow! These were truly awesome! Can’t believe that they are only 103 calories! Thanks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Errol! 🙂
I can’t wait to try these and thank you for the WW points.
You’re welcome Nancy! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies!
There’s seriously no way these are healthy… they just look too stinking good! I cannot wait to try them out!
You’re so sweet to say that Karly — thank you!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies!
Hi Amy?
Thank you so so much for this recipe! I made these cookies for my mom, she has always had many allergies and now has been diagnosed to be lactose and fructose intolerant. That’s why it’s super hard for her to find anything sweet to eat. I had to change the recipe accordingly, using some allergy friendly chocolate and rice syrup, sadly leaving out the cheesecake drizzle? But they were delicious anyways, thanks so much from my mom and me?
Katja x
You’re SO sweet to bake your mom homemade treats Katja! She’s really lucky to have you. 🙂 I’m so glad you both enjoyed the cookies! If she’s lactose intolerant, has she tried taking lactase pills? My brother is severely lactose intolerant, but if he takes one of those pills right before eating, he can eat anything with dairy — milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, you name it!