During the last few days that we spent with Grandpa before he passed, my family fell into a new daily routine. Wake up, shower, drive to the hospital, sit by Grandpa’s bed… And only leave his room to grab food or when one of his friends stopped by to give those people privacy to say their final good-byes.
While Grandpa slept, I found a pencil so my family could work on the New York Times crossword puzzles, whispering clues and answers back and forth, with Bach’s classic music softly playing in the background. When Grandpa’s eyelids fluttered and he awoke for brief stretches, we told some of our favorite stories and sang show tunes from musicals like “The Sound of Music” and “The Music Man.”
Since we spent eight hours or more at the hospital during those days, we ate most of our meals at the cafeteria. Sometimes people grabbed a sandwich for something quick and easy, other times they opted for a hot meal like quesadillas or meatloaf, and my parents even tried the vegetarian sushi one day.
After almost every lunch, Mom returned to Grandpa’s hospital room with an oatmeal cookie in hand. She usually took a few bites before sticking it in her purse, intending to share half with Dad, and yet… By the time dinner rolled around, the cookie had usually disappeared, and Dad rarely received more than a bite!
Although I managed to avoid almost all of the cookies while on that trip in San Diego, I ate more than my fair share of these Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies when we returned home. Their cozy spices tasted so comforting, and all of the chocolate really helped too. At least they’re much healthier than those hospital cookies with no butter, refined flour or sugar and only 97 calories!
These healthy oatmeal cookies are the next installment in my clean eating oatmeal cookie recipes. ← Have you tried any of those other recipes yet? They all contain no butter, refined flour or sugar—and they taste just like traditional indulgent cookies! The carrot cake, apple pie, and chocolate chip peanut butter versions are some of my most popular recipes!
Just like the rest, this recipe starts with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called quick-cooking or one-minute oats, and they’re sold in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats.
It’s incredibly important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient will dry out the cookie dough and make your cookies taste cakey, rather than chewy. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!
For this reason, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I use it to make every recipe I share with you on my blog because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
Rather than refined sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy cookies with pure maple syrup. Make sure you buy the real kind. Skip the pancake and sugar-free syrups because those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this recipe! The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs. (I’ve also bought it online here!)
Since most grocery stores don’t sell bottles of “chai spice,” you’ll make your own blend. It’s super easy! You just need cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. With their cozy flavor, I find them even more irresistible than pumpkin pie spice! And of course, don’t forget the chocolate! I love these mini chocolate chips because they taste so rich and melt really well… And because their small size ensures that every bite contains chocolate!
Time for cozy cookies, rich chocolate, and a tall glass of 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 I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 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 ¾ tsp homemade chai spice (see Notes below!)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, homemade chai spice, baking powder, and salt. 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 miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 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 the desired thickness and width with a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love! It’s been the best $20 I’ve ever spent!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them crumbly instead of chewy.
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 or until they’re about half of their original size.
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 (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free blends will work as well, if measured like this.
For more tips and answers to ALL other questions {including substitutions and videos!}, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
♥ 25-Minute Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream
♥ Easy Blender Chai Spice Cashew Butter
♥ Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies
♥ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Hi Amy
How many minutes should I bake it for if I want to make them crunchy?
Amazing cookies! I even forgot to add the butter that I was heating in the microwave. The entire family loved them
and they were gone in a matter of minutes. Next time I will double the recipe. I did however add extra mini chocolate chips, Always!!
I’m so glad your family loved these cookies, Connie! That’s the BEST compliment there is, if the entire batch disappeared in minutes. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it means a lot! 🙂 (And I’ll never turn down extra chocolate chips either! 😉 )
Absolutely love! Doesn’t make me feel so guilty about cookies! Thank you!
If I wanted to make them vegan would I need to change or add anything?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Erica! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It truly means a lot! 🙂
My favorite way to make these vegan is to use the coconut oil option (or stick-style vegan butter in place of the unsalted butter!) and Ener-G to replace the egg. My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute! If you haven’t heard of it, Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of stick-style vegan butter or coconut oil for each egg yolk.
I’d love to hear what you think of the vegan version, if you end up making them that way too!
Best cookies I have made. They are light, tasty and very hard to stop at one 😂.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh my goodness, Sharon!! That’s such a huge compliment! I’m truly honored that you’d call these the best cookies you’ve ever made! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it means so much!! ♡
Enjoyed these cookies especially the spice flavour in them. I did find the dough very sticky to work with when placing on tray. Was hoping there was a ‘note to self’ as do other recipes I’ve saved just as a reminder to use less maple syrup next time. (I prefer less sweet) Will make again, thank you 😊
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the flavor of these cookies, Helena! This does tend to be a more sticky dough than other cookie dough you might be used to baking with. We prefer to use a spatula when preparing them to bake for exactly the same reason! 😉 You may find the Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page helpful, which is linked in the notes section, directly below the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss. You may also find it helpful to watch the video of our oatmeal raisin cookies. Amy shows a great technique to get cookies like these transferred from the bowl to the baking sheet!
You’re welcome to use less maple syrup, if the cookies were too sweet for you, but that could lead to a more cake-like texture in her baked cookies. Substituting an equal amount of milk for however much maple syrup she omits will help prevent that cake-like texture though! (For example, 6 tablespoons of maple syrup + 2 tablespoons of milk.)
If you decide to try this next time you make your cookies, I’d love to hear what you think!
These didn’t turn out for me at all- even with the chocolate chips the kids wouldn’t eat them 🙁
Followed the recipe exactly, but must have made a mistake somewhere because all the other reviews turned out 🤷🏽♀️
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Linda! 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. Was it the flavor, the texture, or something else that wasn’t what you expected?
Wow these are super good and satisfy my sweet tooth! I didn’t have cardamom so I used nutmeg to replace it and the cookies were so flavorful. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies, Hailey! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too. It truly means a lot! 🙂 I appreciate you sharing your modifications as well. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work out!
Fun to make. My cookies came out really big and super flat? Not sure why. They were also very hard to get off the baking sheet and parchment. The consistency was very airy, not solid or cookie like, more crumble.
Thoughts on what went wrong? Thanks
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Nicole! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out, so I’m happy to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
How was their flavor? Was that okay, and it was just the texture that was off?
When you describe their consistency as “more crumble,” I’m picturing the dry and crunchy streusel topping of an apple crisp/crumble, like this. Is that accurate?
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section and on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, oats, and pure maple syrup?
Did you use whole wheat flour or the homemade gluten-free blend in the Notes section?
Did you use sugar-free maple syrup?
How long did you chill your cookie dough?
Can you describe its consistency before and after chilling?
How thick were your discs of raw cookie dough (ie ¼” thick, ⅜” thick, ½” thick, etc) after flattening them?
How long did you bake your cookies?
How much did they spread while baking?
You mentioned they were hard to get off of the parchment paper. Was that because they were too sticky and wouldn’t peek away from it? Or did they crumble because they were too dry and brittle? Or something else?
Just to confirm, you used parchment paper instead of wax paper, correct? (A few readers have accidentally mixed up the two, which is why I like to double check! 😉 )
How long did you let them cool on the baking sheet and parchment paper before trying to transfer them?
How many rack positions does your oven have, and which one did you use to bake these cookies? (For example, five positions and the second from the bottom was used!)
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them! 🙂
Thank you for your reply. flavor was yummy.
Subs:I used gluten free quick oats (store bought) and gluten free almond flour (open nature).Reg. pure maple syrup.
I believe I followed your recipe to the T. I used parchment, i chilled for 30 min, I baked for 11 min on middle rack 3 from top. The consistency was not a crumble, just super flat ( like 3inch wide. They kind of formed into one huge flat mass, chewy, not holding form of a cookie. The consistency prior to chilling was like a think oatmeal. When placed on sheet they balls were about 1/2 in ch high, I did not flatten them. I used measuring cups and spoons. I let them sit for 10 min on cooking tray. They would not peel from paper and if they did after some force they would just fall apart.
Maybe I did not bake long enough? Maybe my measurements?
Thanks for the help.
It’s my pleasure, Nicole! I’m happy to help. I’m glad you at least enjoyed their flavor! Thank you for sharing this info too. It’s really helpful to hear, and I have a pretty good idea of the culprit! I just want to double check a few quick things…
Did you use a liquid measuring cup for the pure maple syrup or a standard ½-cup measuring cup?
Did you use the full amount of oats and almond flour? (I’m assuming yes, but occasionally someone shorts one of these two ingredients!)
Can you describe how you used your measuring cups to measure the oats and almond flour? (And did you use my fork trick, by any chance?)
I really appreciate your patience too — we’re nearly there! 🙂
I did use the full amount of dry ingredients and used your method for shaking it down and fluff with fork, and leveling off.
I used a standard 1/2 cup for the syrup (opps). I should have used a liquid measuring cup.
Thanks for sharing your answers, Nicole! A standard ½-cup measuring cup for the maple syrup is perfect. It’s what I use! Although it sounds counterintuitive, I’ve found that using standard measuring cups is typically more precise for liquids. (It’s often easier to misread or misinterpret the markers on the side of liquid measuring cups compared to simply using standard ones!)
Almond flour tends to be less absorbent than wheat-based flours, and it can vary based on a number of things (the brand, blanched vs whole almonds, etc). I don’t have experience with Open Nature’s almond flour, but based on the issues that you described, it sounds like it’s one of the less absorbent ones. If you’d like to make these cookies again with that same flour, I’d recommend adding an extra 2-4 tablespoons of the almond flour. The cookie dough consistency should match what’s in this video of mine (← that oatmeal cookie recipe is very similar to this one!). The extra almond flour should make the cookie dough thicker, which will help prevent the cookies from spreading so much and give them a better consistency as well! 🙂
Amazing healthy cookies!! Made these for my kids lunches (treat days are Fridays) and these are almost too good for lunches 🙂
This is definitely a new go-to recipe!!
Thanks for sharing with the world!
Warm wishes from Ireland!
Oh my goodness — a go to recipe and almost too good for lunches?? That’s the best kind of compliment, Maria! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know and rate this recipe too. It truly means a lot! ♡ Sending lots of love and sweetness to you and your kids too!