Throughout my childhood, Mom almost always bought gingerbread cookies from the store during the holidays. She rarely baked (mainly chocolate chip cookies and banana muffins when she did!), so she compromised with those bakery cut-out cookies carefully decorated with icing to give my brother and me a taste of those classic wintertime treats.
But when I reached middle school, my aunt volunteered to bake gingerbread cookies with us at home instead. Mom completely steered clear of the kitchen while we measured and mixed, only popping her head in briefly to help us locate the cookie cutters.
We ended up with nearly six dozen cookies to decorate in various holiday shapes: stars, bells, candy canes, Christmas trees, Santa’s sleigh, reindeer… Plus a few oddballs like Mickey Mouse and the Pillsbury Doughboy. (We own quite the random assortment of cookie cutters!)
After splitting up the cookies, we sat down at the kitchen table with bowls of pastel-colored icing to spread across the treats. Time flew by as we decorated for hours… And before we knew it, Mom finally walked into the kitchen to start cooking dinner.
From start to finish, we ended up spending all day making those gingerbread cookies… And we’ve never done it again. My family is much too lazy to go through that process another time!
I still may make a batch of my ultimate healthy gingerbread cookies this Christmas (but without any icing decorations!), but until then, I’m sticking with this easy Healthy Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies recipe to get my gingerbread cookie fix! They’re so much simpler to make and don’t require any electric mixers or cookie cutters (aka fewer dishes to wash!).
Even better? These cookies are full of the same cozy comfort food flavors, like plenty of spices and an extra chewy texture. However, they contain no refined flour or sugar and only 89 calories!
That definitely makes for one happy holiday season! ⛄️
This recipe is the next installment in my healthy oatmeal cookie recipe series. ← Have you tried any of those other recipes yet? They’re all supremely soft and chewy, just like traditional recipes, but they contain no butter, refined flour or sugar! (I highly recommend trying my carrot cake, apple pie, and classic oatmeal raisin versions after this one!)
So just like in the rest of my recipes, you’ll begin with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “one-minute” or “quick-cooking” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional rolled oats, and you can find them in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your cookie dough and make your cookies taste cakey, rather than chewy. This is especially true for the oats. They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!
For this reason, I highly recommend a kitchen scale. ← That’s the one I own and love! It has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I use it to make every recipe that I share with you because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them.
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your cookies with a combination of pure maple syrup (like this!) and molasses (like this!). Do not skip the molasses! It’s what gives gingerbread cookies their iconic flavor: deep, rich, cozy bliss.
Well, along with the ground ginger, of course! Molasses + ginger = gingerbread cookie perfection. Then you’ll also sprinkle in a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to round out the spice flavor and give these cookies their full coziness.
Then once your cookies cool, just mix up a little icing, drizzle it on top, and…
Enjoy! ?? 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!
| Healthy Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- for the cookies
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
- for the icing
- 3 tbsp (36g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
- To prepare the cookies, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and molasses. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. 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 about half of the cookie dough’s original height using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- While the cookies bake, prepare the icing by stirring together the erythritol and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag. Once the cookies have cooled completely and just before serving, cut off a small piece of one corner of the bag, and drizzle the cookies with the icing.
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 ¼ to ⅛ 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 flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses! Along with the ground ginger, it’s what creates the iconic gingerbread flavor: deep, complex, rich, and cozy.
Regular powdered (confectioners) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol. Start with 1 teaspoon of milk to start because regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent than confectioners’ style erythritol.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Soft-Baked Ginger Cookies
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Donuts + Maple Glaze
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Do I have to use Instant Oats?
Yes! But see the Notes section underneath the Instructions for more info. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies SuzAnne!
Hi Amy!
I made these (tagged you on instagram!) this weekend and have a couple of questions…I made them using blackstrap molasses b/c I want the lower sugar content. Of course (oh hindsight!) a straight sub made the cookies a touch bitter. Would it be better for me to reduce to two tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup? I assume then I would up the maple syrup part to compensate? I also would like to sub that part for a combo of sukrin gold + milk (per your substitute instructions). Think this makes sense?
Thanks and sorry for the long question!
Vanessa (@vanessappurcell
Thank you SO much for making and sharing so many of my recipes on Instagram Vanessa! I’m truly honored!! 🙂 You’ve got that exactly right — if you use 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, then use 6 tablespoons of maple syrup. (That may defeat the intention of lowering the sugar content though! 😉 So if you don’t mind your cookies not being as sweet… Then use 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 2 tablespoons of milk!) If you’d like to sub sukrin gold + milk for the maple syrup, use 6 tablespoons of sukrin gold + 3 tablespoons of milk (or if using the reduced sugar version, use 1/4 cup sukrin gold + 2 tablespoons of milk). Does my long response make sense?? 😉 I hope you enjoy that version of the cookies better!
Thanks! I think I understand… I will try the 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses and 6 tablespoons sukrin gold (brown sugar sub) plus 3 tablespoons of almond milk. Sound good? I will keep you posted!
Exactly — you got it Vanessa! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear back!
Can I replace the maple syrup with brown sugar? I don’t have any other sweetener.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Cynthia! If you’d like to substitute brown sugar for just the maple syrup (and not the molasses!), then you’ll need ¼ cup (48g) brown sugar + 2 ½ tablespoons (38mL) of milk {any kind will work!}. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies!
Is it possible to use all oat flour in this recipe?
Thankyou! Xx
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Naomi! I’ve actually answered this exact question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you try making them!
Hello is there a difference when using black strap molasses? It’s the only one the store had…
If you can only find blackstrap molasses, then I’d recommend using 2 tablespoons (30mL) of that and 6 tablespoons (90mL) of pure maple syrup instead since blackstrap molasses has a stronger, more bitter flavor than regular molasses. I’d love to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies if you try making them, Jennifer!
Hi! Can i make these cookies without the molasses? I dont have!! Cant wait to make them!!!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Ana! As I mentioned in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions — I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 ), I don’t recommend substituting for it because molasses is a key component of the iconic gingerbread flavor. If you’re against buying molasses, then you can substitute additional pure maple syrup in place of it, but your cookies won’t have the same classic gingerbread taste.
I’d love to hear what you think if you try making them! 🙂
These cookies are WONDERFUL! Guilt free and so tasty!!! A new favourite for sure.
I’m so honored that you’d call these a new favorite, Sydney! That’s such a huge compliment. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — you just made my day! 🙂
I am just learning to bake and discovered your site! It is wonderful. This recipe was a HUGE hit with my family – I love that it is healthier and it is the perfect amount and type of sweetness. I am still perfecting it for high altitude but even the mess up batches are delicious!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these cookies! That truly means a lot to me — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
What have you tried doing so far to adapt this recipe to high altitude? Did you make it exactly as written, by any chance? If so, what went wrong when you did that?
I’ve actually had multiple readers in Colorado (and other high elevation areas!) say that my recipes work exactly as written at high altitude… And when they tried to modify them using traditional high altitude suggestions, my recipes turned out worse. I’m wondering if you’re experiencing the same thing? Or maybe something different? I’m happy to try helping you troubleshoot!
Thank you for your quick response! I am glad to hear that about people baking at altitude! Colorado altitude does vary a lot – many people live around 5,500 feet and right now I am baking from 10,000, which is pretty high. That said, you made me wonder if I did mess up the first batch (very reasonable assumption given my newness to baking, heh heh). That batch tasted great but fell apart. So maybe I didn’t pre-blend/chop up the old fashioned oatmeal enough. I did another batch this morning and pre-blended a lot more and they turned out much better! They are still a bit fragile but taste great. In my experiments, I tried to add another egg and I also tried to add a little milk and a little oil. Do you suggest any of these to make them bind just a tiny bit more? The other thing I haven’t tried is baking them longer? I usually take them out around 10-11 minutes. Thanks so much for your help!!
It’s my pleasure! I’m happy to help. 🙂 If you added an extra egg, a little milk, and a little oil, that actually would’ve had the opposite effect… All of these add moisture to the cookie dough. Too much moisture will make your cookie dough more wet — and therefore make your cookies fall apart more! Were those modifications done to your first or second batch?
For any of your batches, did you make my recipe exactly as written? (I couldn’t quite tell from your response, but I could easily be missing something! 😉 )
The best thing to do if your cookies are wet, fragile, or underdone is actually bake them longer. The longer you leave them in the oven, the more they firm up! Depending on how fragile they were, anywhere from 1-5 minutes more in the oven should be fine. If they’re only a teensy bit fragile, then you can also let them cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheet, rather than transfer them to a wire rack after 10 minutes, to avoid overbaking them.
Can use applesauce instead of eggs
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Mary! If you’d prefer to use applesauce instead of the egg, I’d recommend ¼ cup. Also, make sure you flatten and shape your cookie dough before baking! When you use applesauce instead of eggs, these cookies will not spread or change their shape at all while baking, so they’ll look exactly the same when you remove your baking sheet from the oven… Only no longer raw! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you end up making them!
Thanks so much! That is so interesting about the moisture! The ones the fell apart were before I added stuff and I think it was mostly due to not blending the oatmeal enough. I will buy the right kind next time! I will try to cook them longer, too. Thanks, again!
You’re welcome! I’m really looking forward to hearing how your next batch turns out! 🙂