Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

 
While in Anaheim for vacation earlier this year, my family and I woke up extra early (even during the weekend!) to take our hotel’s shuttle to Disneyland. We wanted to get there right when the gates opened to sneak in a few more rides before the park grew crowded and lines snaked around and around the stanchions and ropes.  

As soon as we passed through the Disneyland entrance, we power walked down Main Street towards the Matterhorn, my brother’s favorite ride in the entire theme park. As we hustled, we silently thanked the costumed characters posing for photos at the very beginning of the street.
 

 
Lots of other patrons had stopped to wait in the quickly growing queues to snap a souvenir shot with Mickey Mouse, Chip and Dale, Daffy Duck, and even Woody from Toy Story. Most of the people in those lines looked like parents with young children… And over half of them were pushing strollers with toddlers safely buckled inside.

I smiled to myself, remembering my mom’s story about the first time I met Pooh Bear at Disneyland as a three-year-old…
 

 
And in the middle of chuckling, I spotted a few different children clutching half-eaten Pop-Tarts in their hands.

It mostly made sense. Pop-Tarts are quick, portable, and an easy way to get kids out of the hotel and into Disneyland as soon as the park opened! However, if I tried eating that breakfast as an adult, I just might experience a sugar crash merely an hour or two later…
 

 
But I bet these healthy raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal breakfast cookies would’ve been a fantastic alternative — at least for me! They’re supremely soft and chewy, exactly the way I love my oatmeal cookies to be, and just as quick, portable, and easy. Unlike those store-bought breakfast pastries, these contain whole grains… And fresh, whole berries!

These healthy breakfast cookies are also perfect for meal prepping and grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks, so… Note to self: Bake a batch or two for our next Disneyland trip!
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES

Let’s go over what you’ll need to make these healthy raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal breakfast cookies!

You’ll start with a combination of instant oats, whole wheat flour (or gluten-free — more on that momentarily!), and a touch of cinnamon. Although berries and cinnamon might not be as intuitive of a combination as apples and spices, for example, it almost feels wrong to make oatmeal cookies without the cozy cinnamon… And it adds a surprising yet delicious richness to these healthy breakfast cookies!

Tip: I buy my favorite cinnamon online here! It’s really affordable, and it tastes stronger, richer, and a little sweeter than standard cinnamon. Worth every penny!
 

 
As for the instant oats, they’re not the same as what comes in those individual brown paper packets with flavors like maple brown sugar or apple cinnamon!

Instead, instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They only contain one ingredient: oats! They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats… Which means they cook faster and make the most soft and chewy breakfast cookies imaginable! You can usually find them in containers right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store.

Hint: If you’d like to make these healthy raspberry oatmeal breakfast cookies gluten-free, use certified gluten-free instant oats, and see the Notes section of the recipe for my gluten-free flour recommendations. I’ve included my favorites there!
 

 
Unlike traditional cookie recipes that call for a full stick or two of butter, you just need 2 tablespoons for these healthy breakfast cookies. Butter and coconut oil both work equally well (and yield the same soft and chewy texture!). By using that small of an amount, it really helps keep your healthy raspberry oatmeal breakfast cookies low calorie and low fat!

Hint: If you use coconut oil, then your healthy raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal breakfast cookies will be dairy-free!

These breakfast cookies contain no refined sugar. Instead, you’ll sweeten your healthy breakfast cookies with pure maple syrup. You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees! The only ingredient on the bottle should be “pure maple syrup,” and it often comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).

Tip: I don’t recommend using pancake syrup or sugar-free syrup. These both contain other ingredients, which can change the way they behave in baking recipes. This is especially true of sugar-free syrups! They’re often water-based, and that tends to make your cookies cakey or bready, rather than chewy.
 

 
Yet to make sure these classify as healthy breakfast cookies, not just regular “dessert” cookies, you’ll only use half as much maple syrup as in my “dessert” oatmeal cookie recipes. Then you’ll replace the missing liquid with milk!

Any milk will work, but since many of my family members are lactose intolerant, I picked unsweetened vanilla almond milk for these healthy raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal breakfast cookies. (That and unsweetened cashew milk are our two favorite dairy-free milk options!)
 

 
Time for the fruit! I used fresh raspberries since they’re currently in season, but frozen and thawed raspberries will also work. Just remember to dice them so they’re about the same size as mini chocolate chips so your cookies bake evenly and you get a bit of sweet fruit in every bite!

And yes, I used mini chocolate chips (these are my current favorite!) in these healthy breakfast cookies. With their smaller size, every bite of cookie contains at least one morsel — if not more! — of rich and decadent chocolate. That’s always a good thing in my book, especially when I’m rolling out of bed a little earlier than I’d like! 😉
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES

Let’s quickly cover how to make the best healthy raspberry oatmeal breakfast cookies! This recipe is simple and straightforward. I also have some tips to ensure your cookies turn out perfectly soft and chewy!

First, it’s extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your cookie dough and make your cookies cakey or crumbly, rather than moist and chewy. This is especially true of the oats since they act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture as possible!

So pretty, pretty please… Take the few extra seconds to measure your ingredients correctly. I promise the end results are worth it!
 

 
Next, because the cookie dough is somewhat wet when you first mix everything together, you’ll briefly chill it. Chilling helps stiffen your cookie dough and allows the oats to start softening ahead of time, which yields an incredibly soft and chewy texture in these healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies!

But before you bake your cookies, remember to flatten your cookie dough with a spatula. This cookie dough doesn’t spread, so your fully baked cookies will be as thick (or thin!) as they were when you first put your baking sheet in the oven. (I love using these mini spatulas — they’re so handy!)
 

 
Finally, do not overbake these cookies! They’re actually done when the centers still feel a little soft and underdone. You’ll leave them on the warm baking sheet for a few minutes after removing your tray from the oven, which allows the centers to fully cook through without drying out your cookies or making them turn out cakey.

Then once your healthy raspberry breakfast cookies have cooled for just a few minutes…
 

 
Tell me if you figure out how to stop after just one… Because I almost never can! 😉 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 healthy raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal breakfast cookies!

Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 15 breakfast cookies

These breakfast cookies are supremely soft and chewy! They’re full of hearty oats, sweet fruit, rich chocolate, and a hint of cozy spice flavor. These breakfast cookies are great for breakfast meal prepping or quick grab-and-go snacks! Leftovers will keep for close to one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator — if they last that long! (They freeze really well too!)

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients 

• 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour 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 white, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 6 tbsp (53g) fresh raspberries, diced
• 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips (divided)

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil or butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and milk. Add in the oat mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently stir in the raspberries and 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 20 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. Flatten to ⅜" thick using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: 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!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.

 

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These breakfast cookies aren’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! They have a sweetness level similar to muffins or breakfast scones. For sweeter cookies, substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate.) Alternatively, use my true “dessert” raspberry oatmeal cookie recipe instead.

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!), so make sure to flatten them before baking. I use my mini spatulas to do this.

 

Do not over-bake these cookies! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. The heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest for 10 minutes after pulling the pan from the oven.

 

OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.

 

In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours!

 

EGG WHITE ALTERNATIVE: If you’d prefer to use a whole egg, then substitute 1 large egg, and reduce the milk by ½ tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolk.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Regardless of which you use, make sure it’s at room temperature. If chilled, it will re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil.

 

I don’t recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Because it’s often water-based, it makes the cookies cakey or bready.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

 

FRESH RASPBERRIES ALTERNATIVE: Frozen and thawed raspberries may be substituted for the fresh raspberries. For the best results, dice your raspberries so they’re the same size as the miniature chocolate chips.

 

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (like these) and certified gluten-free oat flour (like this). Alternatively, for a non-oat-flour version, use the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.

 

DAIRY-FREE VERSION: Use the coconut oil option or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one).

 

NUT-FREE VERSION: Use the unsalted butter option and your preferred nut-free milk (ie nonfat milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc).

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. If left at room temperature, they’ll keep for a couple of days. If refrigerated, they’ll last closer to a week (if not longer!). Once baked and fully cooled, these oatmeal cookies also freeze really well!

 

For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free option, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
♡  Healthy Raspberry Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Raspberry Scones
♡  Healthy Raspberry Glazed Almonds
♡  Healthy Raspberry Almond Granola
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!