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Looking for healthy desserts? Save these healthy blueberry oatmeal cookies to your list of oatmeal cookies recipes to try! Soft, chewy, and filled with quick oats, these blueberry cookies are an easy healthy dessert everyone will love. They’re simple to make with applesauce, warm cinnamon, and no sugar. This blueberry dessert recipe is naturally clean eating and vegan with a gluten free option too! They’re the BEST healthy cookies!

Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 15 cookies
These healthy blueberry oatmeal cookies are easy to make — and a new favorite! Cozy oats and hints of cinnamon fill every bite, and the juicy berries add irresistible pops of flavor too. The dough is quick and simple to whip up any day of the week, yielding sweet treats perfect for any cookie cravings. Leftovers will keep for at least two days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature or at least five days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These cookies also freeze really well!
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients 

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the blueberries. Chill the cookie dough for 15 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, and flatten to ⅜"-thick using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 8-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto 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. This is especially true of the oats; they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the dough.
 
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!).
 
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 residual 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” and “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats and only contain one ingredient (oats!), just like old-fashioned rolled 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!
 
CINNAMON NOTE: I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon. It has a slightly stronger, richer, and sweeter flavor compared to “regular” cinnamon. This is the one that I use, and it's really affordable. (It's basically the only kind I use in my baking now!)
 
VEGAN BUTTER NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), rather than tub-style, for the best results. Unsalted butter may be substituted for the vegan butter or coconut oil.
 
APPLESAUCE NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Unsweetened applesauce is also called “no sugar added” applesauce. I use regular unsweetened applesauce (not granny smith). I like keeping single-serving containers in my pantry; they’re really handy for baking recipes!
 
Sweetened applesauce may be substituted. Flavored applesauce (such as cinnamon!) would work as well.
 
If you’re fine with consuming eggs, then you can substitute 1 large room temperature egg for the applesauce instead. With this substitution, your cookies should spread a bit, so don’t flatten the cookie dough quite as much just before baking.
 
PURE MAPLE SYRUP 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 these cookies cakey or bready.
 
BLUEBERRIES NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I strongly recommend fresh, if at all possible. You can substitute frozen and thawed blueberries, but pat them dry after thawing to remove any excess thawing liquid. Keep in mind that they often dye the cookie dough a gray-ish color.
 
If you’d prefer to use dried blueberries, then substitute ¼ cup (40g). I highly recommend hydrating them first — it makes them really soft, plump, and juicy! To do so, add the dried blueberries to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, and cover the top of the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the dried blueberries sit for 10-15 minutes (or while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients). Thoroughly drain the excess liquid before folding them into the cookie dough.
 
DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE + VEGAN OPTION: No modifications needed!
 
NUT-FREE VERSION: Use the stick-style vegan butter option, or substitute regular unsalted butter.
 
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats. For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: 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.
 
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 at least five days (if not a week or more!). 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, vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, clean eating, low fat,}
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.