Looking for a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe that packs whole grains and other real ingredients? Have your cookie and eat it, too! Get the best of both worlds with these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — something healthy and something sweet.
Cookie lovers, we’ve got DOZENS of healthy cookie recipes here on Fit Foodie Finds. Starting with these healthy oatmeal cookies with mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!
We’ve been on a mission these past few weeks to figure out a way to make a healthier version of oatmeal cookies. And to be completely honest, we totally winged this recipe the first time we tested it. We knew we had a few must haves for these healthy oatmeal cookies before we started, and then just built from there.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies Must Haves
- Made with some kind of whole wheat flour
- Made “healthier” by lowering the amount of sugar we used
- Be chewy, not crunchy
- Involve chocolate
And to achieve this, we looked to our baking pantry staples that we try to have on hand at all times:
Healthy Baking Pantry Staples
- Rolled Oats
- White Whole Wheat Flour
- Cinnamon
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- All Natural Peanut Butter
- Eggs
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
Oats into Oat Flour
Oat flour can be expensive, and also quite hard to find in many major grocery stores, which is why we’re big fans of making oat flour at home. Trust us, it’s easy! And comes in so handy for these healthy oatmeal cookies. Simply place your rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor, and lightly pulverize to give them a rough chop.
The other alternative for making these healthy oatmeal cookies is to use quick cooking oats, which will give essentially the same texture as lightly pulverized oats.
Healthy Cookie Swaps
Classic oatmeal cookies involve LOTS of brown sugar and butter. We started by playing with different ways to sweeten the cookies, as well as using part coconut oil and part butter. Let’s just say that the first three batches of these cookies that we tested were hard as bricks. We could have used them as hockey pucks..if we played hockey.
We took multiple trips to the grocery store, and on round #8 we nailed it. We discovered that cookies are better with a little butter and that it’s A-OK to use a little brown sugar (just not a TON). We found that using mini chocolate chips left smaller air pockets in the cookies, which allowed them to stay a bit more moist.
We also realized we were totally over whipping the eggs and that you must use quick oats or pulse the oats in a food processor a bit before you start mixing up a batch of cookies–it seriously made a world of difference!
We just developed these healthy oatmeal cookies 2 weeks ago and we’ve already made them five times for friends + events. It is definitely a new favorite in the Fit Foodie kitchen. Enjoy!
How to Store Oatmeal Cookies
Keep these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, making sure they fully cool before storing.
Can you Freeze Cookies?
Absolutely! These healthy oatmeal cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply store in an air-tight container (large Ziplocs work great for this!), and write the date you made the cookies + the name of the cookies on the bag before placing in the freezer.
Thawing Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Thaw these cookies at room temperature overnight, or if you’re in a pinch for a healthy oatmeal cookie right now, remove a cookie from the freezer and place in the microwave for 1 minute on defrost, or until it’s chewy and delicious.
More Healthy Cookies
- Healthy Monster Cookies
- Flourless Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Paleo Cashew Butter Cookies
- Healthy Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- Healthier M&M Cookies
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Looking for a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe that packs whole grains and other real ingredients? Have your cookie and eat it, too! Get the best of both worlds with these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — something healthy and something sweet.
Ingredients
Dry
- 1.5 cups rolled oats, lightly pulverized (or quick cooking oats)
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Wet
- 1/2 cup non-salted butter
- 1 cup organic brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place oats into a food processor and blend for 15-20 seconds to lightly pulverize, shredding them into smaller pieces. If you’re using quick cooking oats, omit this step.
- Add oats and the rest of the dry ingredients into a medium size bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer.
- Add egg and continue mixing. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add dry ingredients (everything but the chocolate chips) to wet ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing on low. Last, fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, roll dough into ball and slightly flatten between your palms. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove cookies from oven, let cool, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cookie Calories: 122 Sugar: 10 Fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 18 Fiber: 1 Protein: 2Keywords: healthy oatmeal cookies
The taste was quite good but there was too much sugar. Dough was dry so added a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of milk.
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So I’m only labeling it a three stars cus I used oat flour instead and over whipped the eggs so my end result was a ball not a cookie 😄lol but if at first we don’t succeed try try again right 👍🏻Thanks for sharing this great recipe. They are delish.
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Hello! these look and sound amazing! Can I use rye flour instead of the wheat/white? Otherwise I have all purpose flour too … will that work? Lastly, can I use a sugar substitute, like golden monkfruit or some other sugar-like substance?
Hi! If anything I would use all-purpose. I’ve never had that sugar substitute, so I can’t speak to that!
These are tasty but PLEASE do not label them as healthy! Whole wheat flour doesn’t forgive the loads of sugar in here.
These cookies are excellent! I have been trying several ‘healthy’ oatmeal cookie recipes lately and they were too dry or to soft . These have the perfect taste and texture and they spread just the right amount. I didn’t get quite 24 cookies so I will add a bit of unsweetened applesauce next time to extend the dough. (I’m trying to keep them to 3 points each for weight watchers. I did not find them too sweet but to cut the calories from sugar a little, I used part Sukrin Gold and Monk fruit. I used the quick cooking oats. I also used part barley flour but I think any flour (combo) would work. Thank you!
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These cookies are generally satisfying (the cinnamon is a nice touch), but are way too sweet. In fact, many typical chocolate chip cookies call for 1 cup of sugar, so I’m not quite sure what qualifies these as “healthy.” I’d suggest reducing the sugar by a substantial amount – I haven’t experimented so I can’t make a specific suggestion – but 1 cup is overkill.
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These cookies are fantastic! I used regular size dark chocolate chips since that’s what I had and added raisins, which I hydrated like another person suggested. My only tip would be to double the recipe because they are so delicious! Bookmark this recipe!
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Exactly what I was looking for! I made mine vegan by using Earth Balance butter and a flax egg. I did everything else per instruction, cooked for 11m, and they are PERFECT. The dough is delicious too- I saved half the batch to eat uncooked! Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad your vegan substitutions worked!
This recipe was awesome. It was my first time EVER making cookies so I read the recipe and a lot of the comments and it turned out so good. I added 2.5 tbsp of soy milk because the dough ended up being dry and I added an extra tsp of cinnamon. Also I had to bake it for 20 mins for it to be done, but I think it was because I made really big cookies. Thank you so much for the easy steps. I will no longer be buying things that I can easily bake myself :).
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So glad you loved these cookies!!
Delicious!!! What can i do to keep them in good conditions without fridge i want to leave some at work
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I would let them cool completely and then store them in a container in a cool, dark place!
These were delicious! Used old fashion oats so my dough was a bit dry but after flattening just a bit they baked up beautifully. Added chopped cherries and unsweetened coconut to half the batch and they ww amazing too!
Can the dough be frozen before cooking? I make this every week for my daughter’s lunchbox (I use spelt flour and a bit less sugar) and would love to freeze the mixture to only have to bake it each week rather than make the dough as well 😊
Hey Kat! We haven’t personally tried freezing the dough, but I bet it would be just fine!
Great recipe. Easy and quick. I used half the sugar and raisins and some toasted nuts. Dough was dry so added little buttermilk. These Cookies are Now my favourite with morning tea!
Hi. My boyfriend had a heart attack recently. We have been told by doctors that coconut oil is saturated fat and he shouldn’t have that in his food. We are looking for alternatives for him.
Hey! Could I use coconut oil instead of butter? Also what can I replace eggs with?
Hi Sanya! Yes, you can use coconut oil instead. We have not made this recipe without eggs!
Great recipe! i love these cookies. The dough was too dry to form into balls without falling apart so I added a couple tbsp of oat milk. They turned out great!
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They were great except too sweet for my taste. And I didn’t use chocolate chips. I think next time I am going to use have the sugar. Otherwise, very nice texture and they don’t fall apart.
I meant half the sugar.
Can I substitute the butter with ghee- it is a form of melted butter used in the Indian subcontinent.
Hi Mishkat! We haven’t tried this specifically, but I think that should work!
Can i use baking soda instead of baking powder??
No. Baking powder has an acidic addition which baking soda does not. You can make baking powder by adding cream of tartar to the baking soda. Usually 1 part baking powder to 2 parts cream of tarter. Store any unused homemade baking powder in an airtight container.
This is a great recipe! I found that they were better after setting over night and I think I made bigger cookies than what was called for in the recipe because I had to cook mine for about 20 minutes but that may also be my 50 year old oven. Either way the outcome was great! Thank you!
★★★★★
YAY! Glad you loved these!
These cookies are amazing! Thank you for this recipe. I made them last night, with a few modifications to your recipe (due to not having things in the house): I used white sugar instead of brown sugar; all purpose flour instead of fancy flour; aluminum foil instead of parchment paper; and raisins instead of chocolate chips. And they came out so great! I made 18 cookies (vs 24) and did them in batches of 6 at a time. Took about 15-17 min per batch. Thank you for this recipe!
P.S. – Since I used dry, older raisins, I hydrated them before adding to other ingredients. Got that advice from Amy’s Healthy Baking. She writes “For the best results, use fresh raisins. Older raisins will be drier, so I recommend hydrating them first. Add the raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them completely with water, and top with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 45-60 seconds. Let the raisins sit and absorb moisture until you’re ready to add them to the dough. Drain them thoroughly before folding in.” Here’s that reference: https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/11/30/the-ultimate-healthy-soft-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
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So smart with hydrating your raisins! Thanks for the tip, I love Amy!
Love it
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Fabulous!! Will be a good go to!
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Delicious !! Just the right cookie consistency (from mr blob)
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