Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Published 8/21/2023 โข Updated 3/22/2024
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We’ve been blogging since 2010 and this is one of our very first healthy oatmeal cookies recipes. These have been made by hundreds of you and are truly the best healthy oatmeal cookies you’ll find on the internet.
We’ve revised and retested it many times to make it perfect for you! They are made with rolled oats, flour, maple syrup, and a little brown sugar making them perfectly sweet and slightly chewy.
These healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are lower in sugar than most other oatmeal cookies and are the perfect starting point for making them your own! I love keeping a batch of these in my freezer because they are chef’s kiss 👩🏻🍳😘 with a cup of coffee. Oh, and my toddler LOVES them too! He’s big into dunking them in a glass of milk right now.
PS: while this oatmeal cookies recipe calls for butter and a little brown sugar, we’re about food freedom and making small, nutritious swaps!
What is in these healthy oatmeal cookies?
- Rolled Oats: for these oatmeal cookies you need to pulverize them a bit! Do do this you can use a food processor or coffee grinder.
- All Purpose Flour: a little flour helps bind these cookies.
- Light Brown Sugar: brown sugar adds a bit of chewiness to these cookies.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: mini chocolate chips give you a chocolate chip in every bite.
- Eggs: don’t skip the eggs and be sure they are large eggs.
- Maple Syrup: we use a mixture of brown sugar and a mixture of maple syrup to sweeten these babies up.
- Vanilla Extract: love the bit of sweetness and flavor vanilla gives all cookies!
Ingredient Swaps
All-purpose flour-–> we’ve tested this recipe with both white whole wheat and a gluten-free flour mix.
Rolled oats—> quick cooking oats (you wouldn’t have to pulverize the oats if you use these)
Light brown sugar—> dark brow sugar or coconut sugar will work, too.
Mini chocolate chips—> regular chocolate chips
Maple syrup—> we do not recommend substituting maple for honey in this recipe.
Fun Add-Ins/Variations for Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
The sky is the limit when it comes to ingredient add-ins. You can add any of the ingredients below to these cookies or feel free to get created.
- Nuts (walnuts or pecans)
- Oatmeal Raisin
- M&Ms
- White Chocolate Cranberry
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies FAQ
Yes, you can substitute a the large egg with a flax egg. Check out how to make a flax egg.
No, but you can make them gluten free by buy certified gluten free oats and using 1:1 gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour.
Keep these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, making sure they fully cool before storing.
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.
Remove a cookie from the freezer and place in the microwave for 1 minute on defrost, or until it’s chewy and delicious.
Yes, make the cookie dough as written in the recipe and the place it in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Store Oatmeal Cookies
Let the cookies cool completely. Then, transfer them into an airtight container or gallon-size bag and store them in a cool, dark place for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze these Cookies
Freeze the dough: this is a great make-ahead cookie. Make the dough as-is and then scoop it into single-serve balls. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Once they are almost frozen, transfer them into a gallon-size bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Freeze after baking: let the cookies cool completely. Then transfer them into an airtight container (I prefer a gallon-size bag) and store them in the freeze for up t 3 months.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Dry
- 1.25 cups rolled oats, lightly pulverized (or quick-cooking oats)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
Wet
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 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, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Using a standing mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together on medium/high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the maple syrup to the butter and sugar. Beat on medium/high until light and fluffy.
- 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.
- Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden and to allow the flour in the cookie dough to hydrate.*
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, roll dough into ball and slightly flatten between your palms. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove cookies from oven, let cool, and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was updated on January 6th, 2022. Click here for the old recipe.
- Refrigerating the dough: don’t skip refrigerating the cookie dough or you will run the risk of the cookie dough being too thin and spreading when baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe is very good! I and my family really enjoyed them and I just know that other families will too! I cannot wait to try more recipes!
How exactly are these a healthy version? These are all the same ingredients used to make these normally. Just looks like the recipe is cut in half.
can’t wait to make these but one question: if i use whole wheat flour, will the recipe still call for 1 cup of it?
Hi! Yes, 1 cup!
A solid oatmeal cookie recipe. Substituted homemade applesauce for butter because I was out and mixed white chips with the mini chips to use up what I had open. Still very tasty.
Hi there, How long can I keep these cookies for ?
On the counter up to 5 days, but if you freeze them up to 3 months!
These cookies are yummy! Iโve made them twice this week. As someone new to the baking world I have zero to no condice in my cooking skills and this recipe is sooo simple I just couldnโt believe how nice they turned out.
Omg you guys these are delicious healthy and greatt for weight loss make them is all I have got to say!
Delicious! Even my 3 year old likes them.
Before I start with this recipe, I’d like to make them almost totally sugar-free (I’m diabetic). Can I substitute a non-sugar sweetener for the brown sugar? And sugar-free (or semi-sweet) choc chips?
Hey Jim! I’ve never used a non-sugar substitute, so I, unfortunately, can’t advise on this!
Truvia makes a Brown sugar substitute that cooks very similar to real brown sugar. Worth a try…
Really moist and tasty. Very easy to make, nice treat to have every now and then. Will add this recipe to my lists of go-toโs.