Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft and chewy, these are the best Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ever. They pack all the good flavors of oatmeal raisin cookies but with little sugar and no butter. Enjoy for breakfast, as a dessert or snack!

My relationship with raisins is quite complicated. As weird as it may sound, I only like them in savory dishes. This used to be the cause of shock and “disbelief” when for Christmas I would say no to “Panettone”, the famous Italian holiday dessert. Well…To be honest there are two exceptions. Although I’m not a fan of raisin desserts, I enjoy raisin muffins and cookies. Oh my goodness, I LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies. Their cinnamony flavor and chewy texture…I could eat them everyday. Deep down I’ve always known it, my soul is more American than Italian.

Secrets for the best healthy oatmeal raisin cookies

Have a bite and let your taste buds experience all the delicious flavors of oatmeal raisin cookies. They are soft, chewy and delightful like the original, but surprisingly healthy. Believe me, the last time I baked a batch for my friends, no one could believe that the cookies were with no white flour, no refined sugar, no butter and no oil. Actually, they didn’t know it until the very end.

Right after the shocking news were revealed, a friend asked for the secrets behind healthy oatmeal cookies that taste good. So, when writing this recipe, I told myself “why not sharing these secrets on my blog as well!?”.

• The first trick is to use applesauce or mashed banana. Unsweetened applesauce is a magic ingredient for baking healthy, as it partly replace the need for sugar and oil (or butter). Actually, this recipe doesn’t contain any oil at all!
• The second secret lies in nut butter. Replacing dairy butter or oil with nut butter not only boosts the nutritional values of cookies, but it also improves texture and flavors. My favorite is almond butter, followed by cashew butter, walnut butter and peanut butter.

Healthier ingredients for oatmeal raisin cookies

If you have read until now, you probably already know that this recipe has no refined sugar and no oil. Well, now time to take the nutritional profile of homemade raisin cookies to the next level. You’ll use rolled oats in combination with oat flour. Differently from white flour, oat flour is unprocessed and highly nutritious.

Let’s now dig deeper into the recipe ingredients and see what you need to make healthy oat raisin cookies. Read from beginning to end and these healthy cookies won’t have secrets anymore.

Wet ingredients

• Egg: Select a large fresh egg, or replace with a vegan alternative of your choice, such as flaxseed egg or chia egg.
• Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce for soft and flavorsome raisin cookies without oil. A great alternative to applesauce is mashed ripe banana. It also provides plenty of moisture and natural sweetness, but it comes with a stronger taste that many people may find overpowering.
• Almond butter: This recipe works best with nut butters from a “delicate“, sweet taste. They will give the cookies a delicious aroma without a strong flavor. The best options are almond butter, cashew butter and walnut butter; I do not recommend peanut butter. As a nut-free version you can opt for sunflower seed butter or tahini.

Dry ingredients

• Rolled oats: For the best taste and texture I recommend rolled oats (also known as “old-fashioned” oats). Quick oats still work, but they tend to get too soft and kind of mushy when mixed with moisture. If you have dietary needs, chose certified gluten-free oats.
• Oat flour: Instead of white flour, this recipe uses oat flour. You can make it at home by grinding the oats into a fine powder or purchase it from the store. If preferred, substitute with almond flour, whole-grain flour or all purpose flour.
• Coconut sugar: This is a more nutritious and less processed alternative to common sugar. You can replace with brown sugar, date sugar, regular sugar or keto alternatives such as erythritol or xylitol. Unfortunately maple syrup and honey do not work.
• Baking powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that helps cookies get softer.

Spices and flavors

• Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract: Used together, cinnamon and vanilla give oatmeal raisin cookies their irreplaceable spicy flavor.
• Sea salt: A pinch of salt is a must for baking cookies because it improves taste and balances sweetness.

Raisins and add-ins

• Raisins: Oatmeal raisin cookies wouldn’t be such without plenty of raisins inside! If you can, look for natural raisins without added sugar.
• Nuts and seeds: These are optional ingredients that you can stir into the dough for a crunchy cookie experience. My recommendations are crushed pecans, walnut chunks, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
• Chocolate chips: Sometimes I like my cookies to be extra, so I mix in a handful of dark chocolate chips. As the original recipe doesn’t contain any chocolate, you are completely free to omit it.

How to make oatmeal raisin cookies healthy

About 30 minutes before starting, place the raisins into a bowl and cover with warm water. Allowing the dried raisins to soak will make them softer and more delicious in cookies.

In a large mixing bowl add egg, applesauce, almond butter, coconut sugar (or your preferred granulated sugar), ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Using a hand mixer or whisk, stir the wet mixture for a couple of minutes until all is well combined.

Add rolled oats, oat flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, stir all together. Fold in raisins, and optionally nuts and seeds.

Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes. This ensures that the mix gets firmer, yielding better cookies as a result. Scoop 1/3 cup of dough out and shape 10 cookies. Transfer your healthy oatmeal raisin cookies to a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spacing them apart.

Bake in hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes and let cool over a baking rack before serving.

Should I soak raisins for cookies?

A recipe step that is often overlooked is soaking the raisins before making cookies. Although it is not strictly necessary, this helps the dried grapes get softer and more delicious. If you skip this step, likelihoods are that the raisins will get hard and dry after baking. My recommendation is to plan ahead and place your raisins in warm water 30 minutes to one hour before preparing the dough. Or simply overnight!

Storage information

After baking, place your healthy oatmeal raisin cookies over a baking rack (or let in the tray) and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Once cool, transfer to an airtight food container, sealed with the lid so that humidity doesn’t get in.

• At room temperature, they will last for up to 3 days. In the fridge for about 5 days.
• For a longer storage, you can freeze oat cookies in a zipping bag for up to 3 months. Before serving, pop in hot oven and reheat for a couple of minutes until soft and warm once again.

Tips for the best raisin cookies with oats

There are many recipes for healthy raisin cookies out there, but not none is like this one. These are not the same healthy cookies that taste flat and dry like cardboard. These are the very BEST healthy oatmeal raisins cookies ever. But for them to be the best, you should follow a couple of simple tips and tricks.

• Soak the raisins. Not many people know that the secret for the best oatmeal raisin cookies is to soften raisins before adding to the batter. It’s very simple, all you should do is placing them in a bowl covered with warm water and letting soak for about 30 minutes to one hour.
• Choose a good nut butter. When selecting your nut butter, make sure you opt for almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter. These are more delicate than peanut butter, which comes with a quite overpowering taste.
• Add some extras. Enrich taste and texture with the addition of a handful of nuts and seeds. Pecans and pumpkin seeds perfectly match with the spicy flavor of raisin oat cookies.
• Don’t overmix the dough. The more you mix, the harder your cookies will be. Give it a stir just until all ingredients are combined.
• Don’t skip the resting time. After staying in the fridge for about 10 minutes, the dough will be firmer and more manageable. This will make it much easier for you to shape the cookies afterwards.
• Don’t overbake. Keep an eye on the baking time, otherwise your cookies will get dry. And don’t worry if they feel too soft, they get firmer after cooling.
• Let cool before eating. As almost every dessert, the taste of homemade cookies gets better and better as they cool. Have some patience and let all the delightful flavors come out slowly!

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

More healthy desserts with oats

• 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies
• Oat flour pancakes
• Protein baked oats
• 3 ingredient baked oatmeal
• Stovetop granola recipe
• Low calorie pancakes
• Blueberry oatmeal cookies
• Strawberry oatmeal bars
• Sheet-pan baked pancakes

Watch the video recipe