Moist, chewy and satisfying: these oatmeal cookies give you the classic taste you love but with less carbs and less fat!
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Can oatmeal cookies be healthy?
They sure can!
Oatmeal is a great, healthy food, but when it's paired with a bunch of fat, sugar and empty carbs (like most cookies), the health rating goes way down.
To make oatmeal cookies healthy, you have to reduce the fat and empty carbs (all purpose flour) and eliminate the sugar.
How do you make sugar free oatmeal cookies from scratch?
Here are the ingredients you need for basic sugar free oatmeal cookie:
- butter or oil
- honey
- vanilla extract
- a flourwith gluten
- baking soda
- salt
- cinnamon
- oats
The honey replaces the sugar, but because the honey is liquid and it replaced dry sugar, the entire recipe has to be adjusted.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
This oatmeal cookie recipe uses all of the real food ingredients listed above, plus orange zest for a more exciting flavor, and applesauce to tone down the taste of honey a bit and make the cookies more moist and chewy.
Both are healthy additions and are small amounts.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Substitutions
Dairy Free
You can make this recipe dairy free by replacing the melted butter with any non-fragrant oil - avocado, refined coconut, olive oil, etc.
Butter
Using unsalted butter in baking is always recommended, but if you do use salted butter, omit the salt added later.
Honey
Use whichever honey you like because your taste buds are accustomed to it. Nature Nate's is my favorite brand.
Orange Zest
An undertone of orange in an oatmeal cookie really takes it up a level. In my classic oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, I use orange juice, but because orange juice would be extra carbs, this recipe uses orange zest.
The orange zest cannot be replaced with juice, but you can leave out the zest altogether if you don't have an orange.
Applesauce
Unsweetened applesauce is necessary to keep the carbs down, but you can leave out the applesauce altogether if you don't have it, or if you are a fan honey.
Omitting the applesauce won't change the final taste or texture significantly. It's still a good cookie and it takes away half a carb per cookie.
Flour
Using a flour with gluten is absolutely necessary in this recipe because there's no egg.
The gluten is a binder to hold the cookie together since this recipe is eggless.
Whole wheat flour is recommended because it's healthier and lower glycemic. It takes away only 1 carb per cookie, but because it's whole wheat your body will process more slowly.
Salt
It's recommended to use iodized salt in baking unless you're familiar enough with using other salts in baking.
Oats
Use any kind of oats - quick, old fashioned, rolled, etc. I used quick oats.
Storage
Store these cookies in a closed container, plastic wrap, or a baggie. Store in the refrigerator for longest life.
You can also wrap and freeze individually.
Other Cookie Recipes
Recipe
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Author: Traci Houston
The classic oatmeal raisin cookie made low carb and diabetic friendly by using honey instead of sugar.
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 12 minutes minutes
Resting time: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 42 minutes minutes
Protein: 1g
Fat: 6g
Total Carbs: 16g
Fiber: 1g
Net Carbs:
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Orange Zest (about ¼ of an orange zested)
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour (or any healthier gluten flour)
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 cup Uncooked Oats
Instructions
Move the rack in the oven to the very bottom shelf, then preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, cut the butter into six slices and microwave it until melted.
Add the honey, orange zest, vanilla extract and applesauce to the butter and stir with a spoon until combined.
Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Add the oats to the batter and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Scoop 2 tablespoons worth of batter onto a baking sheet. Spread it to ½-inch thick and into the shape of a cookie.
The cookie will spread very little while baking.
Scoop the rest of the batter into cookies on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between each cookie.
Bake on the bottom shelf for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet. Remove the cookies with a spatula if necessary.
Notes
If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
The applesauce can be omitted without an issue.
The orange zest can be omitted without an issue, but the cookies won't be as flavorful.
A gluten flour is necessary in this recipe, or the cookies will crumble as you eat them.
