Crazy Healthy Oatmeal Cookies – No Sugar Added

Free of any added sugar, made with nothing but wholesome ingredients, these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies are so good for you, you could almost think of them as a bowl of oatmeal in a portable form… perfect for those busy mornings or for a quick snack on the go!

Here’s another recipe that I’d initially come up with AGES ago, and that I decided was totally worthy of getting a second wind. Cuz these are not your ordinary oatmeal cookies! In fact, they are so healthy, I think you could very well refer to them as portable oatmeal! Not only that, but they also happen to taste absolutely fantastic. 

They contain no added sugar whatsoever, other than that which is naturally present in the apples and a handful of raisins. As such, they don’t taste very sweet at all, but still, the fruits alone, combined with the addition cinnamon and nutmeg, are enough to confer just enough sweetness to the cookies to fool your brains into believing that they are indeed eating a treat!

Not only that, but the addition of fresh apple cubes helps in keeping the cookies extra soft, while the combination of whole wheat flour and old fashioned rolled oats gives the cookies a perfectly dense and chewy texture.

Seriously, these guys they make for such a great portable breakfast or snack!

I certainly hope that you will think so, too… 

Since you’re going to  be your oven, the first thing that you might want to do is turn it on to 375°F.

Then, in a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients, namely 2½ cups of old fashioned rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind), 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of almond meal, 1/2 cup of ground golden flaxseed (you can grind your own in a coffee grinder), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; whisk to combine perfectly well.

In another bowl, or in a large measuring cup, combine your wet ingredients: 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 3 large eggs and a splash of pure vanilla extract. Give that a good whisk until it’s completely combined.

Finally, dice your apple finely (no need to peel it!) and measure 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Alright, now we’re all good and ready to make some cookie dough! Go right ahead and pour those wet ingredients into the dry…

Oh, yeah… you might want to switch to a rubber spatula for this; a whisk will do you no good!

Mix the wet and dry ingredients delicately with that rubber spatula, until just combined. Don’t over-mix the batter, you’d only be working up that gluten, which would then contribute in making your cookies tough and dry. No bueno…

Now throw in the diced apple, raisins and pecans.

And mix gently until they are evenly distributed, no more.

Using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet that’s been lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. If you didn’t have one of those cookie scoops, a large spoon would also do the trick – you’ll want to use about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie.

Now you will more than likely have to work in batches, unless you use a full size cookie sheet. If you do work in batches, don’t worry about refrigerating the cookie dough while your other cookies are in the oven; since there is no fat in these cookies, there’s no need to keep the dough chilled.

Also too, the cookies will not spread at all while baking, so you don’t need to worry about letting all kinds of space between your cookies; about an inch should suffice.

You’ll want to bake your cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until their tops are a beautiful light golden brown. Be careful not to overcook them, otherwise they’ll end up tough and dry. Again, no bueno!

As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, give them a gentle little press with a fork to flatten them slightly — or feel free to leave them as is if you’re all for dome shaped cookies!

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Once cooled, transfer your cookies to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator, for up to a week.

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4 from 10 votes

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes minutes

Free of any added sugar, made with nothing but wholesome ingredients, these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies are so good for you, you could almost think of them as a bowl of oatmeal in a portable form... perfect for those busy mornings or for a quick snack on the go!

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Dry ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2½ cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup golden flaxseed , ground
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add Ins

• 1 red apple, peel-on, finely diced (I used a Gala apple)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F
• In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined; set aside.
• In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix delicately with a rubber spatula until just combined, then stir in the apple, raisins and pecans.
• Using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet that's been lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. If you didn't have one of those, a large spoon would also do the trick - you'll want to use about 3 tbsp of dough per cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are a beautiful light golden brown.
• Take the cookies out of the oven and immediately press them down delicately with a fork (or leave them as is if you prefer dome-shaped cookies)
• Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator, for up to a week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 96mg, Potassium: 168mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Vitamin C: 0.6mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 1.1mg

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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