These soft and chewy, melt-in-your-mouth almond flour oatmeal cookies are so easy and made healthy with no refined sugar and no dairy. They are also gluten free with a vegan option!
Photography by Jaia Taboada for Nutrition in the Kitch
Soft, Chewy, Melt-In-Your-Mouth Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies have been a long time favourite of mine. For some reason I feel like a dad saying that, ha ha. It’s because when I think of traditional oatmeal cookies I am reminded of those old school big yellow boxes of Christie brand Dad’s Cookies. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?
These Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies are nothing like those hard crunchy Dad’s cookies! Instead, these are soft, chewy, perfectly sweet, and so satisfying, not to mention – healthy!
Are Oatmeal Cookies Unhealthy?
Oatmeal cookies by the sounds of it should be healthy, right?
Not necessarily. While oatmeal cookies always contain rolled oats, which definitely are a healthy food high in fibre, b vitamins, and iron, the other ingredients typically found in the traditional version makes them less so.
Classic oatmeal cookies usually contain butter, a lot (and I mean a lot) of white or brown sugar (both of which are refined), and white or all purpose flour. With refined ingredients and a lot of sugar, they are not the healthiest in the bunch. That being said, there are TONS of healthy oatmeal cookie recipes out there to enjoy, including these and with the modifications, we can add chocolate chips and not feel guilty!
Healthy Swaps for Oatmeal Cookies:
To make classic oatmeal cookies healthier, try the simple swaps below. Or, make my almond flour oatmeal cookies or another healthier version you can find online!
- White all-purpose flour —> swap with —> Oat flour, almond flour, or brown rice flour
- White granulated sugar or light brown sugar —> swap with —> coconut palm sugar
- Unsalted butter—> swap with —> applesauce, mashed banana, or coconut oil
For these swaps, use the equal amount of each called for in the less-healthy recipe or version.
Using Almond Flour For Cookies
Trying blanched almond flour as an alternative to of white flour in cookies brings a nice healthy dose of fibre, iron, protein, and healthy fats. Almond flour has a more coarse consistency, and a nutty flavour, so it makes cookies slightly softer and more dense then regular white flour would.
I love using almond flour as a healthier refined flour alternative in baking and these almond flour oatmeal cookies are a great recipe to start with if you’ve never tried it.
Other Ingredients in Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
Along with the almond flour, these delicious cookies contain other healthier alternatives including the following:
- Rolled Oats- or certified gluten free oats
- Coconut Oil
- Applesauce
- Egg (or use a “flax egg” for vegan)
- Coconut palm sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Baking soda
Optional Add In:
- Dark chocolate chips or Raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with some parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine the coconut oil with the applesauce. Place the bowl into the microwave to warm it for about 20 seconds.
- Add in the coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla.
- Beat well with an electric mixer on medium-high speed to combine.
- Turn the speed to low and then mix in the oats, almond flour, and baking soda. If desired you can fold in chocolate chips or raisins at this point.
- Using clean hands, scoop the dough up into a size just larger than the portion size of a golf ball. Shape into balls and press the dough down into a disc that is about 1.5-2 inches in size.
- Place them onto your prepared baking sheet and keep them evenly spaced.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown in color.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before eating.
- Enjoy!
Tips When Baking Healthier Cookies:
When it comes to making a healthier version of a traditional classic cookie there are some important things to keep in mind to get the best result. Healthier alternatives might bake differently and getting a little “too creative” with a recipe can end up in a flop.
- Don’t stray too far from the recipe. If you are following a healthier cookie recipe you’ve found online, it’s best to stay as close to it as possible as the recipe has been tested as-is and making a lot of changes can spoil the outcome.
- Always let your cookies cool completely before eating… as hard as that is! Often times when using healthier alternatives like almond flour, the cookies will be quite soft when removed from the oven. If you pick them up too soon they will crumble apart. Be patient and let those babies cool before digging in!
- Don’t forget the “binding agent”. Cookies always need some sort of binder to keep them together, the most common binders for baking are eggs and the gluten in all purpose flour. If you are going for a vegan or gluten free cookie you’ll need to substitute these binding agents with a suitable alternative. These include: ground flaxseed, ground chia seed, applesauce, mashed banana, and more (<- here’s a great list!).
Are you a fan of oatmeal cookies? Have you tried a healthier version? Tell me about it in the comments and be sure to pin the photo below the recipe to save this one for later!
Healthy Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
These healthy almond flour oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth good! They are gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and can easily be vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 egg (or 1 "flax egg" for vegan*)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Optional Add In:
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl add the coconut oil and applesauce. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm.
- Add in the coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat with electric hand mixer on medium-high.
- On low speed, add in the oats, almond flour, and baking soda.
- Optional: Fold in the chocolate chips or raisins.
- With clean hands coop just larger than golf-ball sized portions of the batter and shape into balls, then press with your hands until they are 1.5-2 inch cookies.
- Place on the baking sheet, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes untill golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
* To make a "flax egg" combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2.5 tablespoons of warm water and mix well, let sit for 5 minutes as it thickens and a gel consistency is achieved. Use in the place of 1 egg in the recipe.
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More Healthy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Soft Chewy Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- 16 Yummy Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies
Have a great day,
Will be trying this recipe tomorrow but with raisins. Sounds like what I am looking for. Thanks!
Hello;
When making this recipe for a diabetic is the applesauce enough sweetness alone or do we consider some stevia or another artificial sweetener when removing 1/3 cup coconut sugar?
Thanks for any insight.
Delicious! I added 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to the mix, put the mixture in the fridge for about an hour so they were easier to roll and baked 12 minutes. Perfect! Thank you!
These are delicious! Not too sweet and hit the spot if you’re craving a treat. Is there nutritional information for these cookies? Wanted to add them to my calorie counter.
The taste of these were great! Had many non-diet people try it and share they really enjoyed it. Its not too sweet but sweet enough. Would be even greater if you throw in some dried fruit like raisins and chocolate chips for a variety in every bite.
Only issue is that I found my cookies did not hold together that well. They came apart quite easily and some did not make it from tray to cookie box even after waiting for it to totally cool down.
If I add chia seeds to the gf oatmeal cookies, does this replace an ingredient. Do the seeds need to be grounded? Have you tried freezing the cookies.
Hi Mary, if you use whole chia seeds, and not too many you don’t need to change anything in the recipe. I would not do ground chia seeds as they will absorb the liquid and the cookies could end up dry. I have not tried freezing them but I don’t see why they wouldn’t freeze well!
Love it ! I’ve tried over a dozen healthy oatmeal cookie recipes over the years and this is my favorite !
((My substitution: I actually didn’t have any coconut sugar so I used a sweet whey protein powder (cookies&cream flavor) and came out great))
I love this recipe !! Thank you Christal!
Glad to hear it!!
My oatmeal cookies came out delicious!
Great to hear Patricia!
Hello again! I’m forgot to note that I used a flax egg. Now I’m wondering if the 24-minute bake time had to do with using a flax egg.
Ah yes, that would have been a contributing factor as the flax egg will take a longer time to set!
In my quest to find almond flour and oatmeal cookies your stood out. Thank you for the recipe-they turned out yummy! I ended up having to bake them for 24 minutes. At 12 minutes they were super soft to the point of breaking apart into pieces and they seemed a little under baked (even after waiting until they cooled completely). I put them in the oven again for another 12 minutes (checked in on them a couple of times to make sure all those good ingredients didn’t burn) and once cooled they were perfect. Chewy, but set in the center and a little crispy in the edges. Maybe I added too many things? I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, a couple of tbs of carob chips, 1/3 cup of raisins, and sprinkled in unsweetened shredded coconut.
Thanks for the comments Valeria! Yes perhaps the added ingredients made for a longer cook time!