These healthier oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have NO sugar, NO white flour, and only 2 tablespoons of butter in the whole batch! They are the perfect way to satisfy your mad chocolate cravings when you are supposed to be losing holiday pounds. Originally posted January 12, 2016.
Table of Contents
- You will love these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Healthy Cookies
- Are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Healthy?
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- What’s the difference between quick oats and regular oats?
- How to make these Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Why are my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies flat?
- How to store Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Healthy Cookies FAQs
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Healthy) Recipe
- Other Amazing Recipes to Love!
I saw this bumper sticker today: “How’s my driving? Shoot me a text.” HA!
So my best friend Sarah announced on Facebook yesterday that she had just spent 4 hours creating the “Daniel Craig in Casino Royale 6 Week Meal Plan” as requested by her husband, and if anyone wanted a copy they could shoot her an email. (Click HERE if you want to see it! Thanks Sarah!) It is exactly what it sounds like: 40 days of meals similar to what Daniel Craig ate while training to be James Bond.
Eric and I were talking later and he was wondering if he should do it. I said no, I prefer soft bellies actually (mine included, most importantly). And I also said, “Daniel Craig is like 65 and not cute. Like a grandpa. But with abs. It’s disturbing.”
And he said, “You’re just wrong, Karen. Daniel Craig is legitimately hot.”
Well there you go, Daniel Craig. You win today. I think my husband has a man-crush on you.
But really, am I the only one?? Pierce Brosnan made a much sexier James Bond if you ask me.
Are you following a diet or any kind of meal plan this January? I had plans. But I also just ate 2 cookies, so…
You will love these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Healthy Cookies
But at least they were healthy-ish ones! My friend Amy from Amy’s Healthy Baking wrote a book all about Healthier Chocolate Treats and this is one of her recipes. How cool is that?? She is so talented. Her blog is all about healthy baking. Definitely check her out!
These Skinny Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for January! (Or anyone who’s trying to look like Daniel Craig…) They are moist and lightly spiced with cinnamon.
Seriously, you can’t beat a cookie made from scratch and I’m not just talking about taste. These are no store-bought treat made of low-quality carbs and unhealthy fats stripped of nutrients during processing and preservation. No! The first ingredient alone, oats, is considered to be one of the healthiest whole grains out there, chock full of important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants! And that brings me to a good question.
Are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Healthy?
Um . . . what even is healthy? Okay, I’m joking, but actually it’s good to step back now and again to think about what healthy means.
“Healthy” basically boils down to two things:
1.Calorie in versus calorie out. Balance. If you are eating fewer calories per day than you use, your body is still getting the daily calories it needs by burning excess fat, assuming you have excess fat. Otherwise, you are starving your body.
Bottom line, if your body isn’t getting your necessary calories somehow, you’re not eating healthy.
2. High-quality nutrients. Food doesn’t just provide energy (calories), it also provides the building blocks of life (nutrients). Variety matters. I don’t care how “healthy” kale is, eat nothing but kale every day and you will not get all your nutrients.
Bottom line, eating a wide variety of foods is the only way to get all those wonderful macro and micro nutrients.
So? The skinny on Skinny Oatmeal Cookies? Are they healthy?
Folks, the good news is homemade oatmeal cookies can be a part of a healthy diet! The bad news is they have to be a small part of a healthy diet. (I hate it when there’s a catch.)
Like I said above, these cookies have nutrients aplenty. But with all those nutrients comes a lot of calories, all inside a little cookie. When big calories come in small packages, you don’t feel full fast and that can lead to excess eating. One of the best things about this better-option cookie recipe is that it only makes 12-15 cookies, which helps to keep portions under control.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Here’s all you need! (Quantities given in recipe below.) These cookies are built on pantry essentials, win!
- Quick oats. While you can substitute old fashioned oats, I don’t recommend it (see below.)
- Whole wheat flour. Substitute white flour if you want!
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Kosher salt. Substitute table salt if necessary, but use a little less.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
- Vanilla
- Large eggs
- Honey
- Dark chocolate chips
- Optional: raisins, craisins, or toasted walnuts (yum!)
What’s the difference between quick oats and regular oats?
Oats are one of the healthiest whole grains, and that includes quick oats, one of the ingredients in these cookies. Quick oats are smaller, drier, flakier, and more processed than old fashioned rolled oats. (They are partially cooked and then dried. Good news, quick oats are still a whole grain.) Unless you’re in a pinch, use quick oats for this recipe. They absorb moisture and take on a softer, cookie-er texture than old fashioned rolled oats.
How to make these Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Now for the best part: baking! Here’s a simple overview of what to do and what to watch out for. (Step-by-step instructions given in the recipe below.)
1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2.Mix dry ingredients together: oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure you spoon and level your flour. I always do it with two measuring cups. Scoop with one cup, dump it in the one you need, then level off with the top of the measuring cup.
3.In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the vanilla, then the egg. Whisk in the honey.
4.Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until it has just come together. Don’t overdo it, over mixing makes for tough cookies. (Then wipe out the bowl you used for your dry ingredients and toss it back in your cupboard!)
5.Save out about half of the chocolate chips. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the remaining chocolate, then fold it into the dough.
The chocolate chips are divided: half in the dough, half jammed into the warm cookies after baking for maximum showiness. If showiness isn’t your thing today, own it. Toss all the chips in the dough with reckless abandon.
6.Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, or freeze for about 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step! Yes, we’re modern humans. Yes, we’re pressed for time. Yes, Daniel Craig has multiple action scenes as James Bond available on YouTube for you to consume while waiting 30 minutes. Chilling this lower-calorie cookie dough helps mimic the higher-calorie cookie texture and shape.
7.Shape the dough into about 12-15 cookies, depending on how much dough you ate. (What, just me?? I mean who can say no to this goodness??) Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
8.Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, or until they have juuust started to brown on the edges.
9.Remove from the oven and immediately press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies. They will melt immediately into pools of dark glory.
10.Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Before we move on to the recipe, here are some common issues with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you might need answers about!
Why are my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies flat?
Traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with a heck ton of butter. If you put a stick of butter in the oven, it’s going to bake flat, right? Same thing will happen to your cookies if you don’t have the right balance of ingredients. If you are looking for some amazing (traditional, full-fat) oatmeal cookies that don’t bake flat, check out my Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies or these Very Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
For today’s skinny cookie recipe, this is not going to be a problem for you at all! These are low fat cookies. There are only 2 tablespoons of butter in the whole batch. You are not going to have a problem with these cookies baking flat! Just make sure you follow the instructions to chill the dough before baking.
How to store Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Yes! In fact, try freezing single-serve portions before you let this buttery softness hit your tastebuds to better manage your waistline. Just let the cookies cool completely and toss them single-layered inside a ziplock. Squeeze out extra air. Viola, tomorrow’s treat, done today!
Another option is to freeze the dough itself. Spoon the dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet (or a plate) and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. Place frozen dough balls into a labeled, freezer-safe storage bag. No need to thaw! Bake them straight from frozen, tacking on a couple minutes to the bake time. Freshly baked cookies, anytime you want!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Healthy Cookies FAQs
Chilling cookie dough gives the finished cookie much chewier texture (not to mention great flavor). These cookies get (at least) 30 minutes of chilling time.
Melted butter also makes for chewier cookies, so the small amount we’re using here is getting melted.
It’s also important to measure ingredients correctly: you can improvise in cooking, but in baking, it’s best to stick with the given amounts to get the desired texture. Too much flour can straight up ruin an otherwise perfect cookie!
The most important step to preventing hard cookies happens before the cookies are even baked. DO NOT add too much flour!
I always use the “fluff and scoop” method. I fluff up the flour with a spoon, then use the same spoon to scoop it gently into the measuring cup before leveling it off. This recipe for healthier oatmeal cookies doesn’t call for too much flour, so you don’t have to worry too much.
You’ll also want to keep your cookies in an airtight container. If you’re going to have them around for more than 2-3 days, I recommend freezing them. That way you can pop one in the microwave anytime you need a treat.
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Healthy)
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (scant)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Pull out 2 medium bowls, one for dry ingredients, one for wet.
- In one bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Melt the butter in the other bowl. You don’t have to melt it all the way, if there are a couple lumps it’s okay. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk in the vanilla, then the egg. Whisk in the honey.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until it has just come together (don’t overdo it).
- Save out about half of the chocolate chips. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the remaining chocolate, then fold it into the dough.
- Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, or freeze for about 15 minutes.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into roughly 15 cookies (or 12 if you eat a lot of dough like me…)
- Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-13 minutes, or until they have just started to brown on the edges.
- Once you remove them from the oven, immediately press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.
- Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
- Drink with lots of milk!
I was searching the internet for “healthy chocolate chip cookies” and I came across your recipe. These cookies are amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks Raiz! Did you make them? How’d it go?
Hi Karen! I loved the recipe. Haven’t tried it though but it’s seems so easy n quick to make. I just wanted to ask if I can substitute the egg as I’m a vegetarian? Thanks
Hey Akanksha! I’ve never tried to make this without the eggs. You could try looking up some egg substitutes for cookies, I think sometimes people use flaxseed? You could also try pumpkin. But you will have to do some testing! I hope it works out!
Hi there, can I omit the quick soars from this recipe? I don’t have any quick oats but would love to make these before my kiddos come home from school
Hey Nadia! I wouldn’t omit the oats unless you plan to replace it with more flour. I’m not sure how much to tell you though, it would need some testing. Let me know if you try it out!
What is the nutritional info for this? Calories at least. Thanks!
Hi there! I don’t know what the nutritional info is, but you can plug it in to an online calculator!
My calculator shows about 145 per cookie if making 15 cookies (that’s using I bleached flour, not wheat).
Hi! I’m planning on trying these today, but I only have all purpose flour! I know it defeats the whole healthy point, but would I use the same amount? Thanks! Can’t wait to try!
Absolutely Julie! All purpose will work fine. Hope you love them!
Hi. I just made these cookies tonight. They taste good but are a little dry so I probably messed up the flour although I did spoon & level it…?
Anyway, my cookies did not flatten out during baking. Is that normal for these cookies?
Thanks for the recipe. They definitely sooth a chocolate craving.
Hey Elena! If they didn’t flatten while baking, then yeah that sounds like too much flour. I’m glad they still tasted good even if they weren’t flat!
Wow, I just made these, substituted nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt for the butter and added just 1/4tsp of cinnamon and these are phenomenal! Will be baking them often!
Good idea with the Greek yogurt sub! Who knew! Thanks for the review Marcie!
Thanks for the recipe Karen, I really enjoyed them and so easy to make!
Thanks Samantha, so glad you enjoyed them! And isn’t it awesome when you find super easy recipes? Love that.
I baked these cookies , I added walnuts and used maple syrup and coconut oil ,instead of butter and honey . They were the best cookies I ever made.
Wow high praise indeed Brigitte! I’m so glad you liked them! Good idea with the walnuts, love that!
Great tasting cookies, only they did come out too dry. Any suggestions? I did cut the cooking time down. Maybe I over mixed?
Hmm that is strange Andrea! It should have been a very sticky dough. Maybe you added a bit too much flour? (Did you spoon and level?) Sorry I’m not much help!
I wanted to love this recipe but its just too mych cinnamon.
I doubled the recipe so I could take to a party and even then only added a scant 2 tsp cinnamon instead of 3. Even though I love cinnamon I thought it overwhelming and would probably not use just 1/4tsp per recipe if I make them again, and reduce the amount of honey. It was not as big of a hit at the party either :-(
Bummer you didn’t like it Kay! Maybe next time use agave instead of honey and leave out the cinnamon entirely.
I made these today, and found them to have a very strong cinnamon flavour. I would reduce the cinammon to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp.
Or you could leave it out all together if cinnamon is not your thing! Thanks for the tip and heads up for other readers Meghna! I happen to love cinnamon so it was just right for me :)
These look amazing! Do you think I could substitute coconut oil for the butter? thanks!
Hey Ali! I’ve never tried that! I’ve seen lots of people use coconut oil in cookies but I’m not sure what the limitations are. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Your chocolate chip recipe looks delicious and very healthy. Can I substitute an all purpose gluten free flour for the whole wheat flour? Thanks!
I haven’t tried that John! I think it would work fine but I’m definitely no gluten free baking expert. Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
Do you need to use quick oats to make these, or will old fashioned do? Thanks! These cookies look amazing. I can’t wait to make some. ☺
Hey Eva! No, old fashioned will work just fine. Enjoy!