Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These healthier oatmeal raisin cookies are easily gluten-free, rolled in cinnamon sugar and are better than your grandma's... okay we said it. This recipe calls for ingredients you already have at home like brown sugar, butter, and rolled oats. These chewy oatmeal cookies bake in just 15 minutes and make your kitchen smell sweet like cinnamon.

Meet Your New Favorite Chewy Cookie Recipe!

If you're an oatmeal raisin fan, you're going to LOVE these cookies!! Brown sugar, salted butter, old fashioned rolled oats, plump raisins, cinnamon sugar. This recipe has everything you want in an oatmeal raisin cookie.

I recently made a double batch of these cookies and gave some leftovers to a friend FOUR DAYS LATER. To my surprise, I received a text from her boyfriend rating these cookies a 10/10! So if they're a 10/10 when they're a few days old, you can only guess who good these healthier oatmeal raisin cookies are fresh out of the oven!

The inspiration for the name of these oatmeal raisin cookies comes from two places. I've been making lots of snickerdoodle cookies for my boyfriend lately which are rolled in cinnamon sugar. I also have an old family recipe from my great-grandmother for her "raisin puff cookies" which are rolled in granulated sugar. I thought to combine the two and make an oatmeal raisin cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar!

Many oatmeal raisin cookies call for a lot of sugar and a refined oil like vegetable oil. We're only using ½ cup packed brown sugar and 1 stick of butter for this recipe which makes these cookies healthier than most!

How To Make Healthier Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:

To make these amazing healthier oatmeal raisin cookies, first we need to soften our butter! You can do this by letting a stick of butter rest on the countertop or microwaving it for 30 seconds.

Once your butter is softened, add it to your mixer with the brown sugar and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula to make sure all of the sugar gets incorporated. Next, add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.

For the next step, you could mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, but I'm lazy so I just add them right into my mixer with the wet ingredients. The trick to doing this the right way is to use a small spoon to stir the rising agent into the top of the dry ingredients before turning on your mixer. This ensures the baking soda gets mixed into the flour and oats and will be evenly distributed throughout your cookies!

After you add the remaining ingredients except for the raisins, you can turn your mixer on to bring the cookie dough together.

For the raisins, boil some water or use hot water from the sink to cover the raisins in a heat safe bowl. Letting the raisins soak in hot water for a few minutes helps them plump back up! We want soft and chewy raisins in these cookies and this step is key to making the best oatmeal raisin cookies. Now you can strain your juicy raisins and use a spoon or spatula to mix them by hand into the cookie dough.

Before rolling the cookies, wet your hands with water so the cookie dough doesn't stick to your hands! This tip is a lifesaver and helps so much when rolling out the cookie dough balls.

Finally, give your cookie dough balls a little cinnamon sugar bath by rolling them around in a mixture of cane sugar and cinnamon. If you've ever made snickerdoodles, you know what to do! The cinnamon sugar coating is my favorite things about these oatmeal raisin cookies and is definitely one of the reasons why they're "better than grandma's!"

My last tip is to not flatten the cookie dough balls on the baking tray. Instead, leave them as round balls so your cookies have a nice height to them with thick, chewy middles.

Everything You'll Need

• Brown Sugar: In my house, brown sugar is always better than white. Brown sugar brings that caramel-like, rich sweetness to any baked good!
• Salted Butter: I always use salted butter because I love the combination of sweet and salty. You can also use unsalted butter if you'd like! Just add another pinch of salt.
• Egg: We're going to use an egg to bind our ingredients together to form a sticky cookie dough.
• Vanilla Extract: Add a dash of vanilla to elevate the flavor in these healthier cookies.
• Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: (gluten-free if necessary) Make sure you use "rolled oats" not quick cook or any other type. This recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture.
• All-Purpose Flour: (gluten-free if necessary) We like to use all-purpose flour to keep these cookies light and fluffy. You can also use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
• Cinnamon: This amazing spice pairs perfectly with chewy raisins and crispy, buttery oats.
• Ginger: This ingredient is optional, but ground ginger adds more layers of spice and flavor to these cookies. You could also substitute ground nutmeg if you'd like!
• Baking Soda: This is the rising agent in our oatmeal raisin cookies and helps them rise while baking.
• Salt: Add a pinch of salt to enhance the buttery oats and balance out the sweetness.
• Raisins: Plump up your raisins by letting them soak in hot water for a few minutes before adding to the cookie dough.
• Cinnamon Sugar: This is the magic ingredient that makes these healthier oatmeal raisin cookies better than grandma's!

Need to make a substitution?

Can I use different oats?

I don't recommend using quick oats or any other type of oats. Old fashioned rolled oats give these oatmeal raisin cookies the classic texture you'd expect. Quick cook oats may affect baking time and consistency.

Cinnamon Sugar?

Rolling the cookie dough balls in a dusting of cinnamon sugar is totally optional in this recipe, but recommended as it adds a special touch and takes these healthier oatmeal raisin cookies from basic to best ever!

Gluten-free?

Make sure you use gluten-free rolled oats and gluten-free flour if you need to! I've also made this recipe with oat flour (blended rolled oats) and it is a good substitute. However, in my own tests, using blended oats as oat flour made the cookies turn out slightly denser and flatter than when I use all-purpose flour.

More Healthier Dessert Recipes

• One Bowl Vegan Flourless Chickpea Cookies
• Easy Crunchy Caramel Chocolate-Covered Dates
• Ultimate Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Blondie Bars
• Simple Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

If you make these healthier oatmeal raisin cookies, be sure to tag #bakedabundance on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you! 

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