This breakfast cookie recipe consists of healthy ingredients including old-fashioned oats, pure maple syrup, cranberries, and raisins. These no sugar oatmeal cookies are addictively chewy cookies that can easily be adapted and are sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth!
These cookies have no banana, no refined sugar and you can make them Gluten free and Dairy free if needed.
Enjoy a few of these chewy healthy breakfast cookies with a hot mug of coffee or a tall glass of creamy milk.
More healthy cookies? Try our peanut butter cookies, no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies or these healthy oatmeal cookies.
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Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Old-fashioned oats - Use certified GF oats if needed.
- Flour - All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour blend. Oat flour would be great here too, but the flavor will change.
- Baking powder - Always check the expiry date of this ingredient so the cookies rise well.
- Ground cinnamon - A good quality cinnamon does matter. Nutmeg can also be used.
- Salt - Sea salt for best flavor.
- Peanut butter - Almond butter can be used instead. I don't recommend using natural peanut butter as this can create dry cookies. Although be sure to check the ingredients in your peanut butter, I recommend no sugar added if possible.
- Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract - Both can be used interchangeably in gluten-free baking. I just find that paste has a stronger vanilla flavor.
- Unsalted butter - At room temperature. If you have only salted butter, is fine but omit the salt in this recipe.
- Egg - At room temperature. I made these cookies with eggs but you can make turn them into vegan oatmeal cookies by using 1 flaxseed egg and dairy free butter.
- Dried fruit - Cranberries and raisins (sultanas).
- Pumpkin seeds - Chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds can also be used in these nutritious breakfast cookies.
- Nuts - Almonds and walnuts. Or make these completely nut-free ad use only pumpkin seeds and additional chia seeds if needed. Or for flavor, use regular or dairy-free chocolate chips.
📋 Flour - these cookies are made with gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum but regular all-purpose will produce very similar results. Check out my own recipe for homemade gluten free flour. We also like Bobs Red Mill and Schar Mix C.
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl combine peanut butter, butter, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Beat on low until combined.
Add dry ingredients to wet.
You can mix the ingredients in food processor, with an electric mixer or stand mixer.
Stir in sultanas, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and nuts.
I recommend using unsweetened dried fruit (you can find these on Amazon) or dates.
Scoop 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of cookie dough and roll into balls.
Flatten them slightly and place them on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
These cookies will not spread as much so you can shape them as you'd like and they should remain almost same after baking.
Bake for 9-10 minutes (the time varies due to different ovens) until golden brown top.
These cookies are more on the softer side and will not spread as much so you can arrange them more closer to each other.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Tips
- Old-fashioned rolled oats are best for these cookies as they provide a chewier texture than quick oats.
- Unlike with classic chocolate chip cookies, no need to chill the cookie dough as these cookies will not spread out as much.
- Allow the butter and egg to reach room temperature for easy mixing.
- Maple syrup has been used to sweeten these cookies instead of sugar. But you can replace it with white sugar or brown sugar for some added texture and a sweeter flavor.
- Cookie scoops are a great tool to use for creating uniform-sized cookies. Or a kitchen scale to measure out each cookie.
- Flattening the cookie dough balls slightly before baking the cookies will help them spread evenly.
- Only bake these cookies until they are slightly golden brown on the edges but still soft in the center.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This will help prevent the freshly baked cookies from falling apart.
- Make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by including dark chocolate chips in the cookie dough.
📋 JULIA'S TIP: Use unsalted butter. Why? The salt content in various butter brands varies. Depending on the brand, different amount of salt is added according to their recipes. I like to use unsalted butter in baking, so I can control the salt content myself.
Serving Suggestions
- As a mid-morning snack or a quick grab-and-go breakfast.
- These cookies are refined sugar free and can be served on their own with a glass of milk, morning coffee or tea for a satisfying breakfast.
- With yogurt or oatmeal porridge - for a quick breakfast serve these cookies with plain Greek yogurt, or oatmeal porridge. Crumble the cookies right into yogurt bowl. Add more dried fruit, fruit, or nuts for topping.
- With nut butter - we made these cookies with a little amount of peanut butter, but you can serve them with more nut butter of choice: spread almond, hazelnut, or peanut butter on top of your breakfast cookies for extra protein and flavor.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. You can store the cookies at room temperature in a tightly sealed airtight container for 2-3 days. For anything longer than that, I'd recommend keeping them refrigerated. These cookies are medium soft and will crumble easily after storing. Make sure to keep them sealed so they don’t dry out too quickly.
- To Freeze. Allow the cookies to cool and transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before eating.
- Make Ahead. You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough for up to a month or freeze baked cookies for 2-3 months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator until softened and let come to room temperature before baking.
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Recipe Card
No Sugar Added Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Dried Fruit and Nuts
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INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats, certified gluten free if needed
- ½ cup + 4 tablespoons flour, or gluten free flour blend, see notes
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, certified gluten free if needed
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, not the artifical kind
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup raisins, sultanas
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup nuts, I used almonds and walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl combine peanut butter, butter, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup. Beat on low until combined. Add dry ingredients to wet.
- Stir in sultanas, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and nuts.
- Scoop 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. Flatten them slightly and place on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes (the time varies due to different ovens) until golden brown top. These cookies are more on the softer side and will not spread as much so you can arrange them more closer to each other.
- Let cool in the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
VIDEO
NOTES
- No sugar added oatmeal cookies - we like to use sugar-free peanut butter and maple syrup instead of refined sugar here. Some oats do contain sugar in them, so be sure to check the ingredients first before buying oats.
- Flour - All-purpose flour or a gluten-free blend with xanthan gum. For this recipe, I used GF Flour Blend Schar.
- To Store. You can store the cookies at room temperature in a tightly sealed airtight container for 2-3 days. For anything longer than that, I'd recommend keeping them refrigerated. These cookies are medium soft and will crumble easily after storage. Make sure to keep them sealed so they don’t dry out easily.
- Why do my oatmeal cookies taste dry? If your oatmeal breakfast cookies are dry once baked, likely, you haven’t measured the old-fashioned oats correctly, or you’ve overbaked the cookies.
- Using quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats will also produce dry cookies.
- How do you keep oatmeal cookies moist? Keep your oatmeal cookies stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to keep them moist for longer. Adding simple ingredients such as mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, or apple sauce can also be added to these oatmeal raisin cookies for added moisture.
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NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
FAQs
Oatmeal cookies are typically healthy cookies since they include ingredients such as old-fashioned oats and raisins. The oats and raisins provide a good source of fiber which will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Making your own cookies is also a healthier option, as you can control the ingredients used.
While oatmeal breakfast cookies are typically healthier than most kinds of cookies, they are still sweet treats and shouldn’t be eaten every day. Like most treats, whether store-bought or homemade, always eat these cookies in moderation. They freeze pretty well too!
Yes, oatmeal is high in carbs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but good to keep in mind if you are trying to reduce your daily carb intake.
If your oatmeal breakfast cookies are dry once baked, likely, you haven’t measured the old-fashioned oats correctly, or you’ve overbaked the cookies. Using quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats will also produce dry cookies.
Keep your oatmeal cookies stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to keep them moist for longer. Adding simple ingredients such as mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, or apple sauce can also be added to these oatmeal raisin cookies for added moisture.
Una Carroll
I have a cranberry trail mix I like, I use a cup of that. You could use any trail mix you like. If the nuts are too large just do a fast whizz I the food processor. The other stuff will get whizzed too, but I’ve learned I like having my raisins and cranberries chopped in cookies. Cookies seem to hold better. I can’t explain it.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
I love them chopped as well! thank you for your tips!
Ingrid
Cutting down on sugar and these are by far the most delish cookies I’ve made!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you, just be sure to use unsweteened dried fruit 🙂
Sharon Simon
Love them. The recipe does not list the butter in the directions to beat the wet ingredients. Is it possible to substitute some of the butter with Olive Oil? If I reduce the maple syrup should I reduce the dry ingredients?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
For the olive oil, you can try this but keep an eye on consistency. Check pictures for reference. I'm not sure if it will be too wet in this case. If you'll be reducing or increasing liquid ingredients, you'll need to adjust other ingredients as well. But this will be another recipe then.
Stefani
Where do you find no sugar added cranberries?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
They exist! I recommend checking amazon for unsweetened cranberries and other dried fruit. You can also add word organic, most of these don’t have added sugar
Norma Pellegrin
I would like to see many more diabetic recipes, there are hardly any meals or deserts that we can enjoy with simple directions and few ingredients.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
hi Norma, thank you so much. Can I send you an email?
Claudia Chamberland
Look delicious! I can't have oats. What can I replace oats with?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Claudia, I'm not sure what to replace it with as these cookies were designed to be made with oatmeal. I found this post, https://www.livestrong.com/article/555394-non-gluten-substitute-for-oats-in-oatmeal-cookies/, let me know if you try these oat substitutes 🙂
Agnes
Good nutritious gluten free cookies
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Agnes!
JustSayin
I like the idea of a more nutritious cookie but it’s wrong to say these are sugar free. Maple syrup is added sugar, and you need to be careful about the peanut butter you use.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thanks for commenting! Absolutely, you are right. And don't forget that oats also contain sugar, fruit, peanut butter, and so on. Most of brands (in the US and Asia especially) add sugar everywhere, I highly recommend getting familiar with ingredients, knowing how to read label of food that you buy in the grocery store (even organic ones). It is so important.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy a delicious healthier gluten free oatmeal cookie for breakfast or a quick snack.
Terri
Thank you so much for this recipe. I'm about to make for the third time in last 3 months. We love i them! I've added different ingredients each time and for ease, made bars instead.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
what a great idea! thank you for sharing.