The Best Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Why It's Yummy

• Oats - Quick oats, steel-cut oats, old-fashioned rolled oats - whatever you want and like in terms of a cookie texture. For even-looking uniform cookies, use quick oats, for chunky - rolled oats. Use certified GF oats if needed.
• Oat Flour - or regular all-purpose flour or gluten free flour (with or without xanthan gum).
• Salt - Sea salt or kosher salt for the best natural flavor. Salt is optional but helps to enhance all the flavors and intensify the cocoa and maple syrup taste.
• 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 pure vanilla extract - Both can be used interchangeably in gluten-free baking. I just find that paste has a stronger vanilla flavor.
• Maple syrup - or honey or agave syrup.
• Nuts, seeds and dried fruit - This is the beauty of these cookies - you can mix and match and use whatever is your favorite combination and what’s available in your kitchen pantry. I used freeze dried raspberries for a little extra crunch but you can use dried fruit of choice instead.

• Make sure to go for no sugar-added oats as many brands may contain added sugars. Oats are whole grains and do not naturally contain sugar. 
• Always wash nuts and dried fruit - despite having these packaged and labeled ‘’ready to eat’’ you still have to wash your dried fruit and nuts (not the freeze-dried berries though).  This is especially true if you have purchased them loose. It is always a good idea to watch them, as even if the nuts and seeds have been peeled, you can’t risk it and know how exactly these were stored and transported. Many dried fruit may absorb dust and pollution (and germs) during the packaging process.
• It's also a good idea to check the expiration date on the package before consuming the nuts and dried fruit to ensure they are fresh and safe to eat.
• To create smaller versions of these healthy oatmeal cookies, consider using a smaller cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon. It's important to keep in mind that smaller cookies will require less baking time, as they will cook faster due to their smaller size.
• Add more protein - Don’t skip the protein-rich ingredients like nuts, and seeds, or even use protein powder to increase the protein content of your cookies.
• You can also add more spices in addition to cinnamon. Nutmeg, cardamom, or ginger will add extra flavor.
• We like to use sugar-free peanut butter and maple syrup instead of refined sugar here. Some oats do contain sugar, so be sure to get the real deal.
• Cookie scoops are a great tool to use for creating uniform-sized cookies. Or a kitchen scale to measure out each cookie.
• Use whole grain flour - if using regular all-purpose flour instead of oat flour, replace it with whole grain flour to increase the fiber and nutrient content of your cookies. For the oats as well, use whole grain oats without any additives and added sugar.
• Vegan - make these cookies vegan by using flax seed egg or chia egg.
• Further reading - How to measure baking ingredients.