A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

^ RECIPE VIDEO ^

 I am fortunate to have awesome neighbours (on both sides of my house) who both cook insanely delicious food. We often exchange our creations with one another, something everyone probably appreciates. I know I do.

When my neighbour from the left side, Katia, brought over a plate of her oatmeal cookies and expressed interest in doing a video with me, I knew it had to happen. Katia is a super talented 7th grader with a knack for baking, amongst other things.  Her oatmeal cookie recipe yields a cookie that is soft and chewy as a result of using whole oats. Katia also adds a teaspoon of cinnamon: The pairing of cinnamon and oats in cookie form is unbeatable. In addition to cinnamon, we tossed in chocolate chips to elevate the overall flavour, and elevate it they did.

A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

What I loved about this particular recipe is that it automatically yields an oatmeal cookie that is somewhat better for you compared to its sweet siblings. The recipe calls for only three tablespoons of butter, uses a combination of honey and brown sugar instead of 100% sugar, and calls for whole wheat flour instead of regular refined all-purpose.

Furthermore, it is easily customizable: the butter can be swapped with coconut oil, the honey with agave or maple syrup, perhaps the brown sugar could be replaced completely with honey, and instead of whole wheat flour, you might like to try spelt, gluten-free or just plain old all-purpose. You can also throw in whatever additional bits and pieces in- nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, jalapeños (probably not such a good idea, but who am I to judge, I over-salt my cookies)- whatever you have on hand and enjoy in a cookie.

I just love this recipe for oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips.

A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

Katia and I divided the total quantity of cookies between ourselves. When we saw each other a day later, we both confessed that each of our portions had been diminished to well… nothing (we had over 20 to begin with). They were that good.

Thank you, Katia for this healthy oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips recipe!

A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

 

Oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips

Oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips

A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp (40g) butter, softened , or coconut oil
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • ¼ cup honey, agave/maple syrup are fine too
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (75g) whole wheat flour , Alternatively you can use all-purpose, spelt or gluten-free
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned whole oats (for gluten-free cookies, make sure the oats are GF too)
  • ½ cup (85g) chocolate chips- optional, but oh so good (we used semi-sweet, but dark chocolate is great too)
  • other optional add ins: ½ a cup of chopped dates, nuts, M&Ms, cranberries, raisins

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating the oven to 350 F or 180 C, then line a baking tray with parchment paper (you could also do foil and brush the foil with some melted butter).
  • In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and honey until smooth. We started by using a spoon, as it helps remove some of the lumps formed by the brown sugar.
  • Add in the egg, water, vanilla extract and continue to mix, using a whisk for ease, until homogenous.
  • In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and oats.
  • Fold the oat mixture into the butter-egg mixture, gently until just incorporated. Try not to over-mix, as that tends to overwork the gluten in the flour, which may result in a tougher cookie.
  • Along with the oat mixture, you can also stir in the chocolate chips and any additional add-ins like nuts.
  • Once the cookie batter is ready, scoop 1-tbsp sized mounds of the mixture and place onto the parchment lined baking tray, about 1.5-2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-20 minutes or until opaque and slightly golden brown.
  • Enjoy warm, while the chocolate is still gooey.
  • Make ahead: These cookies last for about 1 week after baking either in the fridge or at room temperature. You can also freeze the baked cookies for about 2 months, or freeze the mounds of unbaked batter for the same amount of time. When baking frozen cookie batter, you'll need to bake it for an additional minute. However, you do not need to thaw the mounds.

Notes

This recipe is very easily customizable. Many of the ingredients can be substituted appropriately. You could substitute butter with coconut oil, the honey with agave or maple syrup, the flour with any kind that suits you and the add-ins are up to you. You can use a bar of dark chocolate that is chopped up instead of the semi-sweet chocolate.

 

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to share a photograph on either of my social media pages, Facebook, Instagram. I love reading your comments and seeing your fabulous creations!

Craving more cookies?

A batch of these soft, chewy and secretly healthier oatmeal cookies will have you going back for seconds and thirds.