Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Miracle Cookies

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Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I’ve ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Why are these healthy oatmeal cookies miraculous? Allow me to rattle off the selling points:

  • Vegan oatmeal cookies — No Eggs and No Butter
  • No Oil
  • No Flour
  • No White or Brown Sugar Added
  • No Added Salt
  • Gluten-Free and Soy-Free
  • No Mixer Required — Stir Together in One Bowl in 5 Minutes
  • Soft, Chewy, Not Cakey, Loaded with Texture
  • High Fiber
  • Dense, Rich, and Satisfying
  • Modest Batch Size (about 15 small cookies)
  • They taste good — I don’t care how healthy something is, if it doesn’t taste good, why bother.

Pretty close to a miracle if you ask me.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies loaded with healthy add-ins

I’d been wanting to make healthy oatmeal cookies for ages, but the last time I tried by baking bananas into my cookies rather than using butter, oil, or eggs, they were cakey, baked flat and thin, and the taste of bananas overpowered everything.

So I put that idea on the shelf for years, literally. Finally, I decided to try again, and this time with success.

These healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are such easy, stir-together cookies. Mash a banana, add liquid sweetener and peanut butter, stir in the dry ingredients, and add-ins. In case you’re not a huge fan of bananas, there’s just a very subtle banana taste.

The dry ingredients consist of quick-cooking oats and crispy rice cereal. I add crispy rice cereal to no-bake bars like Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and Snickerdoodle Cookie Granola Bars because it adds texture and it soaks up moisture in the batter. You can’t really taste it and it’s more of a stealth operator.

These healthy oatmeal cookies are dense, hearty, thick, exceedingly chewy, and loaded with texture. Between the oats, crispy rice cereal, chocolate chips, and raisins, here’s a real texture party going on.

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

They’re also soft and moist, and not at all cakey, dry, or crumbly. They remind me a bit of a granola bar, in cookie form, but softer and not as hearty. The peanut butter adds richness and nuttiness and the combo of peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate is always a win for me.

They aren’t too sweet since just a banana and a bit of liquid sweetener is used, but the raisins and chocolate chips help boost the sweetness level.

Before people write saying the suggested liquid sweetener options are a form of sugar; yes, they are. But I’d think brown rice syrup, agave, or honey are healthier alternatives than white or brown sugar. Whenever I post any ‘claims’ related to sugar, I get oodles of passionate comments — to each her own.

It’s hard to believe that something without eggs, butter, oil, flour, or added sugar can still taste like a cookie. But I assure you, they do. I’m just doing my part to try to help you get ready for swimsuit season. Considering these cookies are so healthy and miraculous, it’s okay to have seconds. Or thirds.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

What’s in Healthy Oatmeal Cookies?

To make this healthy oatmeal cookie recipe, you’ll need: 

  • Mashed banana
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Liquid sweetener of choice (such as honey) 
  • Vanilla extract
  • Quick cook oats
  • Crispy rice cereal
  • Cinnamon
  • Baking soda
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Raisins

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

These healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are as easy to make as regular cookies! Simply stir together the wet ingredients, then add in the dry. Fold in the chocolate chips and raisins before scooping out the cookie dough. 

You’ll need to chill the cookie dough balls for 2 hours before baking them off. 

Once chilled, bake the cookies until the edges have set and tops are just beginning to show signs of very pale golden color. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

How to Store Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies with raisins

What Type of Peanut Butter Should I Use? 

I recommend using a conventional peanut butter like Jif or Skippy because they’re thick. I don’t recommend natural or homemade peanut butter since they’re often runny and too oily. 

Can I Use a Nut Butter Alternative? 

No, I don’t recommend using almond or sunflower seed butter or another peanut butter alternative because they’re much thinner and likely too runny to sufficiently bind this egg-less, flour-less, gluten-less dough.

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

Tips for Making Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

You must use quick cook oats — not rolled oats or old-fashioned oats — because quick oats are smaller and behave more like flour. Since no actual flour is used, finer ground oats are necessary. Turn your old-fashioned whole-rolled oats into quick oats in 10 seconds in a food processor or Vita-Mix.

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

Make sure to chill the dough so the healthy oatmeal cookies bake up nice and thick. There are no eggs or gluten to give the cookies structure, and therefore, chilling the dough is essential. That said, after being properly chilled, the cookies spread very little while baking, so flatten the dough mounds so the cookies cook through evenly.

For the add-ins, I used chocolate chips and a raisin medley, but feel free to use craisins, dried cranberries, apricots, another dried fruit, sliced nuts, white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips.

Chocolate Chip Healthy Oatmeal Cookies — These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.

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4.73 from 11 votes

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Miracle Cookie

By Averie Sunshine
These are without a doubt the healthiest cookies I've ever made. And some of the fastest and easiest. And they taste SO GOOD, making them the most miraculous.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15
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Ingredients  

  • about 1/2 cup ripe mashed banana, 1 medium/large
  • cup creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy; don’ use natural or homemade PB. I suspect almond or sunflower seed butter are too thin and runny
  • cup liquid sweetener, agave, light-colored corn syrup, brown rice syrup, honey; I suspect maple syrup is not quite sticky enough
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups quick cook oats, not old-fashioned whole rolled; must use quick cook. Use certified gluten-free if desired
  • 1 cup crispy rice cereal, use certified gluten-free/vegan if desired
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or another favorite baking chip, or omit
  • ½ cup raisins, or another favorite dried fruit, or omit

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the banana and mash with a fork.
  • Add the peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla, and stir to combine.
  • Add the oats, crispy rice cereal, cinnamon, baking soda, and stir to incorporate. The dough should be similar in consistency to regular cookie dough; sticky but not sloppy, nor should it be crumbly or dry. If it’s too wet, add more oats. If it’s too dry, add a small squirt more sweetener or more peanut butter.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips (or try cinnamon/white chocolate/peanut butter chips) and the raisins (or try craisins/dried apricots/cranberries/blueberries) and stir to incorporate.
  • Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping 2-tablespoon mounds (I made 15). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds halfway, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
  • Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray.
  • Place flattened mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for about 15 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to show signs of very pale golden color. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Rotate trays midway though baking. **
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
  • Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Notes

**It’s a bit tricky to tell when they’re done because they don’t spread or flatten much while baking, and because of their tan color. I’d rather underbake and have soft cookies than overbake and have rocks, and since they’re vegan, there’s no harm. You can always bake for an additional few minutes if you pull them too early.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 126kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 81mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. I made a modified version of these based on what I had in the house — natural peanut butter, maple syrup and no rice cereal (I substituted with more of the oats) and used only raw almond pieces and raisins instead of chocolate as add-ins. They turned out wonderfully! Thanks for this recipe! Not crumbly at all and very moist.

    Also, for anyone wondering I worked out the calories per cookie and they are roughly 140-150 each, depending on the specific ingredients you use.

    1. Thanks for the detailed field report, Kate! Love comments like this as they also help others make educated guesses on substitutions, what will work, etc. so thank you! And glad to know that natural PB worked as well as maple and extra oats. So glad they turned out so well for you! Thanks for LMK!

  2. I am so jealous of this recipe! Unfortunately, I am deathly allergic to bananas which is the base of these delicious looking cookies! Do you have any suggestions on substitutions for the bananas to still make these? I want to try these healthy little bites so bad while avoiding that pesky allergy.

    1. Can you eat dates? You need something sticky and glue-like. I would soak 3 or 4 medium/large dates in water for an hour or so. Then blend them in a blender or something to create a paste/glue-like substance. You could also use raisins with the same principle but dates would be much better. You could even try omitting the banana all-together and not even replacing it with anything other than increased liquid sweetener but I fear they may be a little crumbly.

      Take a look at these, too – similar idea, no bananas https://www.averiecooks.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

      1. Thanks so much! I will have to give dates a try! I’ve left out bananas before and you’re definitely right on the crumbliness without the sticky help of bananas.

  3. I made these tonight. I didn’t want to wait to chill the dough but I didn’t want to risk them spreading too much. So I used a large ice-cream scoop to divide the dough and dropped them into muffin cups. They came out perfect. Soft, chewy, not too sweet. I used a combo of dark chocolate chips and cranberries. They are delicious!! Thank you!! :)

    1. Oh I am so glad they worked for you and good call on the muffin cup baking! That’s always a foolproof way to prevent spreading :) And Dark Choc Chips + Cran sounds wonderful!

  4. I’m totally intrigued! I was reading all the “no this, no that” part of the post and I was starting to wonder what WAS in this recipe. SO glad the banana flavor doesn’t overwhelm the whole thing, and I love that you added peanut butter. With the chocolate chips, it sounds like a totally winning combo!

    1. I know…I was beginning to wonder the same thing when I was typing it and I was the one that made them…LOL :)

  5. These look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re just made from oats. I tried another recipe recently from a well-known site that was made from oats, but they were really crumbly. :-( I can’t wait to give yours a shot! I bet my daughters will love them too. :-D

    1. Very interesting and I have a feeling I know the recipe you’re talking about. Ahem.

      These are not crumbly and stick together, soft, moist, super chewy – you’d never know they were healthy and don’t call for any weird ingredients, either. LMK if you try them!

  6. Hello there I am so thrilled I found your web
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    1. They probably even qualify as acceptable on your new regime, too! Still marveling at how good you are doing with that!

  7. do I have to include crispy rice cereal? can I include a different cereal like cheerios? will that work the same way? :) x

    1. The crispy rice cereal does ‘absorb’ some of the moisture really well, but you could use Cheerios, just crush them up a little bit. LMK how they turn out!

  8. Just baked these up today after chilling the dough for 2 days. They taste FANTASTIC with just the perfect amount of sweetness. I know my dad is going to love them for his bday!

    1. So glad you baked them up and they’re fantastic! Glad your dad will love them, too. And happy bday to him!

  9. funny, I experimented with {healthy} cookies today. not quite as healthy as yours, and not nearly as gorgeous either:)

  10. I love cookies that I can feel good about! These sound amazing – anything with peanut butter is a win in my book!