Let me tell you about the moment I realized my snack time needed a serious upgrade. I was craving that classic, cozy chew of an oatmeal cookie, but I wanted something that felt light and left me energized, not sluggish. That’s how these Better-For-You Oatmeal Cookies were born in my kitchen. They’re naturally sweetened with maple syrup and ripe bananas, offering all the satisfaction of a beloved comfort food, but in a way you can feel truly good about. They’re the wholesome treat I now keep on hand for that perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
As the festive season arrives, this recipe has become my secret weapon. It’s a fantastic, stress-free addition to any holiday baking list. If you’re compiling christmas cookies recipes that are both delicious and mindful, these cookies are a wonderful choice. They easily fit into your lineup of christmas dessert ideas, making for lovely holiday treats to leave out for Santa or share with friends.
So whether you’re brainstorming christmas baking ideas or just need a batch of reliable easy christmas treats, these vegan oatmeal cookies are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. They’re proof, to me, that holiday cookies and Christmas celebrations can be both wonderfully indulgent and nourishing, bringing a touch of wholesome joy to your festive table.
Love Better-For-You Oatmeal Cookies? So do we! If you're into Christmas Cookie or curious about Chicken, you'll find plenty of inspiration below.
Why You’ll Love This Better-For-You Oatmeal Cookies
- Secretly wholesome: Packed with natural ingredients for comfort without refined sugar overload.
- Perfect texture: Soft, pillowy centers with just a hint of crispness around the edges.
- Incredibly versatile: A sturdy base welcoming to all sorts of mix-ins like chocolate or nuts.
- Amazing aroma: Fills your kitchen with the cozy scent of cinnamon and oats baking.
Ingredients & Tools
- 2 large, very ripe bananas (the spottier, the better!)
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut oil, melted (or neutral oil like avocado)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (60 g) whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (85 g) dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts (optional, but highly recommended)
Tools: A couple of mixing bowls, a fork or potato masher, a baking sheet, and parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Notes: The ripeness of the bananas is key here—they provide natural sweetness and moisture. Using rolled oats (not instant) gives the cookies their wonderful, substantial texture.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories: | 125 kcal |
| Protein: | 2.5 g |
| Fat: | 5 g |
| Carbs: | 18 g |
| Fiber: | 2 g |
Serves: 12 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes
Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes
- Your bananas must be very ripe. This isn’t just a suggestion—it’s the secret to the perfect sweetness and texture. Bananas with brown spots mash easier and blend seamlessly into the dough, eliminating any need for refined white sugar.
- Don’t skip the chilling time. I know, I know, you want cookies now. But letting the dough rest in the fridge for even 15-20 minutes helps the oats absorb the moisture, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much and gives them a chewier, more defined shape.
- Use a light-colored baking sheet if you can. Dark pans can cause the bottoms to brown too quickly. If a dark pan is all you have, no worries—just keep a close eye on them towards the end of the baking time.
- Feel free to play with your mix-ins. The base recipe is a dream for customization. A little goes a long way, so whether you’re a chocolate lover or a nut enthusiast, fold in about half a cup of your favorite add-in for a personal touch.
How to Make Better-For-You Oatmeal Cookies
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. This little step makes cleanup an absolute breeze and prevents any sticking. In a large mixing bowl, take your very ripe bananas and mash them thoroughly with a fork until they’re smooth and almost liquid-like. You really don’t want any big chunks in there.
Step 2: To the mashed banana, add the maple syrup, melted (and slightly cooled) coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk it all together until it’s completely combined and looks like a smooth, caramel-colored liquid. You’ll notice the mixture might look a little separated at first—that’s totally normal. Just keep whisking until it comes together.
Step 3: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. This ensures the leavening and spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour and oats, so you get a consistent flavor and rise in every single cookie.
Step 4: Now, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold everything together. Mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour. The trick is not to overmix here—a few lumps are perfectly fine. Finally, if you’re using them, gently fold in your chocolate chips or nuts.
Step 5: This is the patience-testing part. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. This chilling time allows the oats to soak up some of the moisture, which results in a thicker, chewier cookie that won’t spread into a thin pancake on the baking sheet.
Step 6: Once chilled, scoop the dough using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, dropping rounded mounds onto your prepared baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between each one because they will spread a little. You can gently press them down slightly if you prefer a flatter cookie.
Step 7: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look just set. They might seem a tiny bit soft in the middle, but that’s what you want! They will firm up beautifully as they cool. This is the key to a soft, not cakey, texture.
Step 8: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a full 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This resting period on the hot pan is crucial—it lets them finish setting up so they don’t fall apart when you move them. Then, dig in!
Storage & Freshness Guide
- Fridge: Not recommended; store at room temperature for best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies or dough balls in airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reviving: Warm in oven at 300°F for 5 minutes to refresh crispness.
Serving Suggestions
Complementary Dishes
- A bowl of Greek yogurt with berries — The tangy, creamy yogurt and fresh, juicy berries provide a lovely contrast to the warm, spiced sweetness of the cookies, making for a perfectly balanced breakfast or snack.
- A warm cup of apple cider — The autumnal spices in both the cider and the cookies create a harmonious and deeply comforting flavor pairing that just feels like a hug from the inside.
Drinks
- A cold glass of milk or a milk alternative — It’s a classic for a reason. The cool, creamy liquid is the perfect partner to wash down each soft, chewy, and satisfying bite.
- A hot cup of chai tea — The cardamom, ginger, and other spices in the chai echo the cinnamon in the cookies, elevating the whole experience into something truly special and aromatic.
Something Sweet
- A small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream — Sandwich a slightly warm cookie around a scoop of ice cream for an instant, decadent (but still relatively wholesome) ice cream sandwich that’s pure bliss.
- A drizzle of salted caramel sauce — For a next-level treat, a tiny drizzle of good-quality salted caramel over the top adds a rich, buttery depth that plays wonderfully off the oat and banana flavors.
Top Mistakes to Avoid
- Mistake: Using under-ripe bananas. Green or just-yellow bananas lack the necessary sweetness and don’t mash into a smooth puree, which can lead to a bland flavor and weird, chunky bits in your finished cookies.
- Mistake: Skipping the chill time. I’ve messed this up before too, in a hurry. The result is usually a cookie that spreads way too thin, becoming crispy and flat instead of soft and chewy. The oats need that time to hydrate!
- Mistake: Over-baking the cookies. They continue to cook on the hot baking sheet after you take them out of the oven. If you wait for them to look completely firm and golden in the center, you’ll end up with a dry, crunchy cookie instead of the soft, tender one we’re aiming for.
- Mistake: Over-mixing the dough. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Stirring too much can develop the gluten in the flour (even whole wheat), leading to a tougher, more bread-like cookie texture.
Expert Tips
- Tip: Make a double batch and freeze the dough. Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them solid on a tray before transferring to a zip-top bag. You can bake frozen cookies straight from the freezer, adding just a minute or two to the baking time, for a fresh, warm cookie anytime the craving strikes.
- Tip: Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle a tiny bit of flaky sea salt over the top. It enhances all the other flavors—the sweetness of the banana and maple, the bitterness of the chocolate—and makes everything pop.
- Tip: For a crispier cookie, press them thinner. If you prefer a crisper, lace-like oatmeal cookie, simply press the dough balls down quite flat with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass before baking. They’ll spread more and become delightfully crunchy.
- Tip: Toast your oats for a deeper flavor. For a nuttier, more complex taste, spread your rolled oats on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes before adding them to the recipe. Let them cool completely first. It’s a simple step with a huge payoff.
FAQs
Can I make these cookies vegan?
Absolutely! The only non-vegan ingredient is the egg. For a great vegan substitute, you can use a “flax egg.” Simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes gel-like. Use this in place of the egg. The binding power is fantastic, and you won’t miss a thing.
My cookies didn’t spread at all. What happened?
This usually points to the dough being too cold or the flour being over-measured. If you chilled the dough for a very long time, it might be too firm to spread. Let it sit at room temp for 10 minutes before scooping. Also, always spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off—scooping directly packs in too much flour, leading to a dense, cakey cookie.
Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned?
You can, but the texture will be different. Quick oats are cut smaller and absorb more liquid, which can result in a denser, less chewy cookie with more of a uniform, cake-like crumb. Old-fashioned rolled oats give you that classic, hearty oatmeal cookie texture, so I highly recommend sticking with them.
How should I store these cookies?
Once completely cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They tend to soften over time because of the banana, which is actually quite nice. For longer storage, they freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature or warm them gently in the oven.
Can I reduce the amount of maple syrup?
You can try, but be cautious. The maple syrup isn’t just a sweetener; it’s also a liquid ingredient. Reducing it significantly could make the dough too dry and affect the final texture, making the cookies crumbly. The ripe bananas are doing a lot of the sweetening work, so the maple level is already quite modest.
Better-For-You Oatmeal Cookies: A Healthy Snack
Better For You Oatmeal Cookies are a wholesome, chewy treat sweetened with maple syrup and banana. They're the perfect easy holiday treat for guilt-free Christmas baking.
Ingredients
For the Ingredients
-
2 large, very ripe bananas
-
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
-
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
-
1 large egg
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
-
1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
-
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-
1 tsp ground cinnamon
-
1/2 tsp baking soda
-
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
-
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts
Instructions
-
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large mixing bowl, take your very ripe bananas and mash them thoroughly with a fork until they’re smooth and almost liquid-like.01
-
To the mashed banana, add the maple syrup, melted (and slightly cooled) coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk it all together until it’s completely combined and looks like a smooth, caramel-colored liquid.02
-
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.03
-
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold everything together. Mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Finally, if you’re using them, gently fold in your chocolate chips or nuts.04
-
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.05
-
Once chilled, scoop the dough using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, dropping rounded mounds onto your prepared baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between each one. You can gently press them down slightly if you prefer a flatter cookie.06
-
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look just set.07
-
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a full 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.08
Not what you're looking for?
