If you saw my homemade granola bar recipe, you won’t be surprised to know that this healthy oatmeal cookie recipe produces one of my most loved best cookies. Similar to the granola bar, they are extremely versatile….all you need is the oat as your main ingredient and the rest is up to you! Over the years, I have made simple oatmeal cookies with just four ingredients to the more complex ones with earthy nuts and seeds or additions like chocolate and peanut butter. I have made them no-bake, crispy, chewy, and even without eggs. In fact, my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe does not have eggs. Welcome to the stage, Mr. flax egg.
Making a flax egg could not be easier– just combine water and ground flax seed. The result is a goopy mixture that imitates the binding properties of an egg, but without compromising the cookie. I think baked goods made with flax eggs have a heartier flavor. I have used them in molasses cake, quick breads and even pecan pie. More than not, the end product tastes better than if I had used a real egg.
Along with being egg-less, these cookies embrace pure maple syrup, cinnamon and dried fruits. It is the maple syrup that makes this cookie. I’ll explain later why I currently have a gallon of it on my counter…
Something else that is special about these cookies is that by adding a little extra flour in the last step, you can cut them into shapes before baking. Imagine that, cut-out cookies and no mixer required! Can you see why this is a favorite recipe? Perfect for a tea party, the pre-game and even breakfast, allow me to introduce to you the best oatmeal cookie in my world…
You start out by making your flax egg. Nearly every grocery store carries pre-ground flax seed, called flax meal. One package of flax meal will go a long way in substituting eggs within recipes. If you want to make your own, simply grind flax seed in a coffee grinder or high powered blender until you get a soft meal. Dump 1 ½ tablespoons into a small bowl.
Pour 3 T. of cold water into the bowl of flax meal, stir, and set it aside. The proportions will give you one egg substitute. If you have a recipe that calls for two eggs, use 3 T. flax meal and ¼ cup cold water.
Meanwhile, put the first seven ingredients into a large bowl: 2 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ cup wheat germ (or other grain!) ½ cup dark brown sugar, 1 t. baking soda, ½ t. cinnamon and ¼ t. salt. Stir them together.
Next, put 3 ½ T of unsalted butter into a microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. If you don’t want to use butter, you can substitute melted coconut oil.
Put the melted butter into a larger bowl (I Realize I could have melted it in a larger bowl!); add the ½ cup pure maple syrup and 2 t. pure vanilla extract. Did you notice I had a gallon of pure maple syrup? A friend of mine just visited Vermont and I asked her to buy me the largest container she could. At a discounted price of $58, it is worth every penny. By freezing portions we don’t need right away, that gallon will last us a year and provide real maple flavor to dozens of recipes in my box. I love cooking and baking with real, pure and natural maple syrup (not the fake stuff!!) If you don’t have a friend who will travel to Vermont and get you a discount, check out Aldi. They are now carrying real maple syrup at around $4/8.5 oz jar.
At this point, your wet flax meal will have transformed into a wonderful goopy egg substitute! The consistency will be just like an egg.
Add the flax egg into the other wet ingredients… ain’t it beautiful? …and then stir them all together.
Finally, pour the wet mixture into the large bowl of dry and stir together.
Chop up your favorite dried fruits to make 2/3 cup and add it to the dough. For this batch, I used a combination of dried cherries, cranberries and dates, but any fruit will do! You are also free to add ¼ cup chopped nuts as well.
At this point, you can bake the cookies as they are, making traditional oatmeal cookie rounds. However, if you want these to be extra special, stir in ¼ cup more all purpose flour. The added flour will make a more stiff dough suitable for cutting while not affecting the flavor.
With floured hands, pat the dough ¾ inch thick onto a floured surface and choose your cookie cutter. Smaller shapes like this heart will make 36 cookies and bigger shapes will make about 18.
Cut away! This is a fun step for kids, esp. since they can eat all the dough they want. There are no raw eggs!
Place the cut-outs on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Ta-da! The picture above is what they will look like when they come out of the oven. Let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before removing them.
The bottom of the cookies will be a bit rugged looking with lightly toasted and floury bits of oat goodness. Yum!!
And there you have it. Delicious oatmeal cut-outs…soft on the inside with a crunch on the outside – similar to a scone. They are even better the next day! Enjoy!!
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg 3 T. cold water
- 2 cups oats
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour divided
- ½ cup wheat germ or other grain!
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup chopped dried fruit
- optional: 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Make your flax egg: Combine 1 ½ T. of ground flax seed with 3 T. cold water and set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups of oats, 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ cup wheat germ (or other grain!) ½ cup dark brown sugar, 1 t. baking soda, ½ t. cinnamon and ¼ t. salt.
- Melt 3 ½ T of unsalted butter in another bowl. Stir in ½ cup pure maple syrup, 2 t. pure vanilla extract and flax egg. Pour the wet mixture into the large bowl of dry and stir together.
- Chop your favorite dried fruits to make 2/3 cup and add it to the dough. Stir in ¼ cup more all purpose flour and with floured hands, pat the dough ¾ inch thick onto a floured surface.
- Cut out 36 small shapes or 18 regular/large shapes.
- Place the cut-outs on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Let sit on the pan for 2 minutes and then remove.
Nutrition
Meredith is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom living in NW Ohio. She loves to adapt recipes to her family’s eclectic tastes and is learning to provide nourishment for any bellies who walk through the door at a moment’s notice. If not in the kitchen, you’ll find Meredith in front of her sewing machine or spending quality time with her home and church families. Life goes by so fast!
Comments & Reviews
I love this recipe! I was looking for a healthier oatmeal cookie and can’t believe I found this one. I Have made it three times in a few weeks and shared it with neighbors. I really like the texture and it’s not too sweet. It’s very easy to work with. I roll it out to about 1/2” and use a biscuit cooker to get these perfect rounds each time. Thank you Meredith!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Alicia! Your comment reminded me to make them again, too ☺️
Hi Meredith!
Your recipe looks so good! I love how there’s no eggs in it.
I’m keen to try it out. Only thing I don’t have wheat germ. Can I use something else instead? Or increase the quantity of flour?
Varsha
Hi Varsha!
You can use ground oats or any kind of flour as a replacement. Enjoy! 😉
Hello Meredith – Your healthy oatmeal cookie recipe looks very good. However, I would like to substitute honey for the maple syrup and am wondering how much honey to use, that is, if you know. Thanks so much and keep up the good work.
Hi Scott!
You can use honey interchangeably with maple syrup in baked recipes. I would use a 1:1 ratio to keep the same dough consistency. Just keep in mind that the end result may be a little sweeter (honey has a sweeter taste than maple syrup)… I think they would still be delicious!