These apple oatmeal cookies are a delicious mix of fruit, oats and a touch of spice. With lots of great ingredients, you have every excuse to dig in!
This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to come up with these healthy apple oatmeal cookies. After all, I'm always trying to make healthier treats and we love apples. But I know one thing for sure: now I have they are going to be made often.
These are easy to make, full of lots of good-for-you ingredients, and are soft and delicious. Everyone in our house came back for more and I can't blame them.
A love of apples
If you are a regular here, you know we enjoy our apples. They are my eldest son's favorite snack at the moment and he even asked for an apple cake (which ended up being our beloved sour cream apple cake) for his fourth birthday. We've enjoyed them in everything from apple crepes to an apple, squash and pork skillet and apple bacon jam, not to mention my white sangria.
So when the opportunity arose to work with Rainier Fruit, one of the country's leading growers of apples and other fruits, I was excited. I love their family feel, and their aim to help people live their best lives with healthy products. Not to mention their commitment to sustainability. Then when I saw they were sponsoring the Boston marathon, it was like a match made in heaven.
What the Boston marathon means to me
I'll be upfront and say I am far from a marathon runner and not a Boston native, but the Boston marathon still means a lot to me. Having lived in London for many years before, I knew how much a marathon could create a fantastic sense of unity and warmth in a city.
The fateful Boston marathon of 2013 was our first here, and I was actually walking only a few blocks away with my then 10 month old when events unfolded. I heard the noise but didn't know what had happened until I got home.
The next couple days were a bit crazy - house arrest with a lively young kid was not easy. But I couldn't help being touched by the amazing spirit it brought out in the city and surrounding area. Seeing the great turn out the next year just built that feeling more. The start of One Boston Day (4/15 each year) in 2015 showed it was a feeling felt by many, that was something to harness.
Rainier Fruit is doing its part not just as marathon sponsor, but by donating a portion of sales of their apples on One Boston Day this year to the Martin Richard Foundation. Just head to one of the Wholefoods in the Boston area to stock up and show your support. Then use some of those apples, along with some pears, for these delicious healthy apple oatmeal cookies!
How to make these apple oatmeal cookies
When I said these were easy, I wasn't kidding. You simple grate the apple and pear, and mix them with the coconut oil, maple syrup, chia seeds and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the oat bran, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Then add the apple mixture and mix it well. Scoop tablespoonfuls of the mixture on to a lined baking sheet and bake until just brown.
These healthy apple oatmeal cookies are soft and tender, just sweet enough and full of tasty apple flavor. The pear helps to hold them together, while the little bit coconut flour saves them being a soggy mess. Using oat bran rather than whole oats gives a finer texture but with that gentle oaty flavor.
They’re almost like an apple oatmeal muffin in cookie form. They're naturally gluten free and vegan, meaning even more people can enjoy them. And you should, because they're really good, and good enough for you to enjoy any time.
![These healthy apple oatmeal cookies are easy to make & packed with good for you ingredients. Soft, flavorful, gluten free & vegan: so many reasons to enjoy! A great anytime snack, whether after school or even breakfast]](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/healthy-apple-oatmeal-cookies-plate.jpg)
Try these other healthy cookies:
- Healthy cranberry apricot cookies
- Refined sugar free date oatmeal cookies
- My homemade fig Newtons have some refined ingredients but are still on the healthier side (and delicious, too!)
- No bake chocolate cashew bars
- Healthy cranberry apricot cookies
- Plus get more snack recipes, sweet and savory, in the archives.
Tools to make these cookies (affiliate links)
I'd recommend using a Silicone Baking Mat on top of a Half Baking Sheet to make these.
Healthy apple oatmeal cookies (GF, vegan)
Ingredients
- ½ apple (approx ½c)
- ½ pear (approx ½c)
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil , melted and cooled
- ¼ cup oat bran 28g
- ½ cup almond flour 41g ground almonds
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line a baking sheet/tray.
- Peel the apple and pear and remove core. Coarsely grate both into a bowl and add the chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut oil. Mix well.
- In a bowl, mix together the oat bran, almond flour, baking powder, coconut flour and cinnamon. Add the apple mixture and mix well.
- Take tablespoonfuls and place on the lined baking sheet. Round them off as they won't change shape as they cook.
- Bake for approx 15min, slightly longer if needed, until lightly brown. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- Store any that you don't eat immediately in an airtight container - they are more muffin-like than firmer cookies so only keep a couple days).
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Thanks to Rainier Fruit for sponsoring this post. All opinions remain my own.
Remember to pin for later!
sindokht says
tnx, then i guess i'll be skipping them.
sindokht says
hi,
your healthy cookies are unlike any others. love them all.
my question here: what could i put in this instead of chia seeds?
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you! So here I think you could get away with skipping them and then maybe add a little extra oat bran if needed. Another option is to use a little ground flaxseed but it can impact the flavor/mouthfeel a little more chia seeds.
gina says
if i didnt want to use almond meal/flour what could i substitute instead?
thank you!
Caroline's Cooking says
So the almond meal gives a mixture of texture, flavor and bulk to them so it is a little hard to replace exactly. Oat flour is probably the best, but it works a little differently from a moisture-absorbing perspective so you may need a different amount.
Lynn says
What can I use instead of oat bran?
Thanks
Caroline's Cooking says
Do you have oats, as you can basically make your own oat bran by blending them up in the food processor to give a consistency somewhere between crumbs and a flour. Alternatively, you could use whole wheat flour, but they wouldn't then be gluten-free and you may need a little more or less.
Sharon says
These are seriously my newest favorite thing to eat!! I have to stop or I will eat it all at once! I did tweak the recipe a bit. I did not have pears so I used all apples. I did not have chia seeds either. I did use raisins. The raisins really made it perfect!! They came out a lot softer then I thought they would but oh wow are the phenomenal!!! Thank you for my new favorite recipe!!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! Yes they are a pretty soft cookie with all the fruit but agree, the flavors are delicious and like the idea of raisins in there too!
Catherine Brown says
Apples and oats just go hand-in-hand! and I love that you included pear as well. These would make a great breakfast too when I just want a little bite. 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
I agree, they work so well, and yes they'd be great for breakfast too being pretty healthy.
kim says
Yum! Love that added apple flavor, especially for fall. Can't wait to give these a try!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, they are definitely very fall-flavored, but tasty any time.
Lisa says
These eggless cookies look so moist and delicious. They are the perfect snack!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, they are definitely moist but in a very tasty way!
Brian Jones says
Such a great seasonal treat, our apple trees are almost groaning under the weight of fruit this year. I love cookies like this, I'll take em over chocolate cookies any day of the week.
Caroline's Cooking says
How wonderful to have your own tree - my grandfather used to have some too and I loved helping to pick them. I agree, fruity or other lighter cookies are definitely my preference over chocolate ones (most of the time at least!)
Dannii says
I love oat cookies. I feel like I can get away with eating them for breakfast as it is oats haha
Caroline's Cooking says
Well you certainly could with these, they are pretty healthy really 🙂
Shanika says
I love Apple Oatmeal cookies and these look great! I love that these are vegan too.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it's a great bonus! Lets more people enjoy them 🙂
Christina Nifong says
These look really wonderful. Can't wait to give them a try!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you Christina, they're delicious!
frugal hausfrau says
All that and the cookies look great!! Who would have guessed! You're very creative. Thanks for sharing with us this week at FF!
Mollie
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Mollie, they are really tasty - my kids happily ate them up, as did we! And full of such great ingredients, too.