These soft and healthy applesauce oatmeal cookies are jam-packed with rolled oats. Made with minimal ingredients in one bowl, this recipe makes the perfect healthy snack with no added sugar – great for kids, too. They are also naturally vegan and gluten-free.
I love that you can easily customize these cookies with other flavors and add-ins (almonds and orange zests are my favorite!). You can even make them ahead of time for the upcoming 4 days.
This easy cookie recipe is pretty similar to my 3-ingredient banana oat cookies, except they are made with applesauce instead of banana. Give them a try and comment to let me know what you think of them!
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Key ingredients and substitutions
- Applesauce: I recommend using unsweetened or lightly sweetened applesauce. Find one that is silky smooth and free from lumps and chunks.
- Almond butter: This is a great alternative to butter for this recipe. I also really love the flavor of it. Make sure to mix the almond butter well if it has separated and there is oil on top.
- Plant-based milk of choice: I love almond, soy, or (gluten-free certified) oat milk, but you can use any dairy-free milk.
- Vanilla extract: Go for a good quality vanilla, or try a little almond extract as an alternative. Almond and apple is also a lovely flavor combination.
- Oats: I use gluten-free rolled oats and gluten-free oat flour as the base for my cookies.
- Baking soda: Be sure to use a fresh batch!
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is the perfect partner to apple, of course. You can also try making these with a little ground ginger or nutmeg instead. Allspice works great, too.
- Salt: Adding a little salt (or fleur de sel, which I use) adds a delicious balance to the flavors.
Elo’s tips
- Use rolled oats, not quick oats. They add some bite and texture to the cookies.
- Make your (gluten-free) oat flour by blending gluten-free oats in a blender (rolled or quick oats, it doesn’t matter).
- Make them in advance as part of your weekly meal prep, and have a stash of healthy cookies and snacks available.
- Keep an eye on the baking time: You don’t want to overbake them. The cookies may feel a little soft when they come out of the oven, but they will firm up on cooling. Be careful not to overdo them.
- Allow them to cool completely: This is important before packaging and storing them. They should be at room temperature and not warm at all.
- Experiment with healthy add-ins: Use these cookies as a way to boost your nutrition by adding other ingredients loaded with omegas, vitamins, and other minerals.
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1: Prepare the wet ingredients. Before you start, preheat the oven to 375°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the applesauce, almond butter, milk, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together to combine.
STEP 2: Prepare the dry ingredients: Stir in the rolled oats, oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with a spatula.
STEP 3: Scoop the cookie dough. Use a cookie scoop to portion out eight balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet.
STEP 4: Press them flat on the baking sheet, with slightly wet fingers, but keep them pretty thick (0.6 inches, 1,5 cm).
STEP 5: Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and cool the soft cookies on a wire wrack.
STEP 6: Salt. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee!
Optional add-ins
- Spices: Experiment with other spices like cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Nuts: Stir in toasted almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or pecans.
- Chia and flax seeds: For a little extra nutritional value.
- Raisins: I like to soak mine and dry them before folding them in for an oatmeal raisin cookie.
- Chocolate chips: Try adding white, milk (if not vegan), or dark chocolate chips. Or a mix of all three!
- Apple chunks: Cut them into very small dice. You can also grate the apple. I recommend squeezing out the excess water if you do.
- Dried fruits: Try adding dried apricots and figs.
- Orange zest: Stir in some freshly zested orange peel.
- Chopped dates: Dates add extra natural sweetness.
- Shredded coconut: For extra delicious, cozy flavor.
- Cacao powder: A great way to stir in chocolate flavor and antioxidants at the same time.
- Protein powder: Add a little protein powder to your cookie dough (or try these vegan protein cookies).
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but make sure it's blended without chunks.
Yes, freeze these healthy applesauce oatmeal cookies 3 for months, packaged in a zip bag. Remove as much air as possible before freezing them.
No, this dough is too soft to be frozen. However, you can whip it up in less than 10 minutes, making it a great recipe when you're short on time.
To prevent dryness, avoid overbaking your cookie dough. Remove them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden. Additionally, incorporating applesauce into the dough helps maintain moisture, as does storing the cookies properly in an airtight container.
You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days and an additional day in the refrigerator.
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The recipe
Healthy Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup (190 g) applesauce I use unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons almond butter or any other nut butter
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup (100 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- ½ cup (55 g) gluten-free oat flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt I use fleur de sel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the applesauce, almond butter, milk, and vanilla to a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add in the rolled oats, oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with a spatula (see stepy-by-step pictures).
- Scoop 8 balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet with a cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons. Press the flat with slightly wet fingers, but keep them pretty thick (0.6 inches, 1,5 cm).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
Notes
- Use rolled oats, not quick oats. They add some bite and texture.
- Make your oat flour by blending gluten-free oats in a blender (rolled or quick oats, it doesn’t matter).
- Experiment with healthy add-ins: Use these cookies as a way to boost your nutrition by adding other ingredients loaded with omegas, vitamins, and other minerals (see post above).
- Make them in advance as part of your weekly meal prep, and have a stash of healthy cookies and snacks available.
- Allow them to cool completely: This is important before packaging and storing them. They should be at room temperature and not warm at all.
- Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days and in the refrigerator for an additional day.
Nutrition
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