These easy healthy oatmeal cookies are deliciously chewy, naturally sweetened and packed with fruit, nuts and heart healthy seeds.

Are you the kind of person that feels like most days need cookies in them to be considered a good day? If that’s you or even if you’re just a fan of oaty cookies, then you’re going to love these easy, healthy oatmeal cookies. They’re soft and chewy, with bits of fruit and seeds in every bite and because they’re made with oats they’re substantial. I often make these and have 2-3 for breakfast, either warm from the oven (because they take literally 10 minutes to throw together) or warm from the microwave.

Cuppa tea, cookies for breakfast. Winning at this whole morning thing right?

What makes these cookies healthy?

Well, first they’re naturally sweetened. I use banana and agave syrup so no refined white sugar. Use bananas that are not quite spotty yet and they have less sugar and more fibre too.  The sultanas also lend their own sweetness as well as being high in iron and fibre. I also often swap out the sultanas for goji berries – which are little vitamin C packed dynamos as well as being high in fibre and iron themselves.

We’ve also got lots of heart healthy seeds too with chia, flax and sesame seeds.  And of course we’ve got oats in our oatmeal cookies! Oats are great for low glycemic index meaning they don’t cause your blood sugar to spike and so keep you feeling fuller for longer.

How to make these vegan and gluten free cookies

Start by mashing the banana in a large bowl. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined baking tray and use either the spoon or your hands to shape into slightly flattened round cookies. You can space them fairly close together as they don’t spread.

Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until just golden and set. They will firm up a bit more once they cool.

Enjoy warm or allow to cool then store in an airtight container. These oat cookies also freeze really well so I often double the batch and fill the oven for healthy oatmeal cookies another day!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies Variations:

• Add some chopped nuts to the mixture before baking.
• Swap the sultanas for goji berries and/or dark chocolate chips.
• For nut free omit the ground almonds and substitute for the same amount of oats.
• Don’t like bananas? Use apple puree instead! An average large banana is 120g (peeled weight) so substitute with the same amount of apple puree.

Looking for even more gluten free baking ideas? Try these:

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Pecan Pie Bars

Mince Pie Flapjacks

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Orange Brownies

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