Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies that are super easy to make with only one bowl and 8 healthy ingredients. Vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for snacking.
I’ve eaten a ridiculous amount of cookies over the past week. And made even more.
It started out as an innocent craving for my favourite kind of cookie (chocolate chip oatmeal), and before I knew it, I was 7 batches in and measuring out ingredients at 11 PM. This is my life now.
But for the perfect vegan and gluten-free oatmeal cookie? It was more than worth it…
And by “perfect vegan and gluten-free oatmeal cookie” I mean one that’s:
- soft
- chewy
- hearty
- got plenty of texture
- sweet (but not overly sweet)
- “buttery”
- and sometimes chocolatey (but sometimes not)
So basically these:
How To Make Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
I’d like to think I learned a few things over the course of 7 batches of cookies, so here’s some tips on how to get a really tasty oatmeal cookie:
- I’ve said this before, but I always find that the combination of almond flour + oats gives baked goods a really “buttery” taste, even if there’s no butter in the recipe. That being said, there’s not really any substitute for the almond flour in this recipe. I AM SORRY.
- Speaking of butter, I opted to use it in this recipe instead of coconut oil because I felt like it gave a way better taste. There was something a little off in the coconut oil cookies, but the buttery ones were spot on. You want to melt it for the best results, and feel free to use either regular butter or vegan spread depending on your dietary needs.
- For sweetness, I found that the combination of coconut sugar + maple syrup worked the best. You can replace the coconut sugar for brown sugar, but don’t use a granulated sugar because your cookies will come out hard. The maple syrup is needed to add extra moisture to the dough, but another liquid sweetener would probably work as well. And no, the cookies don’t taste maple-y.
- Cornstarch! The last two batches of cookies I made were exactly the same, except that one had cornstarch while the other did not. There wasn’t a huge difference when the cookies came out of the oven, but as they sat and cooled, the cornstarch cookies stayed way softer and chewier.
- The dough will be a little sticky but should still be easy to work with, and to make it even easier, you can wet your fingers while shaping the cookies. They won’t spread much, so when you’re putting them on the baking sheet, shape them in a way that you want the finished cookie to look. Not too thin for maximum softness.
- I opted out of mixing chocolate chips into the dough and chose to melt them and drizzle the chocolate over the cookies instead. This was mostly because I thought it looked prettier, but also because I didn’t want chocolate in all the cookies and this just felt like an easier way to control that. Sometimes a girl just wants an old fashioned oatmeal cookie sans chocolate, ya know?
Okay, But What Are They Like?
Soft. Chewy. Hearty. Perfectly sweet… basically everything you want in an oatmeal cookie. Well, unless you like them hard and crunchy – these definitely aren’t that. Although I suppose you could just leave them in the oven for a little longer and have them firm up. Either way, they’re delicious cookies.
They’re also gluten-free and vegan (if you use vegan butter), and have an old-fashioned cookie feel. You know the one I’m talking about? Comforting and hearty like an Oatie or Digestive? Perfect with milk. Perfect with coffee. Perfect with (or without) chocolate. Just… perfect.
Happy eating!
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soft and chewy oatmeal cookies
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup (80 g) quick oats (GF if needed)
- 1 3/4 cup (196 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (50 g) coconut sugar*
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 flax “egg” (1 Tbsp (7 g) ground flax + 3 Tbsp water)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp (30 g) vegan butter, melted**
- Optional: 1/4 – 1/2 cup (40 – 80 g) dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, sugar, cornstarch, and baking soda. Add the flax egg, maple syrup and butter, mixing until fully combined. The dough should be a little sticky but still easy to work with. If it’s too sticky, add a tablespoon of almond flour at a time until it’s easier to handle. If you’re adding chocolate chips to the batter, mix them in here.
- Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop out the dough and roll it into a ball between your palms. Drop the dough onto your prepared baking sheet and gently flatten it with your fingers. The cookies won’t really spread, so shape them how you want the finished cookie to look.
- Bake for 9 – 11 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Optional: melt some chocolate chips and use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Place them in the fridge to set before enjoying.
Notes
* You can also use brown sugar.
** You can also use coconut oil. Or you can use regular butter if you don’t need these to be vegan.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Looking for more soft and chewy cookie recipes? Try one of these!
Gran Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Flourless Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Grain Free Snickerdoodles
Chewy Double Chocolate Banana Cookies
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I appreciate the recipes. I try make a cake
Thanks for the recipes! I try make a cake
Thanks for this dish, oatmeal was so boring before this but not anymore.
These turned out awesome! Didn’t have quick oats so subbed regular rolled oats and they were still a hit. 🙌 Thanks for the great recipe! Will have to try adding chocolate next time too!
I’m so glad you like them, Jenni! Great to know that old fashioned oats work as well 🙂
What can You use in place of maple syrup. Don’t have it
Honey should work fine too!
Hi! Think i could use an egg instead of flax? I’m out of it 🤦🏼♀️
Yes that should be okay! I actually another recipe similar to this one that uses an egg as well if you want to try that – https://www.runningwithspoons.com/2016/11/19/chewy-flourless-oatmeal-cookies/
Thank you for your quick reply Amanda, l will let you know once l have made them how they turn out.
HELLO, Can you use regular oats instead of quick oats? Thank you
I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say 100% for sure, but it should be fine! It just might change the texture a little bit.