Healthy Apple Oatmeal Cookies

These healthy apple oatmeal cookies are soft and moist. They are perfect snacks for those times when you want to eat something sweet that is filling without refined sugar.  These cookies are vegan and gluten-free!

When I crave sugar and I am on a diet or just want to eat healthy,  I like making these simple snacks that are free of sugar and flour.  They are soft and moist cookies, very filling and they satisfy my sweet tooth very quickly.    I especially like them warm.

You can have these gluten-free apple cookies for breakfast or anytime you want to eat innocent snacks.  

These cookies are not a healthy version of regular oatmeal cookies. So this shouldn’t be your expectation.  These cookies remind me overnight oats but they are in a cookie form. 

You need only 5 ingredients to make these small bites. Let’s see what they are:

The Ingredients for Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Apples-I use Gala or Fuji to use sweet apples.  Starking is sweet but also a little tangy. As I am using only apple and a little bit banana for sweetness, I prefer using all sweet apple.  

If you wonder about the health benefits; apples are nutritious, rich in fiber, filling which can help you to eat less. You can read more about the health benefits of apples by clicking the link.

Banana-Small amount of mashed banana adds a nice flavor, helps for the sweetness and also binds the cookies- but this is not the main purpose as I used to make them without banana before using the only apple.

Oatmeal-You can use gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats, or you can use regular if not gluten sensitive. I use ½ cup which is the recommended amount per serving.

Oatmeal is nutritious and very filling. It is full of minerals and vitamins.  You can read the benefits of oatmeal by clicking the link.

Peanut Butter-It binds these cookies and adds a little flavor. Although peanut butter is rich in minerals and vitamins, it is high in calories.  I suggest using no more than 1 to 2 tablespoons. When you use 1 tablespoon you feel less peanut butter but more apples, and when you use 2 tablespoons the peanut butter taste is intense. 

I prefer either using my healthy peanut butter (but I don’t add honey as it shouldn’t be baked according to my readings: Here is one of the articles I’ve read:why you shouldn’t cook honey ) or I use natural peanut butter without any additives.  This is no surprise as I try to use no additives in my recipes.  You can check my how to make healthy peanut butter post.

Cinnamon-I use it for the flavor; apple and cinnamon are always great together. This antioxidant spice also adds sweetness. You can read the benefits of cinnamon by clicking the link. 

How to Make Healthy Apple Oatmeal Cookies 

The steps are easy as mixing all the ingredients together.

First I place the banana into a medium bowl and mash.  I slice the banana and use my fork to mash. Slices make the mashing easier.  I set aside the bowl.

Next, I peel the apple and grate. I use 1 large apple.  When I grate the apple, there will be some juice left on the board.  I don’t need this excess juice as the grated apples have already enough juice to keep my cookies soft.

I add the grated apples and cinnamon over the mashed banana.   Then I mix with a spoon or a fork.

Next, I mix in the peanut butter.

Finally, I add oatmeal and mix.

I use my medium cookie scoop which holds 1 and ½ tablespoons(26-28 grams).  I place the mixture on to the baking sheet and flatten with my fingers. The mixture will be sticky. This makes 9 cookies.

Finally, I bake for almost 14 minutes, until the cookies change color, become firm on top and the cookies don’t stick to the parchment paper. The cookies will still be soft to handle.  After I remove the sheet from the oven, I keep them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so the cookies completely set.

That’s all! Enjoy your healthy cookies!

Other Healthy Recipes You May Enjoy!

• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
• Frozen Banana Bites
• No-Bake Energy Balls
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
• Healthy No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Healthy Apple Oatmeal Cookies

These healthy soft apple oatmeal cookies are so easy to make! They are vegan, gluten free and they don’t contain any sugar.  

5 from 126 votes

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Course: Healthy Snacks

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 19 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 cookies

Calories: 48kcal

Author: Meymi

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large apple, Gala, Fuji or any sweet apple*
• ▢ 3 tablespoons mashed banana (½ ripe small banana)
• ▢ 48 grams (½ cup) gluten free old fashioned rolled oats (or regular rolled oats if not gluten sensitive)
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter**
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F(177C°).  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Slice the banana and place in a medium bowl.  Mash with a fork. Set aside the bowl.
• Peel the  apple and grate.   When you grate the apple, there will be some excess juice left. Leaving that excess juice (don’t squeeze the apple, I mean the excess juice that stay on where you zest the apple) place the grated apple over the mashed banana and add the cinnamon, mix with a spoon/fork.
• Add the peanut butter and mix again. Finally mix in the oats.
• Make 1 and ½ tablespoon big balls. The mixture will be sticky so you should either use a cookie scoop or a spoon.  Place them on the baking sheet and flatten with your fingers.
• Bake for almost 14 minutes or until the cookies become firm on top and they don’t stick to the parchment paper.  When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will be soft to handle but they will be firm as they cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Notes

*I prefer using Gala or Fuji apples.  There are some sweet and tangy apples such as Starking but it is better if you use sweet apples rather than sweet and tangy if you crave sweet as there are no additional sweetener except apple and a small amount of banana. To be precise, I use around 114 grams grated apple, and 54 grams mashed banana.

**If you want to taste the apple more, add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  You will feel the peanut butter intense if you add 2 tablespoons. 

How to Store: You can keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days and if you like you can reheat at the same temperature for a couple of minutes.

The calorie information above is an estimate (with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter) that is provided by an online nutrition calculator. 

Nutrition

Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

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Update Notes:  I originally shared this post on April 10, 2018.  Today I add the banana to the recipe as it gives an extra nice flavor. If you like you can still make without banana, keeping the other ingredients the same.