Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are made with coconut sugar, rolled oats, plump raisins, and a hint of nutmeg. Soft and chewy with crispy edges, these naturally sweetened cookies are perfect for picnics, parties, and especially for your morning coffee break.

You will never believe what I’m about to confess…

I really don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies.

Okay, wait. I should amend that: I really don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies… except for these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Raisins cookies give me trust issues. When I was 9 years old, I was at a birthday party for a friend, and her mom put a plate of cookies on the snacks table. I toddled over and grabbed a lovely golden oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I’ve always loved oatmeal chocolate chip; they’re usually always chewy, which is my favourite type.

Plus, let’s be honest, deep down you feel like they’re a bit healthier because of the oats, right?

But when I took my first bite, I nearly gagged. Raisins.

The bloody thing wasn’t chocolate chip at all, but oatmeal RAISIN. It looked so similar, how could I have known? From that day forth, I vowed to hate oatmeal raisin cookies and their sneaky fruity insides.

Until today.

Friend, if you’ve ever been burned by an oatmeal raisin cookie like I have, all of those trust issues are going to melt into obscurity after you take your first bite of one of these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

I love the flavour and warmth the nutmeg lends, the fruity chew of the sweet raisins, and the caramelly note of the coconut sugar. Plus, with crispy edges, chewy insides, and a little extra somethin’-somethin’ from the rolled oats, these cookies are near texture perfection.

I can’t wait for you to try these!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• These cookies are supremely chewy with crispy edges – my favourite kind! If you love soft and chewy oatmeal cookies, you are going to die over the texture of these.
• They’re naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, making them completely refined sugar free.
• My personal favourite bit about these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is the nutmeg. There’s only a dash in the recipe, but it lends such beautiful flavour and warmth.
• These cookies are jam-packed with raisins, ensuring you get a sweet pop in every bite.
• Even with the hour-long chilling time, these naturally sweet cookies are super quick to prep and even faster to bake. Cookies on the table in record time? I think so.

Are oatmeal raisin cookies healthy?

I’m going to level with you here: no oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is healthy.

Despite what some people would have you believe, cookies are dessert and often contain a lot of sugar (or sugar alcohols/artificial sweeteners) and butter or oil. Although the rolled oats provide a good dose of fibre and the raisins are a natural sugar source, I wouldn’t class a classic oatmeal raisin cookie as healthy.

That being said, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying cookies like these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies as part of a diet rich in whole foods. Like all desserts, we should feel free to indulge in them in moderation if they make us feel happy and fulfilled.

Ingredients in this chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe

• Rolled oats: One of the main stars in our recipe! You can’t have oatmeal raisin cookies without the oatmeal part. Use rolled (or jumbo) oats for the best texture.
• Unbleached plain flour: Using plain flour instead of self-raising allows us to control the rise in the cookies and yields a chewier cookie. Read this post on how flour is made to find out why I only use unbleached flours.
• Cinnamon: Personally, I can’t have an oatmeal cookie without a little cinnamon. This adds a touch of warmth to the cookies.
• Nutmeg: My secret ingredient! Nutmeg adds such a delicious fragrance and flavour to the cookies. You’ll love it!
• Unsalted butter: I always use unsalted butter in my baking so that I can control how much salt goes into a treat.
• Coconut sugar: Our natural sweetener of choice for these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. This sweetener mimics the taste and effects of brown sugar, yielding a cookie with a crisp exterior and chewy interior.
• Egg: Eggs help bind the cookies together and add a touch of richness.
• Raisins: Obviously, we can’t have oatmeal raisin cookies without the raisins. Nearly a whole cup is going into these cookies so we have juicy pops of sweetness in every bite.

How to make oatmeal raisin cookies soft

The key to a chewy and soft oatmeal raisin cookie lies in two key components: the moisture content and mass.

If you want a softer cookie, make sure that the ingredients used, the oven temperature, and baking time are adjusted to ensure your cookies stay moist. For this Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe I used all coconut sugar, which is a sugar with a high moisture content.

I also used enough flour to ensure the cookies didn’t spread too much in the oven. The less the dough spreads, the less liquid will evaporate when baking, making the cookies thicker, softer, and chewier.

Finally, a larger cookie dough ball will yield softer, chewier cookies than a small ball of dough. For this recipe, the dough balls are 2 – 2 ½ tablespoons. The size of the dough and the short baking time allows them to minimise spreading and firm up the outsides quickly.

How to make refined sugar free oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch

The prep and baking instructions for this naturally sweet cookie recipe is very easy. Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for the dough to chill! Here’s how to do it:

1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
2. Cream the butter and coconut sugar until fluffy. Add the other wet ingredients and mix to combine.
3. Gently mix in the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix this part or you lose the texture of the oats.
4. Fold in the raisins.
5. Chill the dough for an hour.
6. Roll the dough into 15 balls and bake. For best results, let the cookies cool for at least 6 minutes on the tray before removing them to a wire rack.

Need a little visual help? Follow along with the video tutorial for this Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe:

Can refined sugar free oatmeal raisin cookies be frozen?

Yes! These Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies can be frozen. Here’s how:

1. Once the dough has chilled, roll out the individual balls.
2. Freeze the balls on a baking tray until firm. Make sure there’s space between each dough ball so they don’t stick together.
3. Pop the frozen balls in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.

When you want a cookie, simply remove a ball from the freezer and follow the baking instructions, adding about 2-4 minutes to the baking time.

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

• Use a light coloured baking tray or white baking paper. Coconut sugar, like all natural sugars, tends to burn more easily because of the higher sugar content. Using a light coloured tray or sheet to bake on keeps the bottoms from browning too quickly and burning.
• Make sure your butter and egg are room temperature. To ensure proper creaming with the sugar, your butter needs to be at room temperature. You should be able to stick a finger in and leave a small indentation. The egg, similarly, should be at room temperature to allow proper emulsification with the other ingredients.
• Chill the dough for at least an hour. I know, torture! But this step is vital to achieve chewy cookies with crispy edges. If you bake straight away, the butter will be too soft and you’ll end up with puddles of flat crispy cookies.
• Make sure your storage container is airtight. Because we’re using natural sugar, these cookies tend to lose their crispness after the first day. Keep them perfect as long as possible by making sure no air/outside moisture gets to them.

Looking for more refined sugar free cookie recipes?

Cinnamon Espresso Oatmeal Cookies
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Cranberry Almond Vegan Breakfast Cookies
Apple Crumble Cookies
Apricot and Hazelnut Cookies
The Best Natural Peanut Butter Cookies

If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by leaving a comment and rating below!

5 from 2 votes

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Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft and chewy with crispy edges, these Refined Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are made with coconut sugar, rolled oats, plump raisins, and a hint of nutmeg – perfect for picnics, parties, and your morning coffee break.

Category Cookies

Cuisine American, British

Keyword chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, healthy cookie recipe, healthy cookies, oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, refined sugar free oatmeal raisin cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Chilling 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes

Serves 15 cookies

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

• 180 g rolled oats
• 100 g unbleached plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 100 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 160 g coconut sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 120 g raisins

Method

1. Prepare a baking tray with a reusable silicone baking mat or non-stick parchment paper.
2. Tip the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine well. Set aside.
3. Add the butter and coconut sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Crack in the egg, add the vanilla, and mix to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on a low speed. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated then add the milk to loosen the dough slightly. Stir to combine and then turn off the mixer.
6. Fold in the raisins using a spatula. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
7. Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
8. Divide the mixture into 15 portions. Each portion should be about 2 tablespoons of dough. Roll the portions into balls and place on the cookie sheet.

9. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes, or until golden on the bottom. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 6 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Video

Notes

These cookies will keep for up to 3 days sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.