Oatmeal Cookie Recipe with Raisins and Walnuts – Low in Calories and Fat

This skinny oatmeal cookie recipe is hearty and chewy with the crunchy texture of walnuts and the sweetness of raisins.

The cookies are soft-baked with a delicious, wholesome flavor. They are filled with the goodness of old-fashioned rolled oats and flavored with cinnamon and maple syrup.  I kept the fat and sugar to a minimum, but they still have an amazing taste. 

Be sure to check out this list of healthy recipes if you are looking for more options for clean eating and weight loss recipes.

Ingredients in the oatmeal raisin cookies

To make these cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups of old-fashioned rolled oats (check your label to make sure they are gluten-free)
• ⅓ cup raisins
• ⅓ cup of walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup of Log Cabin sugar-free maple syrup

Making this oatmeal cookie recipe

There is something about oatmeal cookies that screams comfort food to me.  Each time I make this recipe, I think of when my mother made us oatmeal for breakfast in the fall and winter, and oatmeal cookies for an afternoon snack. Here’s how to make the cookies.

Preheat your oven and prepare the pan

• Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF ( 180ºC).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Making the batter

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk well and set this bowl aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar.
• Add the egg, then the Log Cabin maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
• Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
• Stir in the oats, raisins, and chopped walnuts.

Baking the cookies

• Use a small muffin scoop to drop spoonfuls of the oat mixture onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Don’t flatten the cookies. The mounded shape is what makes them nice and soft.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies just start to brown on the edges.
• Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storing the cookies

• Store these chewy oatmeal cookies in an airtight container on the counter.
• They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Serving the cookies

These cookies make a great breakfast on the go and a super snack. Making skinny cookies like these is fun, knowing that when you are done, you will be able to indulge without feeling guilty.

Best of all, they are very easy to make.

How do I keep these cookies so light in calories?

The trick to keeping the calories so low on these healthy oatmeal raisin cookies is making the right substitutes. Most of the calories in cookies come from fat and sugar. 

• This chewy oatmeal cookie recipe only adds 2 tablespoons of butter.  The rest is replaced with 1/3 cup of applesauce. This saves a ton of calories but still keeps the cookie moist.
• Log Cabin sugar-free maple syrup adds sweetness and is low in calories.
• I also keep both the nuts and raisins to 1/3 cup each.

Both nuts and dried fruits are very calorie-dense, so they should be used sparingly if counting calories is your aim.  There are enough to give the taste and texture in each bite, though.

Why do oatmeal cookies traditionally have raisins in them?

Oatmeal cookies with raisins first appeared in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook of 1896. The oatmeal cookie descended from the Scottish oatcake, and eventually, American cookies improved the recipe by adding raisins.

Oatmeal raisins cookies are one of the most popular cookies in the USA now. There is even a National Oatmeal Cookie day on April 30!

After Fannie Farmer’s cookie appeared, the oatmeal raisin cookie started becoming more prominent in the early 1900.  It is thought of as a healthy food because of the fiber and vitamins that the recipe contains.

Even though we think of it as a “healthy cookie,” the normal version still has nutritional value similar to a chocolate chip cookie unless you make substitutes to slim it down somehow.

How do these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies taste?

In a word – YUM!  These tasty cookies are soft and chewy with a hint of sweetness that is very satisfying and an extra wholesome flavor that comes from the old-fashioned oats. 

They have a light crunch from the walnuts, and the raisins give them a lovely texture.

I like the softness of the cookies.  Since I used a small cookie scoop for the batter, the dough starts off in a little ball and doesn’t settle much, which gives it a nice soft texture that is delightful.

Nutritional Value for these oatmeal raisin nut cookies

These cookies are a boon for those watching their weight. Each cookie has only 100 calories, with just 1 gram of saturated fat and only7 grams of sugar. They can easily fit into many diet plans, too.

The cookies are low in sodium and have 17 grams of carbs.

More oatmeal cookie recipes

Whatever the reason, it’s one of my favorite wholesome sweet treats now. Do you love oatmeal cookies as much as I do? Let’s make them! Here are a few other oatmeal recipes to try, as well.

• No bake peanut butter chocolate Oatmeal cookie
• Chocolate peanut butter Oatmeal bars
• Healthy peanut butter Oatmeal cookie

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Would you like a reminder for this oatmeal cookie recipe with raisins and walnuts?  Just pin this image to one of your cooking boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Admin note: this post for making oatmeal cookies first appeared on the blog in January of 2019. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable recipe card, and a video for you to enjoy.

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Yield: 30 cookies

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe with Raisins and Walnuts

Print

This easy oatmeal cookie recipe is soft and chewy with the crunchy taste of walnuts and sweetness of raisins and maple syrup. At only 30 calories, it's a real diet winner!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups of old fashioned rolled oats (check your label to make sure they are gluten-free)
• ⅓ cup raisins
• ⅓ cup of walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup of Log Cabin sugar-free maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF ( 180ºC).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk well.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar.
5. Add the egg, then the Log Cabin maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
6. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
7. Stir in the oats, raisins, and chopped walnuts.
8. Use a small muffin scoop to drop spoonfuls of the oat mixture onto the prepared baking sheets.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies just start to brown on the edges.
10. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Store these chewy oatmeal cookies in an airtight container on the counter.
12. The cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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  Jenaluca Cookie Scoop - Mini Cupcake Scoop - 18/8 Stainless Steel - Medium

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 100Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 86mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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