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These soft, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies have all the cozy cinnamon flavor you want, with egg whites, avocado oil, and applesauce in the dough. You’re going to love that they still taste like a real cookie—not a “healthy” substitute. Chill the dough, then bake up a tender batch for an easy sweet treat.
Why You’ll Love It
- Tender and chewy — applesauce keeps the dough soft, while avocado oil gives the cookies a nice chew.
- Makes a generous batch — this recipe yields about 36 cookies.
- Cozy without overdoing it — one teaspoon of cinnamon adds warmth without overwhelming the raisins.
- No butter or egg yolks — an easy adjustment for a more heart-conscious cookie.
Ingredient Notes
Use old-fashioned oats here, not quick oats. Old-fashioned oats give these cookies their chew and that proper nubbly oatmeal-cookie texture. Quick oats will work in a pinch, probably, but the cookies will be softer and less substantial. I’d rather just use the right oats and save myself the minor annoyance.
Avocado oil has a mild flavor, which is why it works so well. You don’t taste it. I know it isn’t cheap everywhere—nothing is cheap anywhere anymore, apparently—but it’s worth using for this particular recipe. The original amount is three-quarters of a cup, and yes, that sounds like a good bit of oil. Remember, this recipe makes 36 cookies. We are not pouring it into six cookies and calling that restraint.
Unsweetened applesauce is important. Sweetened applesauce would throw off the balance because there is already plenty of sugar in the dough. I usually use the plain little jar from the grocery store, whatever brand is on sale. Once I accidentally bought cinnamon applesauce and considered using it anyway, but I had already added cinnamon and didn’t feel like conducting a science experiment.
Dark brown sugar brings a deeper molasses flavor than light brown sugar. If all you have is light brown, the cookies will still be fine—I’m not coming over to inspect your pantry—but dark brown sugar really does make them taste a little richer.
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed lightly or not—I’m not terribly fussy about it
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, avocado oil, salt, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar together. You don’t need to whip the egg whites into anything fancy here; just beat everything until it looks smooth and combined. The mixture will look different from a butter-and-sugar cookie base—more glossy, less fluffy. Don’t panic. I panicked the first time, naturally, because apparently I enjoy making things harder than they need to be.
Add the unsweetened applesauce, raisins, vanilla, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir it all together well. The raisins tend to gather in one little corner at first, like guests at a bad backyard party, so make sure you scrape around the bowl and distribute them.
Stir in the old-fashioned oats. At this point the dough starts looking more familiar, and you can already smell the cinnamon. This is usually when somebody wanders through the kitchen asking what’s baking, even though nothing is baking yet.
Add the flour and mix only until it is incorporated. Don’t beat it to death. Once you don’t see dry streaks of flour, stop. I have overmixed more than one cookie dough while distracted by a phone call, and the results are never tragic exactly, but they get a little tougher. Nobody wants a cookie that requires jaw strength.
Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or longer if that suits your day better. When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F. If you have a convection oven, use 350°F instead.
Roll the chilled dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches across. Place 12 on each baking sheet, giving them a little room. Bake for about 13 minutes. They should look set around the edges but still tender in the middle. Mine are usually just barely golden underneath.
Take the pans out and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about a minute. Then use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t try to move them immediately—they’re delicate right out of the oven, and they will break. I know because I have eaten several “broken ones” while proving this point. A sacrifice was made.
Variations
You could swap in dried cranberries for the raisins if you enjoy that tart little bite, but I would use the same amount and not add anything extra. Dried cranberries can be sweeter than you expect. I once tried half raisins and half chopped dried apricots—this was during a phase when I was buying dried fruit in bulk for reasons lost to time—and it was not my favorite. Not awful, just… oddly chewy. Like eating cookies while wearing wet socks. No thank you.
A pinch of nutmeg would be nice if you’re feeling autumnal, although I say that carefully because there was a period where every recipe in America got drowned in pumpkin spice. We survived it, barely.
Storage & Reheating
Store the cookies in an airtight container once they are completely cool. They keep nicely on the counter for several days, usually three or four, though ours rarely make it past day two. If your kitchen is warm, they may get a little softer, but that honestly doesn’t bother me.
For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container or freezer bag. I like placing a piece of parchment between layers if I’m feeling organized, which is maybe half the time. They thaw quickly on the counter. A cookie can also be warmed for just a few seconds in the microwave if you want that fresh-baked softness again—but truly, go easy. Ten seconds can turn into a hot raisin situation, and nobody needs to burn the roof of her mouth over an oatmeal cookie. I did that once while trying to answer an email, and then I was mad at the email. Mature behavior.
Final Notes
There is Something quietly comforting about a recipe that makes room for real life. Not perfection. Not a brand-new personality built around chia seeds and early-morning jogging. Just a familiar cookie, adjusted a little.
These are softer. A little gentler, maybe. And I like that. They’re good with coffee, good tucked into a lunchbox, good eaten while you’re standing by the sink pretending you’re only having one. Make them when you need something sweet but don’t want to throw your whole week off the rails.
Then put the rest away before your family finds them—or don’t. Some battles aren’t worth fighting.
Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar packed lightly
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, avocado oil, salt, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar together until the mixture looks smooth and combined.
- Add the unsweetened applesauce, raisins, vanilla extract, baking soda, and cinnamon, then stir well and scrape around the bowl so the raisins are evenly distributed.
- Stir in the old-fashioned oats until evenly mixed into the dough.
- Add the all-purpose flour and mix only until incorporated, stopping as soon as no dry streaks of flour remain.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour; when ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F, or 350°F for a convection oven.
- Roll the chilled dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches across, place 12 on each baking sheet with a little room between them, and bake for about 13 minutes until the edges look set but the centers are still tender.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 1 minute, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.