Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies
Take soft and delicious chocolate chip cookies to a whole new level with these amazing quinoa chocolate chip oatmeal granola cookies!
I have to be honest, I usually politely smile and then walk away from ultra healthified cookie recipes. If I’m going to eat a cookie, I’m going to eat a cookie. If you know what I mean.
So when Brynn, a lovely MKC reader, sent me this recipe she created to take chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to a healthier level, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The impetus that finally had me trying them was simply her sweet email description that told me she came up with this recipe so her mom could have a quick, healthy snack to take (right out of the freezer) and stuff in her saddlebags when she went horseback riding.
Call me old-fashioned but the whole horseback riding, daughter-making-cookies-for-mom thing screamed Little House on the Praire awesomeness all the way to the kitchen.
I figured if a cookie loaded with quinoa, oatmeal, flax, and other hearty ingredients could win me over, it would prove to be quite revolutionary.
Not that I’m against any of those ingredients or healthy food in any way, I’ve just never really dreamed of all of them mooched up in a cookie.
Well, consider this a revolutionary post. These babies are good. Goooooood. Really, really good.
The texture of the baked cookies is super soft and fluffy (especially if you stir with a light hand toward the end of mixing) and I absolutely loved the heartiness of the oats and flax and toasted almonds.
Surprisingly I felt like the quinoa, instead of being an in your face ingredient, added to the soft texture, melting into the cookie batter like it was meant to be there (this feature probably depends on how tender one cooks their quinoa so keep that in mind if you make these).
Just sweet enough to be a cookie (honey, nothing else) but not so sweet that it discounts all the other healthy ingredients, these cookies are fabulous.
We’ve been digging them out of the freezer for lunches and snacks and everything in between (including dragging them out to all-day soccer and wrestling events). Every time I snitch one, I’m even more in love.
I’m not claiming them to be bona fide health food or calorie free or something you should detox with and eat for 30-days straight at every meal…but I am saying that they are a delightful addition to the much-loved cookies of the world.
They kind of remind me of a granola bar in cookie form, heavy on the softness and light on the crunch.
Basically, they’re terribly yummy.
One Year Ago: Baked Shrimp and Orzo with Feta Cheese
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Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup solid coconut oil, melted
- ¾ cup (255 g) honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (284 g) white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups cooked and cooled quinoa, cooked only in water, not broth – see note
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ cup toasted slivered almonds
- ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries
- ½ cup (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the oil and honey with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the flour, salt and baking soda until just combined and a few streaks of dry flour remain. Add the oats, quinoa, flax, chia seeds, almonds, cherries or cranberries and chocolate chips and mix by hand gently (so the dough stays nice and fluffy) until the ingredients are pretty evenly mixed.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized portions. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms are browned but the insides are still nice and soft. If you want a thinner cookie (instead of puffy), flatten slightly before baking.
Notes
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Recipe Source: sent to me by a reader, Brynn A. (she created the recipe to healthify normal chocolate chip cookies and also so her mother has something nutritious and snacky to take while horseback riding)
Baking soda, not baking powder? My cookies had a slight metallic flavor to them. I’m wondering if the lack of acid failed to neutralize the baking soda giving them that odd taste. Great texture though. I’d definitely make them again but either decreasing the baking soda or replacing it with baking powder.
Lack of acid failed to balance the baking soda! You know what I mean.
These cookies are very hearty, and I love the healthy ingredients. However, the instructions are not clear and seem to be written with a lot of faulty assumptions, at least for the novice baker. For example, the directions tell me to do one and a half cups of cooked quinoa. But how much should I cook? Uncooked quinoa and cooked quinoa portions are completely different. How do I know how much uncooked quinoa translates into 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa??? Also, the recipe calls for “slivered almonds”; yet, in the instructions, i’m not told how to do that. I don’t know how to sliver almonds. What is the process for that? And that certainly wasn’t included in the prep time, nor was the cooking of the quinoa, and the allowing of it to cool. The cookies turned out pretty well. We liked them, but it was just frustrating with the instructions, so I would recommend rewriting them for an untrained baker. Thanks
Hey there, slivered almonds are sold in packages labeled “slivered” – so that’s not something you would need to do yourself. They are sold by the other nuts (usually in the baking aisle). You’ll need about 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa for 1 1/2 cups cooked. Hope that helps1
**Quinoa concern related comment**
Amazing cookies ! So happy to have landed on this recipe.
I have one concern tho! … the texture was divine right after baking. Fluffy yet solid with great taste. The quinoa had a lovely effect of popping in my mouth for added texture. However, the next day, when I took a bite of my cookie, the quinoa was extremely hard in my cookies. Unchewable and getting stuck in my teeth. Do you know what caused this effect ? My quinoa was cooked and properly measured. Thanks !
I’m not entirely sure, darn it! You might try cooking the quinoa with just a little bit more water so it’s slightly softer. Sounds like after the cookies sat for a while the other ingredients in the cookies absorbed some of the moisture from the quinoa?
Mel, do you think there is a way to make these without oats?? I used to make these all the time and loved them, but have found that my body has annoying reaction to oats 🙁
Oh boy, I’m not sure. You’d definitely need to sub something in for the oats and I’m not sure what would work. Is it the gluten in some oats causing an issue? Wondering if gluten free oats could help (although I’m sure you’ve tried everything!)
Oh my goodness these cookies are so good! Didn’t have chia seeds, and I used granola with the oats, oat flour with the wheat flour, used raisins, cranberries no chocolate chips. So tender they fall apart in my mouth. So glad I kept my extra cooked quinoa in the freezer. <3 Thank you!
Could I exchange the chocolate chips for other baking chips, as I am not supposed to eat chocolate?
Yes!
I made these to use as lactation cookies for my first baby, and now, 5 years later, I’m back again with baby #2 on the way. I’m getting a double batch in the freezer and stashing these away for late-night baby feedings! I can’t recommend this recipe enough! Thanks, Mel! 🙂
I wish I was closer so I could make them for you, Christina!
I love this recipe!! Thank you! Already made it twice in the past few weeks.
I will say I did change a couple of things about it, though: I use cinnamon and mashed bananas, which are a great touch to the overall flavor, and I actually like them better as a healthy-feeling snack without the chocolate chips. Once you add the cinnamon, you just might not need the chocolate chips for flavoring. I’m saving this recipe, and plan to keep experimenting with it 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe! I just made a vegan version of these tonight and love them. They are definitely a great treat.
Some adjustments I made were:
-flax egg replacer
-half honey, half maple syrup (I like the flavor of both better, makes it less overwhelming)
-a combination of AP flour and quinoa flour (gives a bit more of a protein boost that I need, and it helps give a chewier texture of a chocolate chip cookie)
-vegan chocolate chips
I also chopped and toasted my almonds and thought this was essential as it really boosted the overall flavor of the cookies.
My only note was that they needed to be baked longer. I went with the 3T cookies, and they needed *at least* 12 minutes, especially if not pressed down a little.
Overall, I loved these cookies and appreciate that they weren’t overly sweet! Helps not trigger my chronic migraines. Thanks again!
I made these and I really like them .I didn’t have chocolate chip but I did dried cherries and they were divine !
I just made these and used gluten free cup 4 cup flour…they turned out amazing!
Great cookies
These are delicious!! I substituted the flour for oat flour and it is a family favourite.
I have been looking for a healthy, made with whole real food unprocessed ingredients cookies for over a year. Yours is our favorite. Best ever!!!! Trust me I’ve tried alot of reciepes. I love yours. Thank you!
Happy to hear that, Jana! Thank you!
I just baked this cookies for the second time, they are delicious!!! I used sunflower seeds instead of the dried fruit, love the texture, what a great idea to add quinoa. Thanks for this recipe!
Finally! A healthified cookie that actually tastes good! I absolutely love this recipe! And it’s so versatile! I made it tonight with white chocolate chips and love how it tastes with the dried cranberries.
Thanks Mel! I can always count on your recipes.
These cookies were really good. I did change it a bit though. Coconut flour and quinoa flour used stevia instead of honey and 3/4 c of the c oil. They were pretty crumbly so next time will add some applesauce. They still taste fantastic really like them. Thx just need to figure out the calories and carbs…
Delicious cookies! I followed the recipe exactly except I used pecans instead of almonds. They turned out perfectly at 36 cookies. They are great with a cup of coffee 🙂
Can I omit the dried fruit?
I’m sure you can…
I made them today using butter instead of thr coconut oil. They turned out really good! Thanks!
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! Super delicious and not too sweet. I love that they are so healthy while being moist at the same time. I feel the measurements for each ingredient are set perfectly. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Ginger!
Just made these. Didn’t flatten them out as I like my cookies chewy. Nice change from the regular chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies. Surprised I had all the ingredients the recipe called for. I toasted my quinoa before boiling them for more of a nuttier taste. Scale of 1 to 10, I’d give this recipe a 9.9
How to add peanut butter to/in the reciepe ?
Not sure, I haven’t tried it. Maybe add 1/2 cup or so and add more flour if needed?