We’ve been drooling over these Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies! Don’t let the fact that they’re vegan and gluten-free deceive you — they are DELICIOUS! These cookies are naturally sweetened and contain superfood power with the addition of chia seeds. I can’t wait for you and your little ones to try these healthy cookies!

Welcome back to the Back-to-School Mini-Series! Today I’m very excited to share a new healthy cookie recipe with you that can be eaten as a snack, breakfast, or the way cookies are meant to be eaten — as a dessert. I designed these Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies, however, to function as a packable snack for lunch boxes that could easily be eaten by toddlers or school-aged kids, while providing them with healthy nutrients to sustain them throughout the day. Though they were intended for little hands, I have found that they are a great snack for adults and are a cookie I feel good about reaching for. I hope you enjoy them, too!

While creating these Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies, my experience with my two primary taste testers went a little something like this…

My first taste tester was my husband, who communicates a little more than my second taste tester, my almost two-year-old son. Not by much though. For those who know my husband, you know that I’m actually being serious — luckily, I’m an over communicator, so it all comes out in the wash.

For reference, it was approaching dinner time, but no dinner had been made yet… 

Drew: I’m starving. Think I should have a snack now?

Me: I just put these healthy cookies into the oven. They’ll only take a little bit and you can have one of them if you want. They’re healthy though.

Drew: Ok. 

Drew checks the surf as he waits, a commonly used tactic to calm his growling stomach or any stress he experiences. Almond butter cookies come out of the oven.

Kaileigh tries a bite of a cookie, not waiting for them to cool.

Me: Mmmm, yum! These healthy cookies are actually good. They’re not sweet, but I can taste the flavor of the oats coming through. I like them. Want one? Warning – they’re not very sweet.

Drew: Sure.

Kaileigh watches intently while Drew eats in what seems like slow motion, patiently waiting for his feedback. His lack of facial expressions and monotone voice makes it very difficult to detect what he is thinking or feeling.

Drew (finally speaks): When I think of cookies, I think of sweet.

Kaileigh (tosses head back in dramatic frustration): Yes, but, as I’ve said repeatedly, these are healthy cookies. They are for Ty and they’re not supposed to be very sweet. We’re not giving him sugar yet, remember?

Drew (ignores the question and looks at the cookie while talking): I taste the almond butter and oats, for sure. Yeah, they’re good. They could be sweeter though. 

Bitterly accepting Drew’s feedback, I begrudgingly went back to my office (aka. the kitchen) and got to work. I decided to increase the natural sweetness factor by adding maple syrup and upping the amount of applesauce in the cookies (aka. to win my husband’s approval). 

A Cookie Transformed

Increasing the sweetness slightly ended up really accentuating the flavors of the almond butter and the oats. Though I am not typically one to toot my own horn, it did have me walking around the house, cookie in hand, repeatedly exclaiming, “Mmm, these cookies are sooo good!” They won Drew’s approval as well — though, admittedly, he was very stuck on the word “cookie” and felt that they should have chocolate chips in them, or else they weren’t really a cookie. I respectfully disagree.

Now, the tweaks I made did change the texture of the cookies to a more muffin-like consistency and they became more delicate than I had intended. I would recommend that you make them fairly small so that they are easier for toddlers and little kids to handle. Despite these two texture changes, they are still SO worth it to make!

Oh, and in case you were curious what my second taste tester thought of these cookies – he loved the OG version AND the new and improved version just as much (aka. winning his mother’s approval for his unconditional cookie love). Toddler Ty communicated his opinion with squeals, excited clenched fists as he anticipated getting to eat the cookies, legs swinging delightedly in his high chair once he got the cookies, and…quiet contentment (something mamas may not hear very often) while he was eating them. 

Optional Add-Ins

  • Jam – turn them into thumbprint cookies; they’re heavenly this way!
  • Chocolate chips – to make them more dessert-like (and Drew approved)
  • Raisins
  • Nuts/seeds
  • Fruit – blueberries, strawberries, diced apples

BUSY MAMA TIP

Make a batch of these on Sunday morning and not only will it make your house smell delicious, but your family will have a healthy snack ready to go every day for the following week! 

Want More Back-to-School Recipes?

Check out the other recipes in the Back-to-School Mini-Series!

No-Bake Apricot Energy Bites (V/GF)

Kid-Friendly Vegetarian Quinoa Fritters

Looking For More Inspiration?

Head on over to my Instagram @supermomeats to get more recipe ideas, busy mom tips, and follow my journey toward a more natural lifestyle! I would love to connect! If you make this recipe, let me know by tagging me @supermomeats! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support and LOVE seeing your creations!

Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Recipe Type: Tidbits
Author: Kaileigh ~ Supermom Eats
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16 small cookies
We’ve been drooling over these Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies! Don’t let the fact that they’re vegan and gluten-free deceive you — they are DELICIOUS! These cookies are naturally sweetened and contain superfood power with the addition of chia seeds. I can’t wait for you and your little ones to try these healthy cookies!
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup [b][u][url href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ECGWC6C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01ECGWC6C&linkCode=as2&tag=supermomeat06-20&linkId=e7e378e9e05b9d6151154f9d4bebe27d” target=”_blank”]gluten-free flour[/url][/u][/b]
  • 1 cup [b][u][url href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IWQKDU6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IWQKDU6&linkCode=as2&tag=supermomeat06-20&linkId=1750d903a3791407a5d458dd57adbb11″ target=”_blank”]gluten-free oats[/url][/u][/b]
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 chia egg (1 tablespoon [b][u][url href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQFGL3O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AQFGL3O&linkCode=as2&tag=supermomeat06-20&linkId=92b26ea062d4d81331424bb522bcea8e” target=”_blank”]chia seeds[/url][/u][/b] + 2.5 tablespoons water) + 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds to sprinkle on top of cookies
  • 1/2 cup [b][u][url href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V79VSY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000V79VSY&linkCode=as2&tag=supermomeat06-20&linkId=fb79bd26826f655075689cdd30912c92″ target=”_blank”]almond butter[/url][/u][/b]
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a small bowl, make chia egg by mixing chia seeds with water, and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients, including the chia egg, which should be a gel-like consistency by now.
  5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
  6. Using a spoon (about the size of a tablespoon), scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Top each cookie with a sprinkle of chia seeds.
  8. Bake in the oven for approximately 11 minutes or until outer layer of the cookie is mostly firm.
  9. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
DREW RECOMMENDS: Adding chocolate chips! As a cookie is not a cookie, without chocolate chips.[br][br]This recipe contains affiliate links (at no cost to you!) to ingredients and products that I recommend and that can be helpful to you in making this recipe!