Today, we prepare healthy oatmeal cookies with honey, candied ginger and black sesame: small, crispy, fragrant cookies that are easy to slip into a box to satisfy a little hunger without turning the coffee break into an XXL dessert.
They are prepared with oatmeal, semi-wholemeal flour, applesauce and only 20 g of honey for the whole recipe. No butter, very little added fat and above all a real personality thanks to ginger, lemon and black sesame.
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In short – How to make healthy oat cookies?
To prepare healthy oat cookies, mix an egg with applesauce, honey and tahini, then add semi-wholemeal flour, oatmeal, ginger, lemon and sesame. Form 16 small cookies, flatten them and bake them for 14 to 17 minutes at 170 °C. Count about 60 to 70 kcal per cookie, depending on the ingredients used.
Oatmeal, honey and candied ginger cookies for an easy healthy snack
What I particularly like about these healthy oatmeal cookies is that they don’t try to imitate a huge ultra-fudgy American cookie. Instead, they are small snack cookies: thin, slightly crispy, not very sweet enough and fragrant enough to accompany a coffee or tea.
The oatmeal is the base and gives a very pleasant rustic texture. The semi-wholemeal flour keeps enough structure so that the cookies do not crumble.
Applesauce replaces a large part of the fat that would be used in a classic recipe. It provides moisture and also participates in the binder. This results in cookies without oat butter without falling into a dry texture.
I still add 20 g of tahini or almond butter. The amount is minimal on the scale of 16 cookies, but it really changes the texture. The tahini is particularly interesting here: its slightly toasted taste echoes the black sesame seeds.
The honey provides just enough sweetness to balance the ginger and lemon. These oatmeal honey cookies are therefore neither sugar nor carb-free, but they are much less sweet than a traditional cookie.
And finally, there’s candied ginger. Its warm, slightly spicy and sweet side completely transforms this recipe for healthy, low-calorie cookies. With lemon zest and black sesame, you get something much more original than a simple oat-banana cookie.
Oats: why are these flakes everywhere in healthy recipes?
Oats, Avena sativa, belong to the grass family. Its history is quite surprising: unlike wheat or barley, it is thought to have first grown as a weed in crops before becoming a cultivated cereal itself. Studies on the history of oats place their domestication as a crop in their own right in Europe around 3,000 years ago.
Today, oatmeal has become a staple in porridge, granola, overnight oats, pancakes and of course healthy homemade oatmeal cookies.
Why this craze as soon as we talk about a balanced diet or weight loss?
This is mainly because oats contain fibre, including a soluble fibre called beta-glucan. In the presence of water, it forms a viscous substance that slows down digestion. It can thus help to prolong the feeling of fullness and moderate the absorption of nutrients.
This is one of the reasons why a healthy recipe with oatmeal can be interesting to prepare a snack.
However, beware of a preconceived idea: eating oats does not automatically make you lose weight. While some studies find better satiety with beta-glucans, the results regarding significant weight loss thanks to oats alone remain variable.
The interest of these healthy oat cookies is therefore elsewhere: a small controlled portion, fiber, little added fat and a reasonable amount of sugar.
That’s also why I’d rather make 16 small cookies than 8 huge cookies. One or two is enough to accompany a coffee, a cup of tea or a healthy low-calorie snack.
Candied ginger: the twist that changes everything
Ginger is the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, a plant native to the warm regions of Asia and now cultivated in many tropical regions.
It has a very long culinary and medicinal history. Modern studies have focused on its effects on nausea, certain inflammatory markers and various metabolic parameters.
But in our candied ginger oatmeal cookies, its primary interest is obviously culinary.
Fresh ginger contains a lot of water and tends to modify the paste. Candied ginger, on the other hand, provides small, soft and extremely aromatic pieces that remain distinct after cooking.
Its taste is also rounder: the sugar reduces some of the spiciness while retaining that characteristic warmth of ginger.
It is therefore perfect in candied ginger cookies intended to accompany tea.
Just keep in mind that “candied ginger” and “fresh ginger” do not have the same nutritional profile. Candied ginger is interesting here because a small amount is enough to provide a lot of taste.
In these healthy oat cookies, 40 g are divided between 16 cookies, or only 2.5 g of candied ginger per cookie.
Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies: Ingredients and Easy Recipe
For about 16 small healthy oatmeal cookies, you will need:
90 g rolled oats, 70 g semi-wholemeal flour, 1 egg, 60 g applesauce with no added sugar, 20 g almond or tahini puree, 20 g honey or maple syrup, 40 g candied ginger cut into small cubes, 15 g black sesame seeds, the zest of one lemon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan.
In a bowl, mix the egg, applesauce, honey and tahini or almond butter.
Then add the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, ground ginger, salt, and lemon zest.
Mix only until you get a homogeneous dough.
Stir in the small cubes of candied ginger and the black sesame seeds.
Then let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. This step is important: the oatmeal will absorb some of the moisture and the dough will become easier to work with.
Form 16 small balls on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Flatten them frankly. Unlike cookies with a lot of butter, these healthy oatmeal cookies will spread very little during baking.
Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
To obtain crispy oatmeal cookies, then turn off the oven and leave them inside for another 10 minutes, door slightly ajar.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack before storing.
7 tips for successful healthy cookies with low calories and crispiness
The first secret of these healthy oatmeal cookies is to flatten them well. The thicker they are, the more moisture the compote will retain in the center and give a soft texture.
For a really crispy version, I’m looking for a thickness of about 7-8mm.
Don’t cut out the tahini or almond butter completely. You might be tempted to do this to save a few calories, but 20g spread over 16 cookies is ultimately very little per serving. This small amount contributes a lot to the texture.
Use an applesauce with no added sugar. Oatmeal applesauce cookies already have several sources of sweetness: compote, honey and candied ginger.
Cut the ginger into tiny cubes so you have it in almost every bite.
Lemon zest is also important: its aromatic acidity prevents the honey-ginger combination from appearing too sweet.
You can replace the honey with maple syrup to get honey cookies without white sugar in both cases — keeping in mind that honey and maple syrup are still sugars.
Finally, let the cookies cool completely before closing the box. This is probably the most important step in keeping these cookies healthy for snack for several days.
In an airtight box, at room temperature, they will keep for about 7 to 10 days, provided they are perfectly cooled and cooked sufficiently.
Calories and macros: a healthy snack to take with you around 65 kcal
For every 16 cookies, one healthy oatmeal cookie provides approximately:
60 to 70 kcal, about 2 g of protein, 10 to 11 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of fat and about 1 to 1.5 g of fiber.
The exact value depends mainly on the composition of the candied ginger, honey and tahini or almond butter used.
With a very sweet candied ginger, we will be closer to 65 to 70 kcal. With a less sweet reference and small cookies, we can approach 60 to 65 kcal.
Two healthy oat cookies therefore represent around 130 kcal: a portion perfectly suitable for a small snack with coffee or tea.
Homemade low-sugar cookies to keep in the cupboard
These healthy oat cookies summarize quite well what I like in a snack recipe: simple ingredients, a preparation of a few minutes and enough originality not to feel like you’re always eating the same energy balls or banana-oat cookies.
The candied ginger brings character, the lemon awakens the whole thing and the black sesame gives a small roasted note that works particularly well with tahini.
Above all, you get an easy healthy snack recipe, which you can prepare on Sunday and keep almost all week.
Slip into a lunchbox, go out with the 4 p.m. coffee or serve with a teapot on the weekend: these healthy oatmeal cookies prove that a light snack can still have a lot of personality.
Healthy oatmeal, candied ginger and black sesame cookies
Ingredients
- 90 g rolled oats
- 70 g semi-wholemeal flour
- 1 egg
- 60 g applesauce with no added sugar
- 20 g almond butter or tahini
- 20 g honey or maple syrup
- 40 g candied ginger in small cubes
- 15 g black sesame seeds
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ c. teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ c. teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan.
- Mix the egg, applesauce, honey and tahini or almond puree.
- Add the flour, oats, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and lemon zest. Mix just enough to obtain a homogeneous preparation.
- Stir in the candied ginger cubes and black sesame seeds.
- Let the dough rest for 10 minutes so that the oats absorb some of the moisture.
- Form 16 small balls on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and flatten them frankly.
- Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- For drier, crispier cookies, turn off the oven and leave them inside for another 10 minutes with the door ajar.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight box.
- Conservation
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 7-10 days.
- Wait until they have cooled completely before closing the box to prevent condensation from softening them.
Notes
Cut the candied ginger into very small cubes to distribute it better.
For crispy biscuits, flatten the cookies well before baking.
The nutritional values are indicative and vary according to the brands of candied ginger, compote and oilseed puree.
FAQ – Healthy oat cookies
Are oatmeal cookies good for weight loss?
No single cookie can cause weight loss. However, oats do contain fibre, including beta-glucans that can contribute to satiety. A small cookie of around 65 kcal can therefore easily be integrated into a balanced diet if the overall portion remains suitable.
How do you store crispy oatmeal cookies?
Let the healthy oat cookies cool completely before placing them in an airtight container. For this recipe, cooking sufficiently thoroughly and the extra 10 minutes in the oven off also remove more moisture.
Can you substitute honey for maple syrup?
Yes. Use the same amount, which is 20 g. The texture will be very similar, with a slightly different flavor.
Can you use fresh ginger instead of candied ginger?
Not in the same quantity. Fresh ginger provides much more water and much less sweetness. To keep the recipe balanced, it is better to use candied ginger and possibly supplement with finely grated fresh ginger if you are looking for more spiciness.
Can you freeze healthy oat cookies?
Yes. Once completely cooled, place them in an airtight box or bag. Let them come to room temperature and then put them in the oven for a few minutes at 150°C to give them a crispiness.
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