Oatmeal cookies are a classic type of cookie that typically contain oats as a main ingredient. Oats are known to be a good source of fiber, so it’s natural to wonder – are oatmeal cookies also high in fiber?
The fiber content of oats
Before looking specifically at oatmeal cookies, it’s helpful to understand the fiber content of oats. Oats contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.
One cup of cooked oats contains about 4 grams of fiber. The exact amount can vary slightly depending on the type of oats:
| Type of Oats | Fiber per 1 Cup Cooked |
|---|---|
| Rolled oats | 4 grams |
| Steel-cut oats | 4 grams |
| Scottish oats | 4 grams |
| Oat bran | 6 grams |
As you can see, the different types provide roughly 4-6 grams of fiber per cooked cup. Oat bran is highest with 6 grams.
Benefits of oat fiber
The fiber in oats provides some important health benefits:
- Improves digestive health
- Lowers cholesterol levels
- Helps control blood sugar
- Promotes feeling of fullness and aids weight loss
- Provides prebiotics to support healthy gut bacteria
So oats are clearly an excellent source of fiber. But does this carry over when oats are used to make oatmeal cookies?
Fiber content of oatmeal cookies
Oatmeal cookies can provide a good amount of fiber, but they typically contain less fiber per serving compared to an equivalent serving of plain oats.
There are a few reasons for the decreased fiber content:
- Oatmeal cookies contain oats plus other ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, etc. So oats make up a smaller proportion of the total recipe.
- Some recipes call for processed oats rather than whole oats. Processing removes some of the original fiber content.
- The oats may not be fully cooked down when baked into cookies. Less breakdown means some fiber remains trapped within the oats.
However, oatmeal cookies are still one of the more fiber-rich cookie options. For example, a basic oatmeal cookie made with 1 cup of oats contains about 2-3 grams of fiber per cookie. Comparatively, a chocolate chip cookie would contain less than 1 gram of fiber.
Fiber content of oatmeal cookies from common recipes
To provide a sense of the amount of fiber in typical oatmeal cookie recipes, here is the fiber content per cookie for some common recipes:
| Recipe | Fiber per Cookie |
|---|---|
| Chewy Oatmeal Cookies | 2 grams |
| Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | 2 grams |
| Thin & Crispy Oatmeal Cookies | 1 gram |
| Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | 2 grams |
As you can see, most standard recipes provide about 2 grams of fiber per cookie. The thin and crispy version is lower likely because the ratio of oats to other ingredients is decreased. So thicker, chewier oatmeal cookies tend to be highest in fiber.
Increasing fiber in oatmeal cookies
While oatmeal cookies have a decent amount of fiber naturally, you can boost the fiber content even more by making some simple adjustments.
Here are some easy ways to get more fiber from oatmeal cookies:
- Use whole or steel-cut oats instead of processed oats
- Add oat bran along with regular oats
- Increase the total amount of oats relative to other ingredients
- Add nuts or dried fruit which also contain fiber
- Substitute whole wheat flour for some or all of the all-purpose flour
- Add chia seeds, ground flaxseed, or bran cereal
With some simple tweaks like these, you can easily increase the fiber content by 1-2 grams per cookie, or 20-50% more fiber. This makes oatmeal cookies an even better high fiber treat.
High fiber oatmeal cookie recipe example
To demonstrate, here is an example of a high fiber oatmeal cookie recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup oat bran
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup raisins or chopped dates
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, oat bran, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Stir in the raisins.
- In a separate bowl, mix the coconut oil, honey, egg and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together until fully combined.
- Scoop dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Press down gently.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet before removing.
This recipe makes about 16 cookies. With the whole wheat flour, extra oats, oat bran, and raisins, each cookie would contain around 3-4 grams of fiber.
Are oatmeal cookies high in sugar?
In addition to considering the fiber content, it’s also important to look at the sugar content of oatmeal cookies.
Many cookie recipes do end up being high in sugar. However, there are a few factors that make oatmeal cookies slightly lower in sugar than most other cookie types:
- The oats add volume which displaces some sugar.
- Oats have their own light sweetness, so extra sugar is not always needed.
- Raisins are used instead of chocolate chips in some recipes, decreasing added sugars.
That being said, oatmeal cookies are still considered a sweet treat and not a low-sugar food. On average, an oatmeal cookie contains about 7-10 grams of sugar per cookie. To put that in perspective:
- The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to 25 grams per day for women and 36 grams for men.
- The USDA recommends less than 10% of total calories from added sugars. For a 2000 calorie diet that’s about 50 grams of sugar.
So at 7-10 grams per cookie, oatmeal cookies would account for a significant portion of recommended daily sugar intake if consumed in excess.
You can reduce the sugar content by using the following tips:
- Cut the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup or more.
- Use maple syrup, honey, or molasses instead which are slightly lower in sugar.
- Increase oats and reduce other sugars to let the oats’ natural sweetness come through.
- Add more cinnamon which can help offset less sugar.
- Replace chocolate chips with raisins or dried fruit.
While oatmeal cookies won’t ever be considered a low-sugar food, with some adjustments you can create a healthier balanced treat.
Are oatmeal cookies gluten free?
Oatmeal on its own is naturally gluten free. However, most oatmeal cookie recipes call for wheat flour, which does contain gluten. So generally speaking, regular oatmeal cookies are not gluten free.
However, there are options for making gluten free oatmeal cookies by substituting the wheat flour with gluten free flours. Some alternatives include:
- Oat flour
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Cassava flour
- Rice flour
- Quinoa flour
Depending on the blend, you may need to experiment with the ratios of wet to dry ingredients. Baking gluten free does require some adjustments from traditional recipes. But it is certainly possible to enjoy oatmeal cookies without gluten!
Example gluten free oatmeal cookie recipe
Here is an example of a simple gluten free oatmeal cookie recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free oat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup smooth almond butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the almond butter, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until a dough forms.
- Fold in raisins, if using.
- Roll dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet, gently flattening each ball.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes until lightly browned on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack.
This recipe makes about 12 cookies. With the gluten free oat flour and almond flour, these oatmeal cookies can be enjoyed by those avoiding gluten.
Health benefits of oatmeal cookies
When made with nutritious ingredients like oats, oatmeal cookies can provide some great health benefits, including:
1. Fiber
As discussed, oats are a natural source of fiber. Fiber promotes good digestion and heart health. It also helps stabilize blood sugar levels.
2. Whole grains
Oats are a 100% whole grain. Whole grains provide important nutrients like B vitamins, iron, and magnesium. They also make you feel more full.
3. Antioxidants
Oats contain antioxidant compounds like avenanthramides. Antioxidants help reduce inflammation and protect cells from damage.
4. Plant-based protein
Oats provide high quality plant-based protein. This makes oatmeal cookies a nice option for those limiting meat intake.
5. Polyunsaturated fats
The oats in oatmeal cookies contain healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats help lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol.
6. Vitamins and minerals
Oatmeal cookies made with whole grains provide important vitamins and minerals like thiamine, iron, and zinc.
So in moderation, oatmeal cookies can be a nutritious addition to your diet thanks to all the natural goodness from oats!
Conclusion
Oatmeal cookies are one of the more nutritious cookie options, thanks to their key ingredient – oats. Oats supply fiber, antioxidants, plant-based protein, and important vitamins and minerals. Compared to other cookies, oatmeal cookies are also slightly lower in sugar since oats add natural sweetness.
While they don’t match the fiber content of plain oats, oatmeal cookies still provide a decent amount with about 2 grams of fiber per cookie. You can also modify recipes to increase the fiber content by using more oats, whole wheat flour, raisins, or bran. Just keep portion sizes in check since oatmeal cookies are still considered a sweet treat.
So if you’re looking for a cookie that satisfies a sweet tooth but also provides some good nutrition, oatmeal cookies are one of your best options. In moderation, they can be part of an overall balanced diet.
