Take a break from sugary desserts with these dairy-free fruit sweetened oatmeal cookies! They contain no added sugars, and aren’t overly sweet, but they still satisfy as a healthier treat or snack. Each bite has fresh hints of apple and delicious bursts of dried fruit.
Dairy-Free Fruit Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies Recipe with No Added Sugar
Many years ago, we shared a raisin breakfast cookies recipe that we’ve more recently updated with this dairy-free fruit sweetened oatmeal cookies recipe. It was shared with us by a reader, and uses just apple and raisins for sweetness. We’ve also got some ingredient options in the FAQs below
Why We Like this Recipe
- No Added Sugar: This is really what it’s all about. These oatmeal cookies are sweetened solely with fruit, and contain no added sugars of any kind.
- Simple Ingredients: Most healthier recipes call for expensive or hard to find ingredients. This one uses everyday, affordable foods!
- Balanced Nutrients: Each cookie boasts a better balance of protein, fiber, fat, sugar, and overall carbohydrates than your average treat.
- Packability: Cookies are great for packing along, but they aren’t always the healthiest snack. These cookies can stand in for bars on hikes, days at the beach, or just for midday energy.
- Fast & Easy: You can whip up a whole batch, or double batch, for the week in 30 minutes or less!
Apple Butter vs Applesauce vs Apple Juice Concentrate
Though they are listed as interchangeable in the recipe, these are distinctly different foods with varying results. Apple butter is creamier, and will produce the chewiest cookies. Applesauce has more moisture, so the cookies will be a little puffier. And apple juice concentrate is more of a liquid, so the cookies will have a cakier consistency.
Some people confuse apple butter with dairy, but it very rarely contains any milk ingredients. It’s basically applesauce that’s cooked down longer to create a creamier more “buttery” consistency. See my crockpot apple butter recipe as an example. You can make that recipe without added sweetener or buy an unsweetened dairy-free apple butter.
Raisin Substitutes
If you aren’t a raisin fan, stick with sweeter fruits like dried blueberries, chopped dates, or dried sweet dark cherries. Make sure to choose dried fruit that unsweetened, or sweetened with juice. Dried cranberries or currants that are free of added sugars can be good options, but they might not provide enough sweetness.
More Ingredient FAQs
- Raisins: Why do you soak the raisins? When you soak the raisins in hot water, they absorb a lot of moisture and plump up. This makes them softer and also helps to prevent them from drying out when baking. But this step is technically optional.
- Oats: Should I use rolled or quick oats? The choice is purely a matter of taste! I usually prefer quick oats, which provide a softer, more tender cookie. Rolled oats are chewier and don’t soften quite as much, but many people like their heartier texture.
- Flour: What is whole wheat pastry flour? It’s a 100% whole wheat flour, but it has a finer grind than regular whole wheat flour, making it a better alternative to all-purpose flour in desserts.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Fruit Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, added sugar-free, and vegetarian.
For gluten-free fruit sweetened cookies, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free flour blend for baking. But I do recommend using a grain-based flour blend, not a grain-free one, like almond flour or coconut flour. Nut flours are very dense, and coconut flour is far too dry for a 1:1 swap.
Dairy-Free Fruit Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the raisins in a bowl, and cover them with boiling water.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the butter alternative and apple butter with a hand mixer until combined. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.
- Thoroughly drain the raisins, and gently pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix to combine. Stir in the raisins.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place them on your prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart and flatten them.
- Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until they look set. Due to the lack of sugar, they will not brown like ordinary cookies, and will still appear somewhat pale when done.
- Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be refrigerated for longer storage, or frozen to enjoy longer.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Also Try My Fruit-Sweetened Banana Bread Recipe!
