Regina’s Healthy Oatmeal No Bake Cookies
by Wardeh on April 8, 2009



My friend Regina made over the traditional oatmeal no-bake cookie recipe to be more healthy. I called her the other day and begged for it — my kids were desperate for a snack and I was short on time. These cookies fit the bill, deliciously!

Regina makes her cookies with natural peanut butter and carob powder. I used almond butter and cocoa powder. Either way… yummy! Next time I make them, I am going to try to boil just the Rapadura, water, cocoa powder and vanilla, but leave adding the coconut oil to the very end, so it won’t be cooked at all. I’ll come back and update this recipe then, if it works — if the coconut oil will sufficiently melt from the heat of the chocolate syrup mixture.

Update: The cookies did not stiffen up sufficiently for finger grabbing when I did not boil the coconut oil along with the chocolate syrup mixture. So, follow the recipe as written for best results.

Update 12/1/09: Since oats have a high amount of phytic acid (which blocks mineral absorption), I now recommend a soaking to neutralize the phytic acid. It takes a bit of time, but it is not hard or time-consuming overall. The nutrition boost this provides is worth it! My Haniya, who is sensitive to both gluten and unsoaked grains, is able to eat oats, as long as they’re soaked. For this recipe, you’ll take the soaked oats and then dehydrate them back to the crispy state before mixing them with the liquid ingredients. I also soak and dehydrate the almonds that I use to make the almond butter – because unsoaked nuts contain high amounts of enzyme inhibitors.

*A few days before making these cookies, soak 10 cups of thick rolled oats overnight in water to cover (and then some) along with 1/2 cup of raw apple cider vinegar, Kombucha, kefir, yogurt or other acidic liquid. Drain and rinse. Then spread in layers on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit until dry and crisp. Then proceed with the recipe.

In a large pot, combine:

3 cups Rapadura (reduce to lessen the sweetness-I have gotten this down to 2 cups and think I can still reduce more, they’re plenty sweet)
1 cup pure water
3/4 cup carob powder or 1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
1 cup unrefined, virgin, raw coconut oil
Place pot on a burner over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes, whisking the entire time to prevent burning and to ensure the coconut oil melts and mixes in well. Remove from heat and add:

6 to 7 cups soaked, then dehydrated rolled oats* (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free cookies)
1 cup natural peanut butter or natural (soaked) almond butter
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)
1-1/2 cups raisins (optional)
Mix well. Mixture should be thick but stirrable. It will harden as it cools. Drop by heaping spoonfuls on cookie sheets. This is a double batch and makes about 4 dozen+ huge cookies. They will cool quickly and can be eaten in just a few minutes. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container.