Steel-Cut Oatmeal Cookie Recipe With Coconut Oil

Robyn is a new mom devoted who's devoted to cooking nutritious, delicious, and clean treats for her family.

The Perfect Breakfast for Busy Mornings

These oatmeal cookies are amazing. They're made with coconut oil and butter. The end result is a cookie that's unbelievably moist, soft, and chewy, yet somehow light and filling. It's even a bit nutritious with the coconut oil and steel-cut oats. Everyone will devour these sweet and spicy oatmeal cookies. There are many variations.

Oats, in general, are a good source of soluble fiber, protein, and whole grains, which have many health benefits. As the oatmeal packaging will tell you, oats help reduce cholesterol and are a heart-healthy food. Steel-cut oats specifically are very hearty and chewy. Packed with all that fiber and protein, these cookies are very filling and perfect for breakfast.

• Not sweet enough for the kiddos? Try adding a spoonful of apple butter or other fruit spread to the top. Delicious!
• Make a few batches ahead of time for quick breakfasts straight from the freezer. Pop them in the toaster oven for 5-10 minutes for a warm oatmeal breakfast treat.
• Make oatmeal bars instead of oatmeal cookies for an easier recipe.
• I use a combination of organic butter and coconut oil which provides the best flavor and texture, but you can use all butter or all coconut oil too. The flavor and texture is divine either way. Using all coconut oil makes for a flatter cookie though, so you may have better luck with bars.

The steel-cut oats are fine and square, about the size of a sesame seed. They are the least processed variety of oat available.

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A Word About Organic, Unprocessed Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats are the least processed oat available. It starts with the oat groat. The oat groat is just the whole oat, hulled. The hulled oat is then roasted and chopped into sesame-seed-sized chunks. That's the whole process! Simple and natural.

With traditional rolled oats, the oat groat is still hulled and roasted, but then they're sprayed with steam and pressed into flakes. The thinner the flake—or the quicker the oat cooks—the more processed the oat. The more processing a food undergoes, the more potential for nutrient deficiencies and chemical additives.

Although it’s not proven that steel-cut oats are “healthier” than traditional oats, they are chewier and denser, which is the secret to this moist cookie. They are also more filling. Personally, I prefer organic, unprocessed foods free from any chemicals or additives.

The cooked oatmeal draining and cooling. I place the hot oatmeal into a metal colander and let it sit for about 30 minutes. All the excess liquid will drain out. Fluff it with a fork.

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Preparing the Oats

You can either pre-cook the oatmeal or throw it in the recipe raw—but the results will vary greatly. I’ve made them both ways. When using raw steel-cut oats, the cookie is very crunchy and tends to be drier. You could use raw traditional quick-cooking oats, but I would add an extra cup. I choose to avoid processed oat varieties.

I much prefer to pre-cook the steel-cut oats. It only takes about 15 minutes. This turns the traditional oatmeal cookie into something wholly different, surprisingly indulgent, and absolutely addicting—a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

1. Add 1 cup of oats to 4 cups of boiling water. Boil over med/high heat for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
2. Drop your heat down to a simmer. Simmer the oats for another 12-15 minutes. Your oats will be thick, but there will still be some water left. Stir frequently to avoid getting a film.
3. Pour the hot oats into a metal colander. With a spoon, gently work the remaining liquid through the colander. Be gentle with your oats! You don't want mush.
4. Let the oats sit in the colander for about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before adding them to your cookie dough.

It's really important to make sure you don't add too much water when cooking your oats and that you let them drain completely, otherwise your cookies will be mushy.

Cook Time

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
• 1 cup organic brown sugar
• 1/2 cup organic baking sugar, evaporated cane juice
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 tbsp organic vanilla

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup organic white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Misc. Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw steel-cut oats, equal to 2 cups cooked
• 2 cups organic raisins (try cherries, cranberries, nuts, or any combination)

Hot cookies out of the oven. Let rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

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Instructions for Oatmeal Cookies

1. First cook the oats by following the instructions above. Let cool for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, blend the butter and coconut oil together with an electric mixer. Add the sugars and whip until light and smooth. Add the vanilla and one egg. Beat thoroughly. Add the second egg and beat again.
4. Add your flour mix to your egg mix, one third at a time to avoid lumps. Mix well with the electric mixer, about 2 minutes. Mix in your raisins, fruit, and/or nuts.
5. Once your oatmeal has cooled, add it to your cookie dough. Mix it in thoroughly BY HAND, or else your oatmeal will turn to goo.
6. Once mixed gently but completely, pop in the fridge for at least one hour, overnight, or for up to two days. You can skip this step, but you'll get a flatter cookie.
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
8. Drop dough in golf-sized balls, or rounded tablespoonfuls, onto a greased cookie sheet. Leave them plenty of room to spread.
9. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. The cookies will still be soft but cooked through. Rest them for 3 to 5 minutes on the cookies sheet before transferring. Let them cool completely. Makes 24 cookies. Make 2 batches and freeze one!

Finished bars ready to eat.

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Instructions for Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Short on time? Use this recipe to make oatmeal bars instead! No need to chill your dough, just spread it into a sheet pan once it's completely mixed. Easy peasy.

1. Evenly spread your dough over a half sheet lined with parchment paper. There is no need to refrigerate your dough first.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
3. Cool and cut into bars.

Rate here! All comments are welcome below.

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© 2013 Robyn D Bera

Comments

Patty on December 29, 2019:

Has anyone tried to substitute almond flour for the white flour? Success?

Rnbmommy on August 07, 2017:

Wow. Where do I start. These cookies were so deliciously soft and pillowy...not the traditional hard and crunchy oatmeal cookies I'm used to eating. I love using coconut oil and was glad to find a recipe that worked. I added a few tweaks...but the cookies were amazing nonethless.

I froze the coconut oil before I creamed it with the butter and sugar as I was worried about the batter being runny. I also used grass fed Irish butter...it's so creamy and delish. Finally, I added a cup of dry oats with cranraisins and walnuts for texture.

I think my husband loves me a little bit more after making these cookies. He couldn't believe how soft they were even the morning after. He had a few with his coffee this morning.

I love bringing smiles to my family and knowing the ingredients in their foods are hand picked by me. I'm not a baker and this was my first time making cookies...kudos to Delishably for not making my first attempt at baking cookies and epic fail.

Marlene Bertrand from USA on October 23, 2016:

I am so glad I found this recipe. My husband has been begging for steel cut oatmeal cookies and I lost the recipe I used in the past. Searching for something a little different, I found your recipe and learned a little bit about steel cut oats. Thank you so much.

Karen Weir from Alberta Canada on June 12, 2015:

Jenn, you must have done something wrong - perhaps overcooked your oats? over stirred them in the batter? didn't chill it long enough? and possibly all 3. I've made these a dozen or more times and had a mess like you describe once - it's not the recipe ;) These cookies are the bomb!

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on March 06, 2015:

Looks delicious and yummy. I never heard of steel cut oatmeal before. The oatmeal bars sounds tempting to me, too. I might keep these recipes in mind for the future. Voted up!

Tirralan Watkins from Los Angeles, CA on December 04, 2013:

What a great looking recipe. I see that there are a lot of ingredients. I'm sure these cookies are well worth the time and effort that goes into making them!

idigwebsites from United States on December 04, 2013:

These cookies look really yummy and heavy -- in a good way. Thanks for sharing your recipe, and also informing us about steel-cut oats.

Karen Weir from Alberta Canada on December 01, 2013:

This is an absolutely fabulous recipe. I switched out the white flour for organic sprouted wheat flour (I ground the sprouted wheat berries), and I used organic coconut sugar with terrific results. Next time I will use sprouted whole oats. Deelish and super nutrish!

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on November 25, 2013:

Wow Vicky! Thanks so much for your feedback and adaptation. The apples sound delicious! What a great idea! Great for fall. I will give this a try!

Vicky on November 24, 2013:

Made as bars exactly as written with the exception of using chopped apples as the fruit (personal choice). They were fabulous! In an effort to try to reduce sugars/carbs, I made a batch with the following "tweaks": 6T (vs 8) butter, 3/4 C (vs 1 cup) brown sugar, 1 C unbleached white + 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour, and again using apples (I used 2 VERY small ones). Based on 24 bars using apples instead of raisins, this took calories from 210 to 160; total carbs from 30.4 g to 19.6 g; and total sugars from 17.2 g to 9 g. I honestly did not notice a difference between the two - the sign of a great recipe to begin with!! Just thought I'd share for those who may also need to be mindful of carbs/sugars! Thank you very much for a wonderfully different treat!!

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on October 24, 2013:

Alexa, I'm so sorry for your trouble! One possibility is your oatmeal. Were you sure to completely drain it before adding it? Did you whip your sugars and beat your eggs well? To answer your question, because you added the coconut oil and butter melted, you'll need to let it firm up a bit in the fridge. I would let it stay in the fridge for a few more hours, but overnight if possible. The dough is going to be much softer than a "normal" cookie dough, but it should not be liquidy. Of course you can always turn the dough into bars! Good luck and thanks for your comment and feedback!

Alexa on October 24, 2013:

just made these but they're way too soft, falling apart. even after being in fridge for an hour, the dough is fairly liquidy. :(

i used whole wheat flour. and i had melted the coconut oil before blending with butter. might either of those things be why?! i have a bunch of dough left in the fridge but don't want to make them until i know if theres a way to make them more firm.

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on August 26, 2013:

Thanks for your comment, Lupine. I didn't know they had virgin coconut oil at walmart! That's great. Thanks for the tip!

lupine from Southern California (USA) on August 26, 2013:

Steel cut oatmeal is my favorite type, great texture. I also add a little coconut oil to it for the health benefits. These cookies look great, will try soon. I found my organic, extra virgin coconut oil at Wal-Mart, in the vitamin section.

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on July 18, 2013:

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the 5 star rating!!

Monica on July 16, 2013:

Love this recipe, just tried. Gave it 5 stars.

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on July 14, 2013:

Thanks for your comment Amber! I'm so glad you and the kids enjoyed the cookies. I just updated the recipe with instructions for making oatmeal bars which might save you some time when you make them again. Thanks for stopping by!

Amber on July 14, 2013:

These are really good . I didn't fully cook the steel cut oats, drained off the water and cooled them, and then put them in the batter. The cookies turned out great! My kids love them too! Thanks for the recipe. This will be a regular go to!

Jack from Des Plaines, Illinois on June 15, 2013:

Feels yummy :)

RTalloni on June 14, 2013:

How lovely, a true breakfast cookie! Yum stuff--thanks much!

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on June 07, 2013:

Thanks for checking out my recipe WhatToCook. I hope you like them!

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on June 07, 2013:

Hey there Peachpurple. Thanks for your comments and question. I just updated the hub and added a link to Amazon, which is one way you can purchase coconut oil. Most large major grocery stores (Safeway, Raley's, etc) carry Coconut Oil now too. You are pretty much guaranteed to find it at any health food store. Although it seems the cookie will be hard, I've found that cookies made with coconut oil are actually softer! Crazy, but true. I truly prefer it to butter nowadays. If you want a REALLY soft cookie try precooking the oats. If you do this extra step you are guaranteed a soft, chewy, oatmeal cookie - even if you opt to use all butter. Happy baking!

Brenda from Springfield, MO on June 07, 2013:

I love oatmeal cookies and these look really good. I'm going to give them a try soon.

peachpurple- most grocery store sale coconut oil, if it is not with the other oils look where they sell the health food, or vegan items. You can also try most health food stores.

peachy from Home Sweet Home on June 06, 2013:

lovely cookies. I love oatmeal very much but uses butter most of the time. Where could i get coconut oil? Usually easily bought are the sunflower and soybean oil. Will the cookies turn out a bit hard?

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on May 29, 2013:

Thanks CookBook! If you do try it, let me know how it comes out!

Dil Vil from India on May 28, 2013:

Great recipe, mouth watering one. I will surely try this one. Thanks to you.

Robyn D Bera (author) from California on May 28, 2013:

Thanks for stopping by, Ceres!

Ceres Schwarz on May 28, 2013:

Wow, these oatmeal cookies look really good. The images of the oatmeal cookies make them look so delicious. Now I want to have some. Your other images are also helpful in showing how to make this recipe.