These soft and chewy oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies are a great healthier way to have chocolate chip cookies. They’re made with coconut oil, and packed full of oats, and flaxseed. But they’re so delicious that no one will know they are better for you!
These soft and chewy oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies taste as good as any oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but with a few healthier fixes. As much as I love cookies, it’s always nice to add a little more healthiness to them. These cookies are made with coconut oil, and packed full of oats, and flax! My kids love them too, and have no idea that I’ve made them healthier than regular chocolate chip cookies.
This recipe is a twist on a typical chocolate chip cookie, but with a few healthy changes.
Instead of butter you use coconut oil. You’ll just melt the oil until it’s soft enough to scoop out of the container, but doesn’t need to be full liquid. There may a very slight coconut flavor from the oil in these cookies, but it’s not super noticeable, some brands have a stronger flavor than others. If you like the coconut flavor you could add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut to the cookie dough if you want.
You also add a full cup of old fashioned oats.
The cookies also have half of a cup of flax seed. I have been wanting to try adding some flax seed to cookies since it is so good for you. Here are some reasons why flax is so good for you. When I was testing these I wasn’t sure if 1/2 cup of flaxseed would be too much, but it turned out perfect. It only changes the flavor of the cookie a little, but it does change the appearance of the cookie. It gives it a darker color than a typical chocolate chip cookie has.
I adapted this recipe from Averie Cooks recipe for Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The cookies are still loaded with chocolatey goodness. Even my kids loves them too, and they are my toughest critics.
How to make soft and chewy oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies?
These cookies are made like any other chocolate chip cookie. You’ll start by mixing your coconut oil with your sugars in a large bowl. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Then add in all the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips and you should have a nice soft cookie dough. (Be sure to follow our tips to ensure your dough doesn’t end up too dry)
Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 to 2 Tablespoon sized cookies, and roll them into nice even balls. Place them on a baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to chill.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven, prepare another baking sheet, and place half the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet. Press the tops down slightly and then bake away, just until the edges and tops of the cookies start to look set. The cookies will keep baking on the cookie sheet and we don’t want them to overbake and get too hard. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, then enjoy warm, or transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
How to store oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies?
After the cookies are baked, and cooled, they can be stored in a ziptop bag, or other airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
You can also store the cookie dough covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Tips for making chewy oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies:
- If you don’t have coconut oil, you can substitute vegetable oil with a 1 to 1 conversion.
- Make sure to spoon and level your flour into your 1 cup measuring cup otherwise you will end up with a bit too much flour and your dough will be crumbly.
- If you don’t like cinnamon in your chocolate chip cookies you can leave it out.
- If your coconut oil is all the way melted, then the dough for these cookies needs to be chilled for at least 1 hour in the fridge. This helps the coconut oil in the cookies to re-solidify, which keeps the cookies from spreading out too flat as they bake. I roll my cookie dough out into balls first, and place them all on one cookie sheet, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. If you are short on time you can place the pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes and it works pretty well too.
- If your cookies have chilled longer than 1 hour then they may stay very thick as they cook. Test one or two, then if you want your additional cookies thinner you can press the balls down slightly on the top to help make them flatter.
- I also love to add some chocolate chips on top of the cookie balls to make them look prettier. I do this with all my chocolate chip cookie recipes. Plus, who doesn’t love more chocolate?
These soft and chewy oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies are such a delicious healthier cookie option. They’re loaded with delicious goodness, that is not only tasty, but also good for you without any loss of delicious flavor.
What people are saying about these oatmeal flax cookies:
“Just made these and they are a game changer. I doubled the recipe to have frozen cookie dough on hand. The consistency and texture is similar to that of a gourmet cookie. Love the healthier alternative of using flax and oats. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking to spice up their chocolate chip recipe!” – Rushi
More Oatmeal Recipes:
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- No Bake Granola Bar Bites
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Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (softened, but not fully melted)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 TBS vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½ cup flaxseed (finely ground)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.
- Add the oats, flour, flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Form the cookie dough into 1.5 to 2 TBS sized balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Top with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate or at least 1 hours or up to 5 days. This will help the cookies not to go flat. If you chill them longer than 1 hour it's possibly your cookies won't spread very much as they bake, so you can flatten the balls a bit with your hand before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Place the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes or until edges and top are just beginning to set. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes to ensure the cookies are still soft. They will continue to cook on the pan, and will firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 2 months.
Video
Nutrition
These oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies were first posted on May 20, 2014. The photos and text were updated on January 22, 2021.
These oatmeal flax chocolate chip cookies were originally shared by my friend Becky from Love to Be in the Kitchen. She has so many amazing recipes on her blog, including her chicken sausage skillet, and her homemade graham crackers. And be sure to follow her social media accounts: Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter
Shannon says
These cookies are delicious!! I tried half whole wheat flour and half whole flour and they turned out a little dry so next time I think I will do a little less flour since whole wheat flour is more dense.
Corrie says
I only have quick oats. Will they work for this?
Aimee says
Quick oats will soak up more of the liquid so your cookies may be more dry, and you won’t get the chewy texture like you would with old fashioned oats.
Mandi says
This is a VERY good cookie. 😀 thank you!
Stephanie says
These really are sooo good! I don’t typically like oatmeal in my cookies but these were delicious. I made a double batch exactly as instructed except that I had to bake them a little longer (I find I usually have to bake things longer in my oven for some reason). I made them for my friend who is a new mom since several of the ingredients are good for lactation. She and her husband loved them.
Dean says
Delicious. Only used half cup sugar and still sweet enough. My partner almost ate them all while I was at work.🙄
Tracy says
Can I substitute the flour with almond flour? I’m not able to have flour or wheat flour.
Aimee says
I’m not sure I haven’t tried that – maybe try a 1:1 gluten free flour for the best results?
Heather says
I used gluten free flour & these turned out great! We have a six person family & they were devoured in one night. I also substituted the ¼ cup of sugar with monk fruit sweetener.
Aimee says
So glad you loved them!
Cheryl Torres says
I just put the formed cookies in the fridge for an hour; I could not quit eating the dough! That’s the best cookie mix I’ve eaten! Can’t wait to bake and eat them when they are done!
Aimee says
Yay! I hope you love the cookies too!
Cookie says
I made these and they are super yummy! I didn’t have coconut oil on hand so I used vegetable oil. I also substituted honey for the granulated sugar. I also added a tablespoon of instant coffee. It was great! Chewy, not so sweet and filling.
Aimee says
Great ideas! Glad you loved them!
terell Turner says
This is a great recipe a nice go-to, when I am trying to avoid eating too much sugar
Janessa Shoemaker says
These are so delicious! I love that it only takes one bowl and the recipe is very straight forward. I love this guilt free snack !
Julie says
Just made these cookies exactly like you said and they are incredible!! Love the flaxseed and coconut oil!
Kelly says
These cookies were so incredibly good! I didn’t chill the dough, which didn’t seem to hinder the result. My new favourite recipe! So happy I stumbled across this recipe!
Ellen says
YAY!!!!! So happy you did too.
Kim says
I was looking for a whole grain, high fiber chocolate chip cookie and these are the bomb! I didn’t have coconut oil, so I used veg oil, and i substituted the white sugar for honey and the AP flour for whole wheat flour. My dough was a little dry, so I added another splash of oil. The dough ended up looking like wet sand, and I had to form the dough balls with my hands. I put them on a tray and put them in the fridge for an hour or so. When I put them on the cookie sheet to bake, I smashed them down a little to help them flatten down. I baked them for about 9.5 mins, them removed them from the cookie sheet to cool. My only change next time, will be to use only 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
This will be my only chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on. Thank you so much Becky for sharing this recipe. These cookies are so good, you can’t even tell they’re kinda good for you!
Aimee says
So glad you made it work with what you had on hand!
Rushi says
Just made these during quarantine and they are a game changer. I doubled the recipe to have frozen cookie dough on hand. The consistency and texture is similar to that of a gourmet cookie. Love the healthier alternative of using flax flour and oats. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking to spice up their chocolate chip recipe!
FYI, I replaced the coconut oil with equal parts vegetable oil and had no issues.
Aimee says
I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know
zarqa says
Hi,
Do you think it would work if I replaced the brown sugar with coconut sugar and replaced the granulated sugar with xylitol and replaced the flour with whey powder as I want to turn it into a protein cookie recipe and make it a bit healthier?
zarqa says
also, how would I add cacao powder to this and make it into a chocolate recipe?
Aimee says
I think you could cut out maybe 1/4 or 1/3 cup of the flour and add a similar amount of cocoa, I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried it
Aimee says
I haven’t worked with xylitol or whey powder enough to know how they’d work in this recipe. I think you’d still need some of the flour or the cookies wouldn’t bake up nicely, but you might be able to cut out a third, or possible half of the flour, and add some protein powder instead.
Rolande Pierce says
Too dry..
Going to try another egg.
Ellen says
Okay, my experience in adding eggs or less flour or changes to a recipe changes texture. Since this was a guest post I don’t know how it will turn out. I will hope great for you, let me know.
Julia says
If it’s too dry add more oil not egg
Leanne says
Super yummy! My 11-year old daughter made them. The dough was a little dry. She cooked half of them in mini muffin tins because they were coming apart. That seemed to work really well. Kinda crumbly but so delicious!
Ellen says
We are so glad you like them. What a good idea to use the mini muffin tin. Delicious sometimes is all we can aim for.
Heidi Ruchotzke says
These are delicious!
Hannah Sanders says
Love it! I used it for lactation enhancement.
Annika says
This is my favorite cookie recipe. Flawless and amazing! Thank you!
Alicia says
SO DELICIOUS! My family adores too and my go to cookie recipe now… thanks!
Adelya says
These were amazing. Thank you!
ronit says
Amazing cookies. I made them doing the conversion from sugar to maple syrup. Using 0.5 cup maple syrup and reducing coconut oil by 1/4 cup to compensate for the extra liquid. I love them. I also added walnut pieces at the end. They are so good once they cool and just have a touch of warmth. Heavenly!
ronit says
Oh and I also used whole wheat flour!
Cat says
I had some trouble with this recipe- used butter instead of coconut oil- needed 4tbs more butter and an extra egg otherwise the dough was too dry. Also used 1tsp of vanilla, not 1 tbsp- typo?
Aimee Berrett says
Hi Cat, so since Becky posted a guest post for this recipe on our site, I haven’t actually made it. You can head over to her site and ask her there and she might be able to help you out better. I haven’t made this recipe, but her amount of eggs and oil seem appropriate for the 1 cup oats and 1 cup flour, so I’m not sure why yours was so dry. But like I said, head over there and see if she has any ideas for you. http://lovetobeinthekitchen.com/2014/08/12/soft-chewy-oatmeal-flax-chocolate-chip-cookie/
DesignedByBH says
These cookies sound so good!!! Pinning!
– Brooke –
Jessica @ Pretty Providence says
Wow those look amazing! I am totally going to try adding flax! Thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
These are very similar to my “lactation cookies” that are oh sooooo good! I simply added whole oats and whole flax seeds to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and, ta-dah, there you go. They’re seriously addicting and I cannot eat just one. YUM!