Where are my fellow oatmeal raisin cookie aficionados?
Hellooooo? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
I feel like oatmeal raisin cookies are the rejects on the cookie tray. Which makes me so sad because THEY’RE THE BEST COOKIE TO EVER EXIST.
(The caps lock button was necessary.)
And this recipe is for all diehard oatmeal raisin cookie fans… who also appreciate a healthy, feel-good snack every once in awhile.
So you all know how often I make breakfast cookies. And if you don’t… it’s every darn week! I usually wake up pretty ravenous and a cookie holds me over until I make an actual breakfast to get me going for the day. I decided it was time for a switcheroo the other week because I probably bore you to death making breakfast cookies on my Insta story each week. I took out a bunch of ingredients, got a little generous with raisins and pecans, and hoped for the best!
They took a couple tries, but the result was this super soft granola bar sweetened with honey and coconut sugar, spiced with cinnamon, and super textured with big fat oats. Like my beloved breakfast cookies, these oatmeal raisin cookie granola bars are wholesome and healthy, dairy free, and made without butter and refined sugar. While they’re great for breakfast or as a snack, they also satisfy your sweet tooth as far as healthy dessert recipes go. I really think you’ll love ’em too!
That is, of course, if oatmeal raisin cookies rule your world too.
Taste test this dreamy batter. Truuuust me. โ โ
Each ingredient serves a purpose. Honey, coconut oil, whole wheat flour, and peanut butter bind the ingredients together. If you’re gluten intolerant, you can sub in almond flour instead of whole wheat flourโtried it and loved it! There’s coconut sugar for a little added sweetness. I tried adding more honey, but the bars just came out sticky. So a smidge of dry sweetener was best.
Let’s talk about the ease factor. Grab all of the ingredients and stir in a bowl. Ta da! You’re done with prep work. Super easy, just like my chocolate chip cookie granola bars and peanut butter oatmeal bars.
By the way, if you are looking for an even easier snack bar without having to turn on the oven, try these no-bake chocolate fudge oat bars or no-bake chewy coconut granola bars.
Call me crazy, but I swear these soft granola bars taste like oatmeal raisin cookies. Call me crazy either way because it’s the darn truth. So yes, this is an open invitation to eat oatmeal raisin cookies for breakfast and feel pretty good about it.
Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 9-12 bars
- Category: Granola Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Super soft oatmeal granola bars that taste like oatmeal raisin cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (43g) whole wheat flour (or almond meal)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup (63g) nut butter (I use peanut butter)
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1/4 cup (50g) coconut sugar (or packed light/dark brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (128g) raisins
- optional: 3/4 cup (100g) choppedย nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang onย the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix all of the ingredients together until combined.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan and press very firmly into an even layer. You really want it packed in tightโas tight as possible. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until top appears set and it’s golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1 more hour. This firms up the bars which helps them stay compact. Remove bars from the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars.
- Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: These bars are wonderful after frozen! Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
Reader Comments and Reviews
I used pumpkin seed butter, oat flour, maple syrup and brown sugar. Turned out great!
These were really good, very satisfying. Will defiantly be making again!
These are so good! I doubled the recipe because I had a feeling they would be good and wouldn’t last long. I cut them into granola bar size. I wanted something soft for my younger kids to eat that wasn’t too hard or chewy. Never buying store bought granola bars again!
Perfect gluten-free version: The second time I made these, I used sunbutter instead of peanut butter and oat flour instead of wheat flour. Also 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of honey (1/4 c maple syrup = 79g, not the same as honey). My 1 cup of oats = 110g, not 85g as per the recipe. I also added 1/4 cup hemp seeds instead of nuts. They turned out great.
Other experiements: The first time they weren’t as good. That time I used a GF flour mix and I weighed all the ingredients per the recipe, instead of volume measures. They were too liquidy. The second time I used volume measures and weights to see if there was a discrepancy. The only big difference was in the oats. My 1 cup of oats weighed 110g instead of 85g, but I think that and the different flour was enough to make them really different.
My husband made these today, with me “hovering” nearby with advice. It’s his first time baking—at age 80! We subbed almond butter for pb, used brown sugar, and subbed dried cranberries for raisins. Also added chopped pecans. They’re great! Firmer than I expected, so they are very much like granola bars. Maybe will bake them a little less next time. Thank you.
This recipe was so good but my kids don’t like raisins, do you think we could alter the recipe and substitute them with chocolate chips. Love you โค๏ธ
Hi Isabella, that should work! Same amount. You might like these chocolate chip cookie granola bars, too!
This was delicious! Thank you. They turned out a tad too sweet for what we were looking for: do you think we could reduce the sugar or honey without compromising structure?
Hi Ruthy! You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
These granola bars were delicious! I cannot want to make a second batch!
Can this be doubled and cooked in a 9 x 13″ pan?
What should the baking time be?
You can easily double for a 9ร13. We’re unsure of the bake time. Enjoy!
I’m excited to make these bars. My question is. Can I substitute the wheat flour for All Purpose flour?
Hi LuAnn, Yes you can use all purpose flour, same amount. Happy baking!
Could I use flaxseed or hemp seeds for the chopped nuts? I’d love to make these for my kids (who love raisins), and add in as much protein as possible, but they’re funny about crunchy things.
Hi Bethany, absolutely, you could use some flaxseed and/or hemp seeds in place of the optional nuts. Hope they’re a hit!
My granddaughter can not have wheat, soy or nuts. I can use almond flour but what can I use as a peanut butter substitute? Iโd love to make these for her as a breakfast option.
Hi Carla, sunflower seed butter should work well as a replacement here. Same amount. Let us know how they go!
Perfection!
I followed the recipe but after cooking it broke into large chunks. Next time, I’ll try cutting them while still warm.
If I don’t have raisins or nuts, could they be left out to make plain oatmeal bars without compromising the structure of the recipe?
Or, as a different option, might I use fresh cranberries as an add-in? (Not sure of the amount, could you please advise?)
Thanks for your opinion on both alternatives!
Hi J, you can leave the raisins out, but the bars will be a bit thinner. Feel free to leave the optional nuts out as well. Dried cranberries would be an excellent swap, but we don’t recommend fresh cranberries because of the liquid they would add to the bars. They would likely not set as well. Hope this is helpful!
Thanks, this was definitely helpful! I appreciate the thoughtful response and will keep this advice in mind when I try the recipe.
I made these today with a few substitutions/additions. Main thing was that I tried to make them into lactation bars as I’m newly nursing, added 3 tbsp brewers yeast and 3 tbsp milk (similar to Sally’s recommendation in notes on her breakfast cookies recipe), it came out really well in texture and taste.
I made these and added some lily’s sugar free dark chocolate to them and they were perfect. Will definitely make them again.
Hello! Any subs for coconut oil? Wanted to make these, but I donโt have any right now. Thanks!
Butter would work!
Thanks Sally for another wonderful receipe! I baked this twice. First time, i followed the receipe to T and second time, i decided to sub out peanut butter for an egg + added extra oats to achieve the desired texture! preferred the 2nd attempt, it takes almost exactly like your oatmeal cookies in a bar form (no chill, no mixer) n yet soft, thick and chewy.
Thanks!!
I am obsessed with all your recipes. You are truly a legend in my kitchen. Thank you so much for sharing your gems with us.
I had coconut flour lurking at the back of my fridge so I decided to tweak this recipe to use some of it up (I love the recipe as written with 1 egg). I made the recipe twice, using a 1:1 sub with regular flour, adding extra liquid (eggs) and no added sugar (just honey). I added 1 egg but found the bars were slightly drier than the original on day 1 (however they are much softer when sat in an airtight container overnight). Next time, I added 2 eggs and the bars as just as soft as the original, with a subtle coconut flavour. You know a recipe is perfect when you can adapt it to what you have, thanks Sally!
In the end I made the recipe as written (no subs like I asked before) and added 1 egg. Put it in a smaller tin for thicker bars, cooked for the time stated 28 minutes. Bars came out cakey and airy as expected with egg, and taste exactly like brownies, perfect! Thanks for the recipe ๐
Hi, can I use regular gluten free flour in these?
Hi Raz, we haven’t tested it that way, but let us know if you give it a try!
This was amazing Sally!!! I am allergic to peanut butter so I substituted it with normal unsalted butter and substituted the whole wheat flour for AP flour. The bars were soo tasty and soft but also crunchy! Everyone loved it!
Good evening Sally, could I use pure maple syrup instead of honey when making these?
Hi Sharon, Yes you can! Enjoy.
Iโm sending these to my son as his first college care package. Thank you for the great recipe!!
So yummy! I need advice I did use almond flour not sure if I over cooked and even though they were so delicious they were so crumbly and not sure why? Please advice because I plan on making them a lot. Thank you
Hi Sue! If the bars were crumbly, I wonder if they were over-baked? If not, adding an extra Tablespoon of coconut oil will help hold them together a little better. Thanks for trying these!
Hi, wanted to let you know I made the granola bars again, I took your advice with the extra tablespoon of coconut oil and didnโt cook them quite as long and they came out perfect!
I have made these twice. I found that they needed to bake longer in my oven. Mostly, the first time I cut the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon which was perfect and then today my mistake was only reducing it to a teaspoon. I love your recipes with the exception of using excessive cinnamon, ginger, etc.
Sally,
Iโve only been baking for a year but I wanted you to know that I always check here first when I look for a new recipe to make. I respect your baking skills! I have always been successful with your recipes.
Iโm sorry if I missed this in the comments but I was wondering if all-purpose flour would work in this recipe? Just to save me a trip to the store or from having something on hand that I might not use again.
Hi Reeta, Yes you can use your all purpose flour, same amount. Happy baking!
This recipe looks really good but Iโm allergic to peanut butter Is there a substitute or can it be omitted? Your assistance is appreciated. Thanks
Hi Febbie, instead of peanut butter try almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
I love your recipes but when I go to print them off it’s so full of adds that it’s a waste of paper and ink.
Hi James, thank you so much for making our recipes! You can print just the recipe by scrolling down to the recipe itself (in the light gray box) and using the print button (below where it says total time and yield) instead of printing the whole page. Hope that helps.