Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Fruit

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Fruit

Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorite treats. They're divine when they’re right out of the oven, warm and soft. Store-bought cookies don’t do it for me anymore; homemade is always better! We spruced these cookies with our Spring Honey, but you can try using darker, richer honey if you’d like. Another preference at the Honey House is our Avocado Honey which tastes like molasses and offers a rich earthier note that adds a unique flavor to this oatmeal cookie recipe.

These oatmeal cookies are delicious; the recipe originated in Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Diet Cookbook. If you’re not up for using dried plums, you can always switch them out for other dried fruit, like cherries, raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots. Don’t be afraid to mix and match, either! We hope you enjoy these tasty afternoon snacks as much as we do!

breaking an oatmeal cookie
Chewy, gooey, fresh-baked oatmeal cookie

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies recipes are well worth any effort required to make them. We worked hard to make this oatmeal cookie recipe easy so you can enjoy both the process of making and eating them! Go ahead and preheat the oven now to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

One: Gather all of your ingredients

You’ll need these ingredients: quick-cooking rolled oats, all-purpose flour, maple or coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, blackstrap molasses, your favorite dried fruit, and walnuts.

Two: Process the dry ingredients

Begin by mixing the dry ingredients. Mix well with the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. I do this with my hands. It makes clean-up easy and fast.

Side note: For variety, replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, barley flour, spelt flour, or gluten-free baking mix (choose one that does not include baking soda and powder).

adding wet ingredients to dry ingredients

Step Three: Combine Wet Ingredients

Combine the honey, oil, vanilla extract, and molasses in a separate small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Step Four: Prepare the dried fruit and nuts.

Finely chop the nuts, put them in a paper or plastic bag, and with the handle end of a heavy butter knife, bang until the nuts are very finely chopped. To cut the dried fruit into cubes, use a very sharp knife. I used a fast chop technique; it doesn’t matter if it’s perfectly or evenly sized; you want the dried fruit to be smaller pieces in the cookies.

Sidebar: You can substitute chocolate chips for dried fruit or your favorite nuts over walnuts.

combining oatmeal and cookie dough

Step Five: Add the Wet and Dry Ingredients

Now, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Don’t over-mix. Fold in the dried plums and nuts.

rolled oatmeal cookies

Step Six: Make & Shape the cookies.

Using your hands, roll tablespoon-size scoops of dough into balls. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, and press down slightly on the balls to flatten the tops.

oatmeal cookies out the oven

Step Seven: Bake!

The final step is also an important one! Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a baking rack to cool completely.

Oatmeal cookies on a plate

Tips for the best cookies

When baking with honey, slightly lower the temperature of your oven. Honey will burn faster than cane sugar, so be mindful of that. If you don’t have parchment paper, lightly coat your baking sheet with coconut oil.

Keep your cookies fresh in an airtight container, or freeze the dough for faster baking down the road. I always make a big batch of these and share them with friends. They are perfect in the fall with a warm cup of tea or coffee. You’ll feel cozy in no time!

breaking an oatmeal cookie

Have fun with our Oatmeal Cookies.

One of the joys of baking is making the recipe your own. Don’t like dried fruit? Leave it out! Want more walnuts? Add them in! The possibilities are endless. Here are some of our favorite suggestions:

  • Using pecans instead of walnuts sometimes changes the flavor a bit on this cookie
  • Also, drizzle the cookies with our Cashew Cream Icing after the cookies have cooled
  • Add orange zest to the batter for a touch of citrus
  • Try adding in fresh blueberries
  • Have a sweet tooth? Add semi-sweet, organic cacao nibs for a chocolatey surprise.
Oatmeal Cookies with mug of coffee

Are you looking for some other yummy cookies to make and enjoy?

  • Why not try this Ginger Cookies Recipe? We love using ginger in our recipes with honey; it balances the sweetness with some spice.
  • These light and delicious Breakfast Cookies are also a treat that may interest you.

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