The Best Recipes for Steel Cut Oatmeal Cookies - On The Gas | The Art Science & Culture of Food (2024)

Oatmeal cookies with steel cut oatsare one of my favorite treats to enjoy. They are great heated up, dipped in milk, or right out of the cookie jar. Of course, you can use rolled oats when you make oatmeal cookies, but my grandmother has always madesteel cut oatmeal cookies, and I have always used her recipe or at least variations of it. What makes steel cut oatmeal cookie taste so great?

What makes steel cut oatmeal cookie taste so great?

I love a bit of texture to my cookies, and steel cut oats are typically a bit on the larger side when compared to other oats. They are not processed as much as the other types of oats that you can purchase, so they can easily give your cookies more texture. The oats that are processed more can absorb water more quickly during the cooking process, so cookies made with rolled oats will be softer.

When it comes to the nutritional value of the oats, they have the same protein, carbohydrates, and fat levels, but the amount of fiber in each oat may be much more in a steel cut oat. Since steel cut oats are larger, they take longer to cook. However, with this type of oat, you can get a nutty flavor that is not commonly found in rolled oats.

Recipes

This first recipe is the one that I always use for steel cut oatmeal cookies. My grandma does not like in her cookies, so these are plain oatmeal cookies with pecans and a touch of cinnamon in them. The pecans give these cookies a fantastic nutty flavor that goes perfectly with the nuttiness of the steel cut oats. To create this recipe, you will need:

½ half of a cup of unsalted butter
¼ of a cup of shortening
½ of a cup of brown sugar
¼ of a cup of sugar
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 of a teaspoon of nutmeg
A dash of salt
One teaspoon of Apple cider vinegar
One egg
½ of a teaspoon of baking soda
¾ of a cup of flour
1 ½ cups of steel cut oats
One cup of chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and then prepare two baking sheets by lining them or greasing them so that the cookies do not stick. Mix the butter, the shortening, the brown sugar, the sugar, the vanilla extract, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the salt, and the vinegar together in a large mixing bowl. Add in the egg, the baking soda, the flour, and the oats. Mix well, and then stir in the chopped pecans. Walnuts will also work well in these cookies.

Vegan cookies

I have some family members that are vegan, so when I have them over for dinner, I try to keep their dietary needs in mind when I am cooking. One thing that I have noticed is that vegan cookies from the store are often crumbly, which is a turn off for me, but I have discovered a vegan steel cut oatmeal cookie recipe that respects their dietary needs without causing the cookies to fall apart before you have the chance to eat them. To make these cookies at home, you will need:

One cup of vegan margarine (I prefer to use room temperature margarine)
¼ of a cup of canola oil
One large banana (it should be very ripe to overly ripe banana)
¾ of a cup of brown sugar (packed firmly)
¼ of a cup of sugar
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of flour (I prefer white, whole wheat flour)
One teaspoon of baking powder
One teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon of cinnamon (if you prefer cookies without cinnamon, this can be left out)
Three cups of steel cut oats
½ of a cup of chopped walnuts (other nuts can be used as well)
½ of a cup of dried cranberries (any dried fruit will work in this cookie recipe)
½ of a cup of chocolate chips (if you don’t want chocolate, use more dried fruit or nuts)

To start, you will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the margarine, the canola oil, and the steel cut oats together. Mash the banana into the mixture, and then add in the sugar, the brown sugar, and the vanilla. Mix well, and then add in the flour, the salt, the baking powder, and the cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, the nuts, and the dried fruit. Drop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet using a spoon, and bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cook, and enjoy them with some milk.

Toasted Coconut

I do not always like fruit and nuts in my oatmeal cookies, so I decided to look for a recipe that would give me the nutty taste of steel cut oatmeal without all of the nuts and raisins. I found a recipe that incorporates toasted coconut into the cookie.

Coconut macaroons are one of my favorite cookies, so I decided to go for it and make this toasted coconut, oatmeal cookie combination. I absolutely loved it! Of course, I tweaked the recipe to make it my own, but it is simple to make; here is what you will need for this recipe:

1 cup of shredded coconut (toasted to your likeness)
1 ½ cups of flour
One teaspoon of baking soda
One teaspoon of cinnamon
A dash of salt
One cup of room temperature butter (margarine will do, but in my opinion, butter tastes best)
One cup of brown sugar
½ of a cup of sugar
Two large eggs
One tablespoon of vanilla extract
Three cups of steel cut oats

If you do not already have the coconut toasted, you are going to need to toast it first and foremost. Set the oven to 300 degrees, and spread the coconut over a baking sheet in a thin layer.

Bake the coconut for about 20 minutes, but during that time, make sure that you stir the coconut so that it toasts evenly. Make sure to pay close attention to the coconut as it is toasting because it will burn quickly.

Once the coconut is toasted and ready to go, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, the baking soda, the cinnamon, and the salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, cream together the butter, the sugar, and the brown sugar. Add the vanilla and the eggs to the sugar mixture, and combine. Slowly add in the flour while you mix the batter, and then stir in the oats and the coconut.

Spoon the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool before enjoying them with friends.

Healthy Steel Cut Oatmeal Cookies/Energy Balls

Sometimes in the early afternoon, I find that I feel a bit exhausted, especially right after I have lunch. This is the time of the day when my energy seems the lowest, and I feel the least productive at work, so I decided to start making energy balls to help pick me up. They are easy to make, and they will not cost a lot, which makes them a snack that your entire family can enjoy.

I only use five ingredients for these energy bars, and they come out very close in texture and flavor to the peanut butter chocolate chip snack bars that you can purchase at the grocery store. If you prefer fruits or nuts over the chocolate and the coconut, feel free to switch it up and create an energy bar that you will enjoy. For this recipe, you will need:

One cup of steel cut oats
One cup of sweetened shredded coconut ( if you prefer, unsweetened will work well in the energy balls and reduce the amount of sugar in each piece)
½ of a cup of peanut butter (almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter will work as well)
1/3 of a cup of miniature chocolate chips (dark chocolate tastes amazing in this recipe)
1/3 of a cup of honey (less can be used if you’d like)
1/3 of a cup of dried fruits (optional, but if you are adding this ingredient, cranberries are my preferred choice of fruit)
1/4 of a cup of nuts (optional, but in my opinion, almonds make the perfect addition to this recipe)

To create these energy balls, you will need to begin by mixing the oats, the coconut, the peanut butter, the chocolate chips, the honey, the nuts, and the dried fruit together in a large bowl. Once the mixture is well combined, roll the dough into one-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet. If the dough is difficult to roll into balls, chill it for a few minutes.

You can enjoy these energy balls right away, or you can refrigerate them to harden the peanut butter and the honey a bit. Any energy balls that are not consumed will need to be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated.

Final Thoughts

Have you tried any of thesteel cut oatmeal cookiesabove? I know that you loved them. If you want to spice up your oatmeal cookies, try adding raisins, cranberries, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips into your batter. Make sure to heat up your cookie before you indulge. Don’t forget the milk!