Nourishing Traditions Oatmeal Cookies

You won’t believe that these flaky, buttery Nourishing Traditions style oatmeal cookies are good for you! But, with healthful ingredients like grass-fed butter and sprouted outs, these are the perfect treat if you are looking to nourish your body with everything you eat.

If you think about it, cookies already contain some super nutritious ingredients! Most oatmeal cookies contain eggs, butter, and well… oats! But with the addition of all that refined flour and terrible sugar, the benefits are lost! If we improve what is already there by sprouting the oats and flour, and replacing the refined sugar with natural sugars, eating a cookie could be something to feel great about.

You may assume that “Healthy” cookies means dry, funny-tasting, little cookie imposters. But healthy doesn’t always mean gross! When we eat real foods, and learn to cook real foods, we discover that nourishing our bodies can be delicious too! Just because you decide to stop eating processed junk food does not mean you need to never enjoy another food!

When you eat to nourish your body, there is no limit to the foods you can enjoy. I eat ice cream every single day! Ice cream made from nourishing ingredients. If you want to eat ice cream every day too, you can find my recipe for “Raw Milk Smoothie: Nutrient Dense Vanilla Milkshake” here.

Anyway, there’s my speech for the day. Let’s get to the good part! The Nourishing Traditions Oatmeal Cookies!

How are these Nourishing Traditions oatmeal cookies healthy?

These Nourishing Traditions style cookies are made with sprouted, free range, and natural ingredients! They are sweetened with coconut sugar (also called coconut crystals). They contain antioxidant properties, magnesium, vitamin E, and even vitamin K2 from the butter! These delicious cookies also don’t have any refined flours or artificial sugars. No cane sugar, all purpose flour, or compromise. You can enjoy these cookies as a morning snack or as a desert and reap the benefits of their healthy ingredients!

What makes these oatmeal cookies “Nourishing Traditions Style”?

Sprouting foods and using un-refined real ingredients are two of the main principles of Nourishing Traditions. Saturated fat is also a huge factor in recipes following the Nourishing Traditions guidelines. These cookies contain sprouted oats, sprouted flour, and sprouted almond butter for those extra nutrients! Butter is one of the healthiest foods available to us today and these cookies use a whole cup of it! To read more about the Nourishing Traditions Diet check out my post “What is the Nourishing Traditions Diet? Beginners Guide“.

What are the benefits of sprouting food?

Grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts are sprouted when they are allowed to germinate using water. You can sprout your own food at home or buy sprouted food online or in stores. This recipe uses sprouted oats, almond butter, and flour. In traditional cultures, these foods were always sprouted or fermented for easier digestion. However, because this process takes quite awhile, modern food industries have skipped this important step. This means that modern grains are hard to digest, contain nutrient blockers, and do not reach their full nutrient potential! When grains are sprouted, the nutrient blockers are removed and many of the nutrients become more available. Sprouted grains and nuts are easier to digest too!

What ingredients do I need to make Nourishing Traditions oatmeal cookies?

The ingredients are pretty easy to find online or make on your own at home! You probably have some of them already!

Butter

Butter is what gives these cookies their creamy taste and chewy texture! Also, butter has too many health benefits to even count! Butter, a saturated fat, is one of the most nutrient dense foods available today. It contains vitamins A, D, E and K, minerals like zinc, copper and selenium, short and medium chain fatty acids which boost metabolism. Butter also contains the perfect balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Butter is super beneficial for thyroid, heart, and digestive health, as well as preventing cancer, arthritis, and osteoporosis! I could go on, but that would take a whole post! You can read more about the benefits of butter here.

Eat more butter! You won’t regret it!

Coconut Crystals

It almost tastes like brown sugar! Unlike brown sugar, it has some health benefits. Made from the sap of the coconut tree, coconut sugar contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc. Phytonutrients found in this sugar help with inflammation and blood sugar. Although coconut sugar contains about the same amount of sugar as cane sugar, unlike cane sugar, it also has some health benefits! Remember, too much sugar in any form is bad for you. However, coconut sugar is a great alternative to cane sugar, especially when eaten in these cookies with the butter and other great ingredients! Be sure you are eating a diet full of healthy fats and protein as well!

Eggs

Eggs are pretty much the perfect food. Because they contain protein and healthy fats in that perfect little package of a shell, they are a super easy way to nourish your body. They are also great for your brain and eye health and are full of vitamins! One egg contains vitamin A, K, E, D, B and minerals iron, phosphorous, calcium, and potassium! As you can see, they pack a nutrient punch. Eggs also contain around 6g of protein each.

Vanilla Extract

Although you’ve probably never thought of this simple food as having health benefits, it does! Vanilla extract contains antioxidants for gut health, and it is anti inflammatory! It’s scent has been known to reduce anxiety and depression as well. Vanilla has antibacterial properties (try vanilla for a sore throat!) and may support brain health. Apart from all the health benefits linked with vanilla, it tastes great too! Vanilla gives these cookies a wonderful, warm flavor!

Oats

You can’t have an oatmeal cookie without oats! Oats contain vitamin E, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, and sulphur among other vitamins and minerals. However, unsprouted oats also contain phytic acid, which is a nutrient blocker. Sprouting oats removes the phytic acid making the wonderful nutrients far more available to your body! Oats make these cookies flaky and chewy and lend that classic oatmeal flavor!

Whole wheat Flour

Whole wheat sprouted flour is a must! Modern all purpose flour removes the healthy part of the grain leaving mostly starch. This makes it super hard to digest! In traditional cultures flour was always fermented or sprouted. If prepared properly, flour can contain many nutrients! Whole wheat sprouted flour contains iron, thiamine, niacin, calcium, and vitamin B6 and minerals, including selenium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, and folate. Sprouting the flour removes nutrient blockers and increases available nutrients.

Almond Butter

Almond butter in an oatmeal cookie? Yep! Adding almond butter to these cookies makes them taste almost like a classic peanut butter cookie! So I suppose I should have called these “Nourishing Traditions Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies”! Almonds contain vitamin E, vitamin B, calcium, and phosphorus among other nutrients. Sprouting almonds removes enzyme inhibitors and makes the vitamins much more useable!

Salt

For some reason salt has had a bad reputation recently, but traditional cultures used salt liberally and knew it’s many benefits. Not only is real salt great for you, but it is essential! Salt contains numerous trace minerals including iodine, calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc and others. Regular table salt has been process and most of the minerals have been removed. Another reason to eat real salt is because low salt diets have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack! Salt helps our blood maintain the proper consistency, our brains need salt for development, and salt is vital in the digestion of carbohydrates. Our bodies need salt! I don’t have time to go into every reason to eat salt, but read thisarticle for more info! Just be sure to source your salt properly. Also, do not underestimate the power of salt to bring out the flavor of your food!

Baking Powder and Baking Soda

Even though these ingredients are such a small part of the recipe they too have health benefits! Baking soda can help with digestive issues by calming the stomach acid. This helps with heart burn and acid reflux. In this recipe, baking soda is used as a leavening agent. It helps the cookies rise and hold their shape!

Ingredients for Nourishing Traditions Oatmeal Cookies with measurements:

Now that you know the health benefits and job of each ingredient, you’ve got to know how much you’ll need! Here’s the measurements:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sprouted flour
• 1 1/2 cups sprouted oats
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp sprouted almond butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 eggs

Now that you have everything, let’s get baking!

What you’ll need:

Besides the ingredients, you will probably need a few other tools to make these delicious, flaky, little treats. Here are some kitchen tools you should have:

• An oven
• A baking tray
• Parchment paper
• A spatula
• A mixer or handheld mixer and a bowl
• Oven mitts
• A 1.5 tbsp cookie scooper (optional)
• A wire cooling rack
• Measuring cups and spoons

Pretty much everything besides the oven and baking sheet is optional. Worst case scenario use a normal bowl and your hands to mix everything, and a cloth to pull the sheet out of the oven. Don’t let anything stop you from making eating a cookies today!

The process

Okay. I think you are ready. You know what you are eating, why you are eating, what you need, what you don’t need. Now you must learn what to do:

1. Before we begin

I know I said we would start, but before we start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and set out your butter! The butter creams best at room temperature. If you decided to make cookies spur of the moment or wait until the last second, don’t worry. You can still have nice soft butter in no time.Just run hot water over a glass cup or bowl and then place it over the butter. This creates a nice little humid home for the butter to relax in while you gather the rest of your stuff.

2. Measure out your ingredients

Or as the French say “Mise en place”. This is the part when you make sure you have everything you need where you need it. Measure out all the ingredients and place the supplies within arms reach. This will prevent mid-bake panic so you don’t realize you are out of eggs halfway through the process.

3. Mix the wet ingredients and the sugar

Start by mixing the soft butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla until they are combined and creamy. Then, add the eggs and almond butter. Mix until well combined and yummy looking. Don’t eat it! There’s egg whites in there remember! Scrape the sides and mix again if needed!

4. Mix the dry ingredients

Add the remaining ingredients to a separate bowl and whisk until combined. If you are tempted to skip the whole “separate the wet and dry ingredients” thing, WAIT! There is a reason! Baking powder is activated by moisture, so once it touches the wet ingredients, it will start acting. We want to wait until the last possible moment to activate the baking powder! This will produce the best results in the oven.

5. Carefully combine the wet and dry mixes

After you have the two bowls of wet and dry ingredients, turn the mixer to low speed. Carefully add in the dry ingredients 1/4 cups at a time until combined. The complete dough should be slightly wet and creamy, but not like pancake batter. It should hold it’s shape.

6. Prepare for baking

Finally! The fun part! Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Then, using your cookie scoop (or spoon, or hands!) form 1.5 Tbsp balls of dough and place them evenly spaced on the tray. These cookies do like to spread a bit in the oven so don’t squish them to close to each other (unless one sheet pan sized cookie is your desire; in that case go for it!). After you’ve filled the sheet, place it in the oven for 10 minutes or until they are crispy on the edges and browning.

7. Let them cool

After the cookies are nice and done remove them from the oven. Let them cool on their tray for 10-20 minutes. They will still be soft and crumbly right out of the oven, but just wait a little and they will be soft and crispy-edged!

8. EAT THEM!

Well you can save them if you want. And you should definitely share them! If you want (and I highly recommend) dip them in a cool glass of raw milk! Or as an extra special treat, make an ice cream sundae with my “Raw Milk Smoothie” recipe!

Other questions you might have about Nourishing Traditions Oatmeal Cookies

Can I freeze the dough and bake them later?

Yep! You can make the dough and then save the balls of dough in the freezer for up to a month. When you are ready just thaw them and bake them as usual! They may taste a bit like your freezer.

What if I am allergic to almonds?

You can skip out on the almond butter if you are allergic! The cookies may not stick together as well and could have a different flavor. If you want, substitute the almond butter for sprouted sunflower seed butter.

Can I add raisins or walnuts?

Definitely! For that classic Oatmeal Cookie taste you could add 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon.

How long do Nourishing Traditions Oatmeal Cookies last?

These cookies will stay good for about 5 days in the fridge before they may start to go stale. But that depends on a few factors. You can make them up to 3 days ahead of an event if you want to serve fresh tasting cookies.

Shop this post:

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon here

Sprouted Oats here

My favorite sprouted almond butter here

Sprouted flour here

Real Salt here

Cookie Scooper here

For more Nourishment:

If you want to learn even more about eating, making, and enjoying nourishing food, check out my FREE eBook “5 Nutrient Dense Foods Anyone Can Cook With”!

You can get this book and it’s wonderful recipes here!