A great Oatmeal Cookie Recipe with no Butter – Crisp on the Outside, Chewy in the Center – Roasted Pecan Oil, Toasted Oats and Ground Pecans
By using alternative ingredients like nut oils, they can make a healthier version of their favorite treat. Additionally, cutting out butter can be a big step towards reducing one’s carbon footprint and combating climate change
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
Traditional Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies are a popular dessert in the United States, known for their soft and chewy texture and delicious flavor. These cookies have been enjoyed for generations, with a history that dates back to the early 1900s. Originally known as oat cakes, oatmeal cookies became popular during the Depression era, when families were looking for affordable and filling recipes. Oats were a common ingredient in many households, and these cookies quickly became a staple in American homes. Today, oatmeal cookies remain a beloved dessert, often made with added ingredients such as raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts. Whether enjoyed with a glass of milk or as a sweet treat on the go, oatmeal cookies continue to be a classic American dessert.
How to Make the Recipe with No Butter
There are several good reasons why someone might want to make cookies without butter. For health-conscious individuals, butter is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can be harmful to heart health. By using alternative ingredients like nut oils, they can make a healthier version of their favorite treat. Additionally, cutting out butter can be a big step towards reducing one’s carbon footprint and combating climate change, as the production of dairy products is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Lastly, for those who don’t eat butter for religious or ethical reasons, or have dairy allergies, butter is not an option, so finding alternative ingredients to make delicious cookies is necessary. Regardless of the reason, making cookies without butter is a great way to make a healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive dessert. Nut oil can be substituted for the butter in a recipe. Just use 3/4 the amount of oil as the butter. Also, mix all the wet ingredients together instead of creaming the butter and sugar. This actually makes the recipe easier and kid friendly.
Tips on Making these Oatmeal Cookies
We created the best oatmeal cookie recipe by collecting tips from lots of different recipes, and then using the best. I love reading recipes and picking up tips and ideas. With lots of recipes for oatmeal cookies available, there are lots of ideas for improving them. We also used the best ingredients. The details on the ingredients are in the section below.
- Toast the oatmeal to add flavor and then grind some to use as part of the flour to improve the taste and texture of the cookie.
- Soften the raisins before adding to the dough so they don’t dry out the cookies.
- Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan or use an air fryer. A few minutes in the air fryer on 300 degrees will toast them to the perfect amount of crunch. Using an air fryer instead of the stove or oven also saves on energy and lowers our carbon footprint.
- After refrigerating the dough overnight, half the batch can be frozen instead of baking them all. Portioning out the dough and then vacuum sealing them keeps them fresher. We often bake them right out of the freezer, one or two at a time. Individual cookies, or up to four at a time, can be baked in an air fryer. The air fryer doesn’t have to be preheated, and uses only a fraction of the energy of the oven. The secret to using the air fryer is to use a little bit lower temperature than the oven.
- Add ground nuts for moisture and texture as well as taste.
- Add two teaspoons of vanilla instead of just one to improve the flavor.
Making Oatmeal Cookie Mix
It’s not hard to make your own cookie mix, and you can use any of your favorite recipes. Just mix the dry ingredients together ahead of time. Then later add the butter, eggs and vanilla, and bake. The cookie mix makes a nice gift when you package it in a canister with a ribbon and label… and, of course, instructions.
Ingredients
Using the best ingredients creates the best cookies. I name the brands I use in the recipe, so there is no guessing. There is a detailed explanation for why I use each brand on the “quality brands” page.
- All-Purpose Flour – King Arthur Organic All-Purpose flour King Arthur responsibly sources the wheat for their flours, and it pays off in the taste and quality. They have a “never bleached” guarantee, which means their flours don’t have an off taste or unpredictable results that can be caused by bleaching. They also carefully calibrate the protein content, so the flour gives you the same results everytime.
- Sugar – Wholesome regenerative organic sugar produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Burning sugar cane fields contributes to air pollution, climate change, and is also a major cause of the destruction of the rain forest.
- Nut Oil or Sunflower Oil – La Tourangelle Organic Nut Oil or Regenerative Sunflower Oil is a great substitute for butter. The flavor works well in cookies, and the oil gives the cookies a fudgy center and crisp edges.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher tastes cleaner and measures differently.
- Sorghum Syrup – We make our own brown sugar substitute by adding Golden Barrel Sorghum Syrup. More convenient than brown sugar and not made from sugar cane. It creates a taste like brown sugar but more like caramel than the molasses in brown sugar.
- Vanilla – Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavoring The flavor or real vanilla and imitation is indistinguishable when high heat is used. Double the usual amount of vanilla called for to improve the flavor.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
This recipe focuses on sustainable ingredients—those grown and produced in ways that support soil health, efficient water use, and long-term agricultural resilience.
With a background in agriculture and hands-on experience in soil science and farming systems, I evaluate ingredients differently than most home cooks. In the ingredients section, I explain what makes each ingredient a better choice and how it contributes to both flavor and sustainability.
Method for making Cookies
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out our Master Cookie Recipe for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the dry ingredients by weight
- Measure the wet ingredients by weight
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together without overmixing.
- Chill the mixture
- Weigh out cookies
- Bake
This recipe uses our Master Cookie Recipe. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making cookies.
RECIPE
Equipment
- scale
- food processor
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 200 grams raisins optional
- 100 grams pecans
- 300 grams rolled oats – old fashioned
- 100 grams King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 160 grams La Tourangelle roasted pecan oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 250 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Sorghum syrup
- 2 large eggs one whole egg and one egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon Baker’s imitation vanilla flavoring
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in hot water (or bourbon for a more adult flavor) for 5 minutes to soften. Then drain and transfer the raisins to a paper towel.
- Toast the pecans in an air fryer on 300° F for 4-5 minutes, or in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until they just start to brown. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool. After they are cooled, grind half the nuts to a powder, but not so long that they become nut butter. Place the ground nuts in a medium sized bowl. Roughly chop the other half, leaving some whole to place on top of the cookies.
- Toast the oats in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until it just starts to brown. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool. After the oats cool, finely grind 50 grams to a fine powder. Add the ground oats to the ground nuts in the medium sized bowl.
- Put the medium sized bowl with the ground nuts and oatmeal on the scale, zero it and measure in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir together and set aside.
- Place a medium sized mixing bowl on the scale. Measure in the pecan oil, cinnamon, sugar, sorghum syrup, vanilla flavoring, egg and yolk, zeroing after each item. Stir to mix , wait 5 minutes, then stir again and wait another 5 minutes. Then stir in the flour mixture, stirring just until mixed. Then stir in the oats, nuts and raisins.
- Portion out the dough into balls 3 tablespoons in size. Using a 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop makes this easier and more accurate. Cover the balls with plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ (or bake in an air fryer at 300℉).
- Place the cookies on the baking sheets, leaving space between each. allow them to come to room temperature. Then, using a glass, flatten the cookies into thick disks. Place a whole pecan or two on the top of each cookie. (The balls can also be vacuum packed and frozen at this stage.)
- Bake 1 tray at a time. Bake until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and centers are still soft – about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute and then transfer them to a wire rack. Allow them to cool before serving.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
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Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen.