Oatmeal cookies are the perfect cookie for Autumn and Winter. They are hearty. They are delicious. And, when you use our recipe, they are moderately low-carb, high-protein, and full of beneficial ingredients; healthy oatmeal cookies.
While our recipe does use oats and is not fully Keto Zone, it comes in at only 8 grams of net carbohydrates. This may or may not fit into your diet if you are on Keto Zone. However, if you can fit them and want to include oats, they offer many health benefits.
Here’s how to make our Hearty Healthy Oatmeal Cookies. And, if you’re looking for Keto Zone options, stay tuned. We’ll provide a Keto Zone recipe make-over next week.
Hearty Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free)
- 1 cup oat flour or almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter (organic, grass-fed if possible)
- 1 cup erythritol
- 2 egg whites (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 scoops Hydrolyzed Collagen (use any flavor for extra protein)
- 1/2 cup 70%+ cocoa chips (optional)
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray them with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, collagen powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together oil, butter, sugar, eggs whites, and vanilla until fluffy and smooth.
- Slowly add in the oat mixture, stirring to combine. Add and lightly stir in cocoa chips.
- Using a spoon, drop a tablespoonful cookie dough on sheet, about 2 inches apart. Press down with a fork.
- Bake for ~10 minutes, or until golden brown. Don’t worry if cookies seem a bit soft, they will harden up. Don’t overbake.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Nutrition info per 1 cookie with coconut sugar and without cocoa chips: 125 calories, 4 grams fat, 9 gm carbs, 1 gram fiber (8 net grams carbs), 6 grams protein.
Health Benefits of Oats and Their Place in Keto Zone Eating
I’ll be honest: it’s tough to fit oats into Keto Zone eating.
First of all, technically, they are a grain. However, as an ancient, intact grain, they do have many redeeming qualities (read more below). And especially if they are gluten-free, they are not as inflammatory in the gut.
But, the toughest part of oats and Keto Zone is that they simply contain a lot of carbohydrates.
Just 1/4 cup of oats contains about 20 grams of net carbohydrates. When used in a recipe like the one above, each cookie contains just under 1.5 tablespoons of oats, or about 7-8 net grams of carbs. If you’re only eating 25-30 grams of net carbs in a day, this may be too much for you (1).
However, if you are going to include small amounts of oats, they are a superior grain and a wise choice. Since this site supports both overall healthy anti-inflammatory eating and Keto Zone eating, there’s room for many types of recipes.
As for this recipe: What do you get in that 1.5 tablespoons of oats per cookie? Turns out, quite a bit.
Grains and Oats: Whole vs. 100% Whole vs. Intact
First, let’s dive into the terminology.
Grains are often labeled as whole, 100% whole, or intact.
If a product is a whole grain, it’s anyone’s guess as to the percentage of whole grains vs. refined. Could be 10/90, could be 50/50.
If a product is 100% whole grain, 100% of the grains used were whole in the beginning. Then, they were ground or processed down. This is not to say they are harmful, it’s just that they will digest and affect the body differently than if they were intact at the time of consumption.
Intact grains are grains, usually ancient varieties, in which you can see the entire grain when you eat it. Oats are an intact grain. They haven’t been altered or ground in grain-form, you can see them.
Another example of an “intact grain” is quinoa (sometimes it’s considered a seed).
Health Benefits of Oats
Oats and our Healthy Oatmeal Cookies have a lot of good nutrition for our bodies. They contain:
- Beta-glucan: Beta-glucan is a unique and special fiber that reduces cholesterol levels, helps prevent heart disease, and significantly enhances the human immune system’s response to bacterial infection. In fact, Beta-glucan supports neutrophil health and aides in their navigation to infection sites (neutrophils are the most abundant type of non-specific immune cell). In addition, it has beneficial effects on diabetes and kidney disease (2).
- Unique Antioxidants: Oat antioxidants, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, and thereby reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and arterial plaques. What’s more, they are currently being studied as anti-cancer nutrients (3).
- Oat Bran Fibers: Oat bran fibers have been found to be beneficial to menopausal women, supporting metabolism, exhibiting anti-breast cancer benefits, and reducing cardiovascular disease risk (4).
- Lignans: Oat lignans feed our healthy bacteria and protect against heart disease. First, they support digestion, immune function, hormonal, and whole-body health by supporting probiotic health. Then, they also play a role in fighting cholesterol plaques via digestion and antioxidants.
Bottom Line
Should you include oats in your diet? If you tolerate them and can fit them into your carbohydrate goals, then yes, they are a very healthy food choice. If you want to stay in the Keto Zone and cannot fit them, this is okay as well and you should stay tuned for an upcoming “oatmeal-cookie-like” Keto recipe.
Oats are an intact grain that can benefit many parts of the body. If you include grains, oats are a great choice and offer incredible nutrition.
