Free from nuts, eggs, dairy and refined sugar, these delicious and chewy raw cookies are the perfect healthy indulgence! Packed with dried fruits, seeds and coconut, these healthy cookies for kids are naturally sweetened with honey and fruit and have a lovely cinnamon flavour. They make an ideal healthy lunchbox snack, light breakfast or afternoon treat, suitable for both kids and adults.
Being a busy mum to four kids, I am always on the look-out for easy snacks that are healthy, can be made in bulk and can be stored in the freezer for convenience. Minimal steps and minimal fuss recipes are always a bonus too!
These deliciously chewy healthy cookies for kids happen to make a great healthy snack that ticks every one of those boxes! They take only minutes to prepare and are mixed in a food processor, which means minimal dishes, less mess and hardly any clean up! And they can be stored in the freezer, perfect as a grab-and-go school snack or light breakfast on those busy mornings.
Score some serious lunchbox points, these healthy raw cookies are sure to be met with a smile!
Recipe features
- Allergy friendly – this recipe is nut free, egg free, gluten free, oil free, low fat and no refined sugar. And for raw vegan cookies, simply swap the honey for brown rice/rice malt syrup.
- Quick and easy – you’ll need a food processor and around 5 minutes to prepare.
- Pantry friendly – made with pantry items like dried fruit, oats, seeds and spices.
What you’ll need
What’s great about these cookies is that they use just 10 simple ingredients;
- Coconut
- Oats. Use gluten free oats if required, or swap for more sunflower seeds.
- Dried fruit. This recipe uses medjool dates, apricots and sultanas. Regular pitted dates can be used instead, but need to be soaked in water for an hour first.
- Seeds. Sunflower seeds and pepitas.
- Honey. Or for vegan raw cookies, swap the honey for your preferred sweetener of choice. I recommend brown rice (rice malt) syrup or maple syrup for the sticky consistency.
- Cinnamon.
- Vanilla.
These ingredients combined are packed full of fiber, protein and antioxidants! Healthy cookies will take longer to digest than sugary cookies, leaving you feeling full for longer and sustaining energy levels.
Step by step instructions
This healthy cookie recipe is easy to make and there are minimal steps involved. To make these cookies hold together without eggs or flour, a food processor is used to break down the seeds and fruit. Doing this causes the ingredients to stick together when pressed into firm balls and then flattened into a cookie shape.
To make these cookies;
- Place the ingredients together in a food processor with a sharp blade attachment and run at high speed until the ingredients have mostly broken down into a fine crumb-like consistency.
- Remove large tablespoons of the mixture at a time and gently press the mixture into a ball shape, until it sticks together. Add a little more honey to the mixture if it’s a little dry.
- Place each ball on a lined baking tray and gently flatten with a fork.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Being nut free, these healthy cookies make a safe and healthy addition to kids’ lunchboxes. They can be made in batches and stored in fridge for a week or freezer for up to 3 months, perfect for busy school mornings. This recipe makes 12-14 cookies, but the ingredients can be easily multiplied to make larger batches.
Healthy cookie alternatives
If you love this recipe, give these other healthy cookie alternatives a try!
- Banana berry breakfast cookies
- Chocolate nut free bliss balls
- Apricot and chia bars
- Salted caramel bliss balls
- Apple pie bliss balls
And for more lunchbox inspiration and ideas, try these recipes here. Or, pop over to our Facebook group Healthy Lunchboxes Australia to get the best recipes, tips and ideas for healthy and realistic lunchboxes.
If you try this healthy raw cookies recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or send me a message. For more food inspiration, tips and to share your own recipes and creations, head over to my Facebook Recipe Group.
Healthy Cookies for Kids
Ingredients
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup oats use gluten free oats, if required
- 10 medjool dates
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ¼ cup sultanas
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp honey or brown rice syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 175 °C (347F). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend on high speed until all ingredients are mostly broken down, smooth and sticking together. This may take 1-2 minutes. Add a little more honey/brown rice syrup if the mixture is a little dry.
- Roll the mixture into 12-14 balls and use a fork or your hands to gently flatten the cookies on the tray.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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