Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies that taste like zucchini bread. These cookies need just 4 ingredients and don’t contain any flour, eggs, refined sugar or butter. They are easy to make and store well.
I’m so excited that zucchini season is here. I love adding zucchini to baked goods because it helps make the baked goods so moist and soft.
Ingredients
- Zucchini
- Rolled Oats
- Cinnamon Applesauce
- Maple Syrup
Zucchini: The zucchini is finely shredded before being added to the cookie mixture. Do not drain or wring out any of the moisture from the zucchini. Need a substitute for zucchini? I also have made carrot cake oatmeal cookies.
Rolled oats: Because this cookie mixture has a lot of moisture, it is best to use rolled oats which are also known as old fashioned oats. We don’t recommend quick oats because they won’t be able to absorb the moisture as much.
Cinnamon applesauce: We used unsweetened cinnamon applesauce to add a little natural sweetness as well as some cinnamon spice to the cookies. If you can’t find unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, you can also use unsweetened applesauce and add a little ground cinnamon to the cookie mixture.
Maple syrup: The cookies are lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup. We prefer maple syrup over honey because we feel the honey flavor will overpower and change the flavor of the cookies.
How to Make Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
- The zucchini, applesauce and maple syrup are first all mixed together.
- The oats are then mixed in.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and release it onto your prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a metal spoon to flatten and shape the dough into thick round disks.
- Bake cookies for about 18 minutes or until done.
Cookie Texture
These cookies have a soft, moist and chewy texture. They don’t have the same texture as traditional oatmeal cookies. These are meant to be a healthier oatmeal cookie so they won’t be the same as an oatmeal cookie that contains flour, butter or a lot of sugar. Instead these cookies taste more like baked oatmeal but in cookie form.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Honey Oatmeal Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Tropical Oatmeal Cookies
4 Ingredient Zucchini Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (41 g) thinly shredded zucchini see note
- 1/2 cup (129 g) unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
- 2 tbsp (1 fl oz/30 ml) maple syrup
- 1 cup (89 g) rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add zucchini, applesauce and maple syrup to a large mixing bowl. Stir until the ingredients are evenly mixed. You do not need to drain the zucchini after shredding it. Add in oats and stir until they are evenly mixed in and coated. Taste, and if needed, you can add another 1 tbsp syrup if you desire sweeter cookies. If you want to add mix-ins like chopped nuts or chocolate chips, stir them in now.
- Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough and release onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 1.5 inches apart
- Use the back of a metal spoon to flatten dough and smooth the sides of each cookie until they are thick round disks (a little less than 1/2 inch thick). If your dough is too sticky, wet the spoon lightly with water and then shape the cookies. The cookies will not spread much during baking, so shape the cookies how you want the final outcome to be. See photo in post for reference.
- Bake cookies for about 20 minutes or until done. Let cookies cool before removing and eating. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer
Notes
- You want to make very thin shreds of the zucchini so that the zucchini melts into the cookie dough during the short bake time. I recommend using the smallest setting that will still produce zucchini shreds (and not grate or zest it). I used the second smallest set of holes on my box grater (the smallest one is for zesting). Once shredded, you do not need to drain or remove the moisture from the zucchini before measuring out 1/3 cup.
- If you enjoy walnuts or other add-ins for zucchini bread you can also add them into the cookies.You can add about 1/4 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips, if using.
- I used unsweetened cinnamon applesauce. You can also use regular unsweetened applesauce and add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
- These are meant to be healthier oatmeal cookies. They are only lightly sweetened and they don't have the same texture as traditional oatmeal cookies.
- When the cookies are done, they should be dry on top and they should peel off the cookie sheet easily. If they are getting stuck on the cookie sheet then they likely need a few more minutes in the oven.
- I used these rolled oats*.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
These cookies were the best healthy oat anything I have ever baked. I made a couple of changes because of what I had on hand and they were still delicious. I did use quick oats, unsweetened applesauce, a few shakes of cinnamon and 40g of Craisin 50% reduced sugar cranberries. I made 10 cookies instead of 12. Next time I am going to double the recipe!
Thanks Jamie! We’re so glad you loved making this recipe!
I’m so excited to try these! Have you tried freezing the cookies? Does it work well or no? I’m hoping to make a bunch to have some on hand for my daughter:)
Yes! You can store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer!
These are so delicious! And I LOVE the texture! I made my own applesauce and added it warm which softened the oats and made the cookies more chewy overall. I’m sharing them to my pages! Thanks for this!
Thank you Nikki! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!
I made a triple batch which gave me 27 cookies. As stated, the ingredients produced a soft chewy cookie. I added 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the batch to give it extra sweetness. I plan to freeze them so that I can have a healthy snack during my upcoming labor & delivery and postpartum recovery. Thank you for sharing.
That sounds great! We’re so glad you loved this recipe!
Amazing!!!!!
Thank you!! We’re so glad you loved this recipe!
Hi, is it possible to make these cookies without the syrup? Iwould like to make them with a sweetener
We have not tested this recipe with another sweetener! It may just change the flavor of the cookies.