Dried Fruit Is Key To Sweetening Oatmeal Cookies With Less Sugar

What could be more satisfying than the first bite of a chewy oatmeal cookie? Reminiscent of the warmth and love of a hug from grandma, oatmeal cookies are a delicious and classic sweet treat. This beloved snack can range anywhere from a plain and simple old fashioned style to a luxuriously decadent dessert. It truly depends on your personal preferences and what ingredients speak to you. If you're looking to limit additional sugar in your oatmeal cookies, there are many options to make them with ingredient swaps and add-ins that provide more nutritional value while still maintaining the desired level of sweetness. For example, select your favorite dried fruit and consider using that to add both sweetness and flavor to your next batch of oatmeal cookies.

Dried fruit in oatmeal cookies certainly isn't a revolutionary concept. Of course, the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe has dried grapes as the main addition, and with good reason. Oatmeal raisin cookies are a tried and true standard; however, there are plenty of other delicious dehydrated options ripe for the picking. While dried fruit tends to be higher in sugar than fresh equivalents, using it in your cookies means that you won't have to add as much white or brown sugar to get the same level of sweetness. Along with the vitamins in dried fruits, this strikes a healthy balance for a reduced-sugar cookie. Further, the variety of dried fruit choices available means that you can choose what works best for your dietary needs.

There are a number of delightful oatmeal cookie recipes made using dried fruits, including our pear oatmeal cookies. The best way to use dried fruit in your cookies is to let the natural sweetness speak for itself and include plenty of complementary spices, such as cinnamon. You can also use other fruit fillings, low-sugar jams, and sauces for a healthier overall cookie. For example, instead of using all butter, you can use half the called-for amount of butter and supplement this with applesauce to maintain the texture of your oatmeal cookies but reduce the amount of butterfat. Whereas many store-bought dried fruits will include additional sugar, you can dehydrate your favorite fruits at home to moderate the amount of sugar for your cookie ingredients.

Give your oatmeal cookies a tropical twist with a blend of dried pineapple, mango, and kiwi. For an apple pie-inspired treat, dehydrate apples and add pecans or walnuts into the mix with warming spices. Try adding dried figs, apricots, and dates to your oatmeal cookies for Mediterranean-inspired flavors. You can even amp up the balance of sweet and sour flavors with the addition of dried tart cherries or cranberries. Whatever dried fruit you love best will make an excellent addition to your oatmeal cookies.