No flour, eggs, or sugar: applesauce replaces fat and binder entirely, letting quick oats absorb moisture into a chewy cookie in minutes.
4 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies
These apple oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy and full of apple flavor. The cookies need just 4 ingredients and don't require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy or butter.
Prep
10
min
Cook
18
min
Serves
10
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This bare-bones biscuit owes its soul to 1940s American wartime rationing, when sugar shortages forced housewives in Ohio and Pennsylvania to lean on applesauce and oats as stretchers—decades later, health-obsessed Californians stripped it further, ditching butter and eggs entirely, turning a Depression-era survival snack into a four-ingredient, gluten-conscious darling of Instagram kitchens from Los Angeles to London.
Regional Twist
In Quebec's Eastern Townships, bakers swap the maple syrup for dark amber Grade B syrup tapped locally, intensifying the molasses-like depth, and stir in a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon applesauce for a distinctly Canadian, autumn-maple-forest character.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 10🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) maple syrup (15-30 ml)
- 2 tbsp (30ml) melted coconut oil
- 1 cup (87g) quick oats
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/2 cup (125g) unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
73
Protein
1g
Carbs
10g
Fat
3g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Add applesauce, maple syrup and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl. Make sure your applesauce and maple syrup are brought to room temperature before using, otherwise it will cause the coconut oil to solidify. Whisk until the ingredients are fully combined. Add in oats and stir with a spatula until the oats are fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
- 3
Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough and release onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 1.5 inches apart.
- 4
Use the back of a metal spoon or the palm of your hand to flatten dough until they are thick round disks, between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Smooth and round the edges of the disks so they are perfectly round.
- 5
Bake cookies for about 16-20 minutes or until the cookies look cooked and set and are no longer wet. Let cookies cool fully on the baking sheet before removing and eating. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bring applesauce and maple syrup to exactly 68-72°F (20-22°C) before mixing with coconut oil, as coconut oil solidifies below 76°F (24°C)—premature solidification creates grainy texture and prevents proper emulsification of the wet ingredients.ingredient68-72°F (20-22°C)
- ✓Flatten cookies to exactly 3/8 inch (9.5mm) thickness rather than the 1/4-1/2 inch range, as this ensures even moisture evaporation and prevents dry edges with a wet center—applesauce-based cookies need uniform thickness to achieve proper Maillard browning at 350°F.technique3/8 inch (9.5mm)
- ✓Begin checking cookies at 16 minutes by looking for a 2-3mm dry ring around the perimeter while the centers still appear slightly tacky—applesauce releases ~80% water during baking, so visual doneness matters more than time, as oven variance significantly affects evaporation rates.timing16 minutes start check
- ✓Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 8-10 minutes before transferring, as this allows residual heat to set the structure—removing immediately risks breakage because the applesauce base (high moisture content) hasn't fully gelatinized the oat starches yet.timing8-10 minutes on sheet
- ✓Use quick oats (not rolled or steel-cut) because their 50% larger surface area absorbs the applesauce's moisture more efficiently, creating better binding at a 1:0.87 oat-to-liquid ratio by weight—this prevents cookies from spreading or becoming dense.ingredient1:0.87 oat-to-liquid ratio
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
18
min
Serves
10
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
No flour, eggs, or sugar: applesauce replaces fat and binder entirely, letting quick oats absorb moisture into a chewy cookie in minutes.
4 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies
These apple oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy and full of apple flavor. The cookies need just 4 ingredients and don't require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy or butter.
The Story
This bare-bones biscuit owes its soul to 1940s American wartime rationing, when sugar shortages forced housewives in Ohio and Pennsylvania to lean on applesauce and oats as stretchers—decades later, health-obsessed Californians stripped it further, ditching butter and eggs entirely, turning a Depression-era survival snack into a four-ingredient, gluten-conscious darling of Instagram kitchens from Los Angeles to London.
Regional Twist
In Quebec's Eastern Townships, bakers swap the maple syrup for dark amber Grade B syrup tapped locally, intensifying the molasses-like depth, and stir in a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon applesauce for a distinctly Canadian, autumn-maple-forest character.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 10🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) maple syrup (15-30 ml)
- 2 tbsp (30ml) melted coconut oil
- 1 cup (87g) quick oats
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/2 cup (125g) unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
73
Protein
1g
Carbs
10g
Fat
3g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Add applesauce, maple syrup and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl. Make sure your applesauce and maple syrup are brought to room temperature before using, otherwise it will cause the coconut oil to solidify. Whisk until the ingredients are fully combined. Add in oats and stir with a spatula until the oats are fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
- 3
Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough and release onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 1.5 inches apart.
- 4
Use the back of a metal spoon or the palm of your hand to flatten dough until they are thick round disks, between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Smooth and round the edges of the disks so they are perfectly round.
- 5
Bake cookies for about 16-20 minutes or until the cookies look cooked and set and are no longer wet. Let cookies cool fully on the baking sheet before removing and eating. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Bring applesauce and maple syrup to exactly 68-72°F (20-22°C) before mixing with coconut oil, as coconut oil solidifies below 76°F (24°C)—premature solidification creates grainy texture and prevents proper emulsification of the wet ingredients.ingredient68-72°F (20-22°C)
- ✓Flatten cookies to exactly 3/8 inch (9.5mm) thickness rather than the 1/4-1/2 inch range, as this ensures even moisture evaporation and prevents dry edges with a wet center—applesauce-based cookies need uniform thickness to achieve proper Maillard browning at 350°F.technique3/8 inch (9.5mm)
- ✓Begin checking cookies at 16 minutes by looking for a 2-3mm dry ring around the perimeter while the centers still appear slightly tacky—applesauce releases ~80% water during baking, so visual doneness matters more than time, as oven variance significantly affects evaporation rates.timing16 minutes start check
- ✓Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 8-10 minutes before transferring, as this allows residual heat to set the structure—removing immediately risks breakage because the applesauce base (high moisture content) hasn't fully gelatinized the oat starches yet.timing8-10 minutes on sheet
- ✓Use quick oats (not rolled or steel-cut) because their 50% larger surface area absorbs the applesauce's moisture more efficiently, creating better binding at a 1:0.87 oat-to-liquid ratio by weight—this prevents cookies from spreading or becoming dense.ingredient1:0.87 oat-to-liquid ratio