If you’re going to indulge in a sweet midafternoon snack or a light dessert, you may be better off reaching for a treat that contains whole grains and fruit than a slice of rich chocolate cake or a high-fat doughnut. While it’s rare to find a truly healthy oatmeal raisin cookie, it is possible to find those that offer some positive nutritional value.
Ingredients
Most of what determines the final nutritional profile of any cookie is its ingredients. An oatmeal raisin cookie that is made with a lot of butter and refined white flour will naturally have more fat, calories and simple carbohydrates than a cookie that contains a smaller amount of fat and whole-wheat flour instead. Additions also make a difference. Whereas raisins add fiber and natural sweetness, they’re also quite calorie-dense, so putting more of them in batter will increase the calorie count per cookie. When possible, try to pick cookies with lots of oats in them, as ChooseMyPlate.gov reports that eating more whole grains can promote healthy weight management as well as reduce risks of diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.
Nutrition Information
The USDA reports that a single small oatmeal raisin cookie with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches contains about 65 calories, 1 g of protein, 2.5 g of fat and 10.25 g of carbohydrates, with about 5 mg of cholesterol. In comparison, a chocolate chip cookie of similar size has around 80 calories, 1 g of protein, 4.5 g of fat, 9 g of carbohydrates and 11 mg of cholesterol. Keep in mind that a larger cookie will be far richer. For example, the Starbucks coffee company notes that the oatmeal cookie it sells in stores has 370 calories, 5 g of protein, 14 g of fat, 56 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of fiber, 36 g of sugar and 65 mg of cholesterol. These values are similar to those you might find in a typical meal.
Alternatives
There are more efficient and healthier ways to get whole grains in your diet than eating an oatmeal raisin cookie, since most cookies contain hefty amounts of sugar and butter. If you’re looking for excellent nutritional value rather than indulgence, try a 1-cup bowl of cooked oatmeal, which contains 165 calories, 4 g of fiber, 3.5 g of fat and just 0.6 g of sugar. You could also try eating a small handful of raisins by themselves. A 1-oz. serving comes with 85 calories, 1 g of protein, 0.1 g of fat and 1 g of fiber.
Considerations
If you’re following a strict diet or watching your weight, it’s helpful to always check nutrition facts and ingredients labels on commercial oatmeal cookies before you buy them. When making cookies from scratch, you can calculate the calorie value per serving by using an online calorie counter or choosing a recipe that provides nutritional information. Even though cookies can be an indulgence, sticking to small servings and eating them only occasionally is not likely to throw any diet too far off track.
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