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Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

We LOVE oatmeal cookies, especially these oatmeal cookies.

oatmeal cookies on a light blue plate

I know you do too, but have you ever made…

Oatmeal cookies with coconut palm sugar?

They’re hard to mess up and I always feel like I’m eating a healthier version of any other cookie I could stuff in my piehole.

Little Known OMT Fact: I’ve had them for breakfast in a pinch, because…OATMEAL!

These cookies are made exclusively with coconut palm sugar, but you can substitute part (or all) with the sugar of your choice.

There’s lots of jibber-jabber on the Internet about how baking with coconut sugar can make a healthier oatmeal cookie.

Let’s take a look at the facts.

Does coconut palm sugar have any benefit over white sugar?

While the Internet is FULL of differing information when using different kinds of sugar, let narrow it down to this:

Palm sugar vs cane sugar – is there a difference?

  1. One benefit of coconut sugar is that it has a lower glycemic index than white sugar. I figured if it has a better glycemic index, lower than white (or cane) sugar (there’s controversy whether that is true or not), then that’s a plus. But, it’s always good to keep in mind that a sugar is a sugar, yo.
  2. For diabetics or pre-diabetics, slowing the highs and lows of glucose absorption is a good thing. I’m always on the hunt for desserts that can taste good and have some health benefits (considering these are sweets and it’s all relative!), and these cookies fall in that category.
  3. Coconut palm sugar does have some nutrients and antioxidants, also a plus. It contains a fiber called Inulin, which may slow glucose absorption and prevents the highs and crashes sugar cause.
  4. Coconut sugar contains the fiber inulin (more below).

While this info is all good, is there a doc in the house who can speak to the benefits (if any) of this sugar?

Is palm sugar healthy?

Dr Weil’s take: “…coconut sugar is 70 to 79 percent sucrose and only three percent to nine percent each of fructose and glucose. This is an advantage, because you want to keep your consumption of fructose as low as possible, and cane sugar is 50 percent fructose.”

Sounds good.

But then, Overall, there isn’t much difference between white table sugar and other natural sugars including coconut, honey, maple syrup (my personal favorite), molasses and sorghum. To the body they are all sugar to be converted to glucose for metabolic fuel.”

What about #4: the fiber inulin?

What is inulin?

Medical News Today speaks to that:

Inulin is a specific fiber that may be beneficial to the body, helping improve gut health and slowing glucose absorption.

It is, however, important to note that the quantities of beneficial compounds may be small, and a person would have to eat a lot of coconut sugar to get a healthy dose of them.

Inulin’s plus is it’s a prebiotic (thus the gut improvement thoughts), but can have a few side-effects such as bloating and cramping (it’s also found in more than 36,000 species of plants!).

We have never had that issue with coconut sugar, and my guess is because it’s such a low amount per cookie.

Personally, I think coconut sugar’s benefits (small may they be), outweigh using white sugar.

To the recipe (printable version at bottom of post)!

Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

How to use palm sugar:

You can certainly use coconut palm sugar any place you use cane or white sugar.

Simple!

Palm sugar uses:

  • In any recipe calling for sugar.
  • Use in your coffee or southern sweet tea.
  • Use to make a simple syrup for pancakes or waffles.
  • To make candies.
  • In any savory dish that calls for a pinch of sugar.

Ia palm sugar a substitute for brown sugar?

Coconut palm sugar has a mild brown sugar-like taste and is pefectly fine to substituent for your brown sugar, with the caveat that it doesn’t have the moisture content of brown sugar.

What is a good coconut sugar substitute?

You see where this is going, right?

Palm sugar and white or cane sugar are interchangeable.

The biggest difference is you get a tiny nutritional pop with palm sugar.

To the recipe (a printable version is at the bottom of the page)!

If you love this recipe, I’d love for you to add a star to the recipe box. Thank you, in advance!

Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Sweet E, Boy and Garry tested and approved!

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut palm sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla         
  • 1 1/2 cup Craisins (optional)
  • 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled whole oats

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk together thoroughly flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  3. Beat butter, coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
  4. Combine flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended.
  5. Stir in Craisins (optional) and oats. (1)
  6. Drop by spoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (2)
  7. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. (3)
  8. Remove cookie sheet and let stand for a minute or two until cookies are slightly firm, before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.

Recipe Notes:

1) I have subbed with raisins and chocolate chips, but my favorite substitution is chopped dried apricots, which I’m generally not fond of, but in these cookies…WOW!

2) If you’ve never used parchment paper, DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Go get some and use it, my babies. It is wonderful.

Clean up consists of wadding up the paper and tossing!

The best part though, is that the cookies bake more uniformly when you use parchment paper.

Get some; bake like a boss!

3) Purists will tell you one sheet of cookies in the oven at a time.

BOOO! OMT! is a busy gal, and I bet you are too. I always throw caution to the wind and bake two giant sheets at a time.

This means that cookies may need to bake a bit longer than 9 minutes. Keep an eye on the first sheets you throw in and bake accordingly.

BONUS Recipe Note:

Of course you can use regular cinnamon and nutmeg, but these two particular ingredients, as written, are the secrets to these cookies being perfect…step outside your comfort zone and try it!

Happy Baking, Y’all!

coconut sugar oatmeal cookies on a blue plate

coconut sugar oatmeal cookies on a blue plate

Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes 9 seconds
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes 9 seconds

An oatmeal cookie made exclusively with organic coconut palm sugar. Delicious and nutritious. Kid-approved!

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut palm sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup Craisins (optional)
  • 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled whole oats

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk together thoroughly flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  3. Beat butter, coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
  4. Combine flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended.
  5. Stir in Craisins (optional) and oats. (1)
  6. Drop by spoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (2)
  7. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. (3)
  8. Remove cookie sheet and let stand for a minute or two until cookies
    are slightly firm, before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.

Notes

1) I have subbed with raisins and chocolate chips, but my favorite substitution is chopped dried apricots, which I'm generally not fond of, but in these cookies...WOW!

2) If you've never used parchment paper, DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Go get some and use it, my babies. It is wonderful.

Clean up consists of wadding up the paper and tossing!

The best part though, is that the cookies bake more uniformly when you use parchment paper.

Get some; bake like a boss!

3) Purists will tell you one sheet of cookies in the oven at a time.

BOOO! OMT! is a busy gal, and I bet you are too. I always throw caution to the wind and bake two giant sheets at a time.

This means that cookies may need to bake a bit longer than 9 minutes. Keep an eye on the first sheets you throw in and bake accordingly.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 278Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 167mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

~ Original Post: October 3, 2016 ~ Updated Post: January 24, 2023 ~

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The best part is they are eggless, so you can NOM the dough all ya want, guilt-free!

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Don’t wait any longer. Get to baking! Make one or all!

This recipe for Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies is a keeper!

 

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francie

Friday 19th of January 2024

Can the amount of coconut palm sugar be lowered? My guy is hypoglycemic and only uses coconut palm sugar, but still has to use smaller amounts. So question basically is this: Does the sugar only affect the taste .... or ... does it affect the way the cookie bakes and holds up? I don't want "runny" cookies. Suggestions"?

Patti Tucker

Tuesday 23rd of January 2024

I have read that you can cut the sugar amount in cookies by 25% without changing consistency. I would simply experiment from there.

The cookies will have a less sweet taste as well.

Good Luck!

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