These cardamom oatmeal cookies are a fun and healthy snack, and take less than 30 minutes to come together! Cardamom and ginger give a nice hint of spice, while the pumpkin seeds add the all-important crunch. Perfect afternoon treat!
Who else loves cardamom?! I often feel that it is a little bit neglected in the spice rack, when it gives so much flavour and is a nice alternative to cinnamon. My cardamom apple fritters, cardamom apple crisp and cardamom overnight oats all make the most of this spice and are so tasty!
These cardamom cookies combine this spice with ginger for lots of flavour. They have the best crunch and are perfect as a healthy mid-afternoon snack. I think you will be making them on repeat!
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⭐ Why you'll love these cookies
- Perfect hint of spice: whether you are looking for a cookie for the holidays or special occasions, or just a mid-afternoon treat, these cookies have the best flavour.
- Easy to make: a very simple and quick recipe - ready in around 30 minutes!
- Gluten free cookie: these cookies are made without flour, and use oats instead. Using certified gluten free oats means they are suitable for that dietary requirement.
🍪 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
These easy cardamom oat cookies use mostly pantry staples. Some pointers on a few of the ingredients:
- Oats and oat flour - the main ingredient of these, as the name suggests. See below for how to make oat flour. You want rolled oats rather than very fine quick-cook oats.
- Pumpkin seeds - for crunch, as well as being a good source of healthy fats, magnesium and zinc (Healthline). The Terrasoul organic pumpkin seeds are good.
- Cardamom - the main flavour of these cookies, cardamom has a lovely spicy flavour that works perfectly with the oats and maple syrup.
- Ginger - a complement to the cardamom, and full of reputed health benefits such as for nausea and migraine. The Simply Organic ground ginger root is good.
- Almond butter - this gives flavour but also helps to bind the cookie 'dough' together. See below for alternatives!
- Maple syrup - because cookies need a good amount of sweetness don't they!
📖 Swaps and variations
Adjust the amount of spice to preference. Love a spicy cookie? Add a pinch more cardamom or ginger!
Swap almond butter for another nut or seed butter. If almond butter doesn't work for you then perhaps macadamia nut butter would be a good option.
🔪 Step by step instructions
A very simple recipe, these cookies come together in no time. Perfect when you need a sweet treat but don't want to wait!
Step 1
Make the flax egg by combining the milled flax and water and stirring well. Set aside to thicken.
Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl. Once the flax egg is ready, add to the bowl along with the maple syrup and almond butter. Stir very thoroughly so the mixture is all combined.
Step 2
Wet your hands and then use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out enough 'dough' for the cookie. Pat or roll into your cookie shape and place on the baking tray. Repeat for all the mixture.
Bake in the oven, allow to cool and then enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- I suggest using rolled oats rather than the very fine quick-cook oats that are more of a powder in consistency.
- Adjust the amount of spice to preference.
- Wet your hands before forming the cookies as it helps prevent the 'dough' from sticking to your hands.
- Keep a watch on the cookies in the last few minutes of cook time as they can turn and burn fast!
- Don't be tempted to pick them up before they have cooled as they may break apart. Leave to cool on a wire rack (move them carefully with a spatula) and they will harden into a cookie ready for your snack!
🥣 How to make oat flour
Oat flour is a great swap for regular plain flour for many cookie recipes. It keeps a recipe gluten-free (using suitable oats such as the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats), and scores as lower histamine for those with that dietary requirement.
However, don't think you need to buy expensive oat flour. Making your own is the easiest thing possible. Simply blend rolled oats (not fine oats) in a blender or Nutri-Bullet (which I use) and you will have oat flour to use in your recipes in the space of seconds.
🌰 Almond butter alternatives
Almonds are one of the 'debated' ingredients on a low histamine diet. Some of us are fine with them, others prefer to avoid or be nut-free altogether. The SIGHI list rates almonds as 1 on their list.
I haven't tried it myself, but if almond butter doesn't work for you then swapping it out for macadamia nut butter or pumpkin seed butter should work well as they have the same texture and consistency. Of course, using pumpkin seed butter will give you rather green cookies, but they will taste great so that's fine!
I like the Meridian pumpkin seed butter as it is organic and palm oil free.
🍽 More tasty cookie recipes
Find tasty ideas such as my coconut macadamia nut cookies and oatmeal chia cookies here on the blog! Some recent recipes to try out:
There are also some ginger breakfast cookies in my low histamine breakfast recipes ebook, and tiger nut cookies in my low histamine sweet treats ebook!
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram or Facebook to be the first to hear of new recipes! Please do leave a star rating if you have tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Cardamom Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- ¾ cup oats gf if required
- ⅛ cup oat flour
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon cardamom more for extra spice, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- pinch salt
For the flax 'egg'
- 1 tablespoon milled flaxseed
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the flax egg by combining the flax meal and water and stirring well. Set aside for ten minutes.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl. Once the flax egg is ready, add to the bowl along with the maple syrup and almond butter. Stir very thoroughly.
- Wet your hands and then use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out enough 'dough' for the cookie. Roll between your hands and then place on the baking tray. Pat down to form a cookie shape. Repeat to get 6 cookies.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Check after 8 minutes for any signs of burning. They will still be quite moist, so transfer (carefully!) to a wire baking rack to cool. Then enjoy!
Notes
- I haven't tried it myself, but if you do not tolerate almond butter, then macadamia nut butter should work well.
- Adjust spice to taste, and add a touch more if you prefer a stronger taste.
- Wet your hands before you form the cookies as it makes it far easier (and less sticking to your hands!).
- Use gluten free oats if you have that dietary requirement.
- almond butter, as almonds score 1.
- ginger, which scores 1. There is a note stating 'small amounts are well tolerated'.
- flax isn't mentioned on the SIGHI list.
- cardamom has a note (in French) stating that some varieties may not be tolerated.
Elana Barlas says
So easy and delicious! Reminds me of a shortbread cookie but better!
Claire says
So glad you like them Elana! Thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂