These Oatmeal & Hemp Seed Cookie Bites are a delicious marriage of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and coconut macaroons. Best of all, they’re packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like oats, dark chocolate, and hemp seed.
Oatmeal & Hemp Seed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites
These Oatmeal & Hemp Seed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites are filled with all of my favorite things: dark chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, hemp seed, and oats. This is my ideal version of an oatmeal cookie. They don’t have the nasty raisins (I can’t stand dried fruit). What these cookies do have is the unbeatable combo of chocolate and nut butter.
What’s better is that these cookies are naturally sweetened with honey and contains no processed flours or “junk.” I even used stevia-sweetened chocolate chips!
I know you may be stuck on the hemp seed thing. Vegas was. It sounds scarily healthy. Or psychedelic. Let’s back up.
Raise your hand if you’ve heard of hemp. Now raise it if you’ve heard of it’s nutritional benefits.
Hemp is from the Cannabis sativa species. No, it’s not the same as what you smoked in high school. They’re different plants. There are a lot of varieties of hemp plants that are grown for food (or textiles), and they aren’t loaded with THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana).
You, your friends, your kids… you can all eat as much hemp as you want without getting high or failing a drug test (sorry to disappoint).
So why eat hemp seed? This relative of the popular drug contains all nine essential amino acids, as well as magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium. They’re also a vegan source of protein and two essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), which can help fight depression, promote cardiovascular health, and are anti-inflammatory agents.
Hemp seed also happens to be delicious in cookies. It’s not dry and crunchy like a sesame seed. These seeds are soft and possess a nutty flavor that is perfection in a cookie with nut butter.
I get my hempseed and my oats in the bulk bins at Whole Foods. It’s cheaper by the pound (hemp isn’t cheap!), plus they source both from my favorite client, Farmer Direct Co-op in Canada*. The more I learn about food and sustainability, the more I make an effort to support organic, non-GMO, fair trade products.
*Although some states have begun to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp in the last couple of years, the hemp seeds you can find at your grocery or health food store were likely grown in Canada or China. It would do us a lot of good, economically and sustainability speaking, to be able to widely farm it in the US! Check out Hemp History Week for more background and how to act!
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Another Vegas-approved recipe, even after getting the suspicious side-eye. I’m on a roll!
Have you tried hemp seeds?
What is your favorite cookie?
Patrick@looneyforfood.com says
These sound perfect. I have never used hemp but I will try it! I also don’t care for raisins and have never had a macaroon. But Dark chocolate, coconut and almond butter is a winning combo. I pronounce you the oatmeal cookie genius queen!
Laura says
You sounds lust like me – raisins are totally unnecessary! I hope you like the hemp!
Charles says
These cookies took over 25 minutes to “cook”, not 10, and the outsides started to burn so I had to take them out. Still didn’t cook all the way through. And they taste terrible. I don’t know what I did wrong but these were a waste of money for me. Frustrating.
Laura says
I’m sorry you had trouble with them. It sounds like maybe you made them too big? Mid cooked quickly, but they are “bites.”
Susie @ Suz says
And why are these JUST bites….?
Laura says
Because I like to eat them in 3s. 😉
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
you had me at oatmeal and chocolate a great combo!
Heather says
Yum! These look great, Laura! I love how hemp seeds add this lovely, nutty flavor and are so healthy too. Great recipe, now all I want are some chocolate chips! 😊
Laura says
Thank you!!! I have been incorporating more and more hemp lately. Such a healthy plant-based source for fats and protein!
Kate says
The bulk bin is definitely the way to go. I didn’t know they had hemp there! I wonder if Sprouts does too.
Laura says
I think they do… I don’t go as often. It’s a mile further and I walk everywhere. 🙂
Mary says
Can you believe I don’t use a lot of hemp seed? I know it’s crazy talk, but I don’t I need to add this superfood to my diet ASAP, and this is the perfect recipe to do just that. Dark chocolate is my favorite! I’ve defiantly heard of hemp 😉 I read an article in the New York Times about how amazing hemp is and how it could revolutions the fashion and food industry.
Laura says
I cannot believe it! I mean… you’re in California! 😉 Seriously though, it’s really good for you and SO delicious. I sprinkle it on top of all of my yogurt bowls too.
Cora says
Mmmm these are now my go to healthy chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Thank you. Always wanting more places to throw in hemp seeds.
Laura says
YAY! I’d love to hear how you like it if you try it. 🙂
Emily says
I LOVE those oatmeal chocolate cookies that are loaded with all the goods. 🙂
Jess @ Keeping It Real Food says
Yum! This combo sounds amazing. Love the idea of using hemp seeds here.
Laura says
Thanks! I have to remind myself to bake with them more often!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets says
The only thing that could make these better is if they really were edibles. 😉
Laura says
Maybe they are. Wouldn’t you like to know… 😉
Megan Olson says
You know I’m always done for some hemp and cookies well they don’t last two seconds in my house. Did I mention I’m the only one who lives here?
Laura says
No shame in that! There’s a reason they’re bites… I can eat them all in like 12 bites. 😉
GiGi Eats says
These past few days the topic of HEMPSEEDS came up and…… EVERYONE HATES them apparenty, LOL! It’s an easy way to ruin a recipe in their minds? In mine… Nope. It’s a great way to SPIKE SOME EXTRA HEALTH into recipes!
Laura says
EVERYONE is WRONG! I can see not liking kale or maca powder… but hemp seeds?! They’re like nuts. Doesn’t EVERYONE love nuts???
Heather says
What a delicious and healthy alternative to regular cookies! And I agree with your final note – hemp should definitely be cultivated in America too! Thanks for sharing.