Recipes | Cookies, Brownies & Bars

Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

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These Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookies are quick and easy to make and combine brown sugar, butter, fiber-rich oats, coconut, dried papaya, lime zest, orange juice and optional dried pineapple (more on that later). They are sweet, fruity, chewy, easy to make, and a nice addition to your low FODMAP cookie repertoire.

Aqua plate holding a pile of oatmeal cookies dotted with dried papaya; dark surface, glass of water on the side

Let’s Talk About Pineapple & FODMAPs

Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested fresh pineapple. Monash sets the low FODMAP serving at 1 cup chopped (140 g). FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 cup (150 g). Monash has also lab tested dried pineapple but no low FODMAP amount was reported. Dried pineapple is Moderate for FODMAPs at 25 g. The FODMAP is fructans.

vertical image of oatmeal cookies on square green plate on top of orange napkin

Are You Friendly With Fructans?

What this means is that no one knows if there is a low FODMAP serving size of dried pineapple. There might be, or there might not be. Since we know that the FODMAP is fructans, if they are an issue for you, then leave the dried pineapple out. It adds a nice layer of flavor, but the papaya, coconut and lime zest add loads to this cookie and make it a standout regardless.

We have called this cookie appropriate for Elimination (with our green kiwi icon) assuming you are NOT USING the dried pineapple. Always eat to your tolerances.

vertical image of oatmeal cookies held in manicured hand over aqua plate

Coconut & FODMAPs

We bet you want to know all about coconut and we have addressed it in all its guises in our article, Is Coconut Low FODMAP?

oatmeal cookie with chunks of dried papaya held in hand

The answer depends on whether you are looking at canned coconut milk, lite canned coconut milk, coconut water or coconut flour. Coconut sugar, sweetened dried coconut, unsweetened dried coconut – we have info on ALL of these coconut products (and more) in that article.

oatmeal cookie, bite taken out, held in hand

Buy Unsweetened Dried Coconut

What I want to call your attention to now, for this Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookie recipe is unsweetened dried coconut, also referred to as desiccated coconut. It is unsweetened (which should be obvious) and it has a very fine texture – much more so than other types of dried coconut. These two aspects together mean that other types of dried coconut do not make good substitutions for flavor or textural reasons.

As always, please use what is called for in the recipe, which in this case is the fine-textured unsweetened dried coconut (desiccated coconut).

vertical image of pile of oatmeal cookies on an aqua plate

How To Make Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Place oats in a mixing bowl, sprinkle orange juice over and set aside.

adding orange juice to oats in a clear bowl

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt to aerate and combine; set aside.

dry ingredients combined in a clear bowl for oatmeal cookies

Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave or melt in a saucepan. Whisk in both sugars, lime zest, vanilla and cinnamon until the combined.

Whisking melted butter together with sugars in a pot

I like using a Microplane zester for creating the lime zest. (The pic was taken late in the game, because I wanted to show you the zester. Follow the recipe and whisk it into the butter/sugar mixture prior to eggs or the the oats and flour).

using a Microplane zester to make lime zest, showing fine texture of zest

Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until everything is well mixed.

Add the flour mixture, the oats, diced papaya, diced pineapple if using, and the coconut…

folding oats, flour and coconut along with dried fruit into cookie batter

…mixing until well combined. The batter will look like this:

finished oatmeal cookie batter in bowl, ready to bake

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (You can refrigerate overnight if you like and this is my preference).

Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls – I like to use our #2040 Zeroll scoop – and space them evenly apart on the prepared pans.

balls of oatmeal cookie dough on parchment paper lined pan, showing spacing

Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are golden brown, but centers are still a bit soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool pans and cookies on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

oatmeal cookie, baked, on parchment paper lined pan showing doneness

Cookies are tantalizing slightly warm and once cooled can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

My bull terrier,. Rose, “helps” me do all the cooking. She wants you to see this awesome plate of cookies that she helped make.

Rose the bull terrier sitting behind a plate of oatmeal cookies on an aqua plate

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Aqua plate holding a pile of oatmeal cookies dotted with dried papaya; dark surface, glass of water on the side
5 from 2 votes

Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

These Low FODMAP Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Cookies are quick and easy to make and combine brown sugar, butter, fiber-rich oats, coconut, dried papaya, lime zest, orange juice and optional dried pineapple (more on that later). They are sweet, fruity, chewy, easy to make, and a nice addition to your low FODMAP cookie repertoire.

Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: makes 18 cookies; 18 servings; 1 cookie per serving

Makes: 18 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

Preparation:

  1. Place oats in a mixing bowl, sprinkle orange juice over and set aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt to aerate and combine; set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave or melt in a saucepan.
  4. Whisk in both sugars, lime zest, vanilla and cinnamon until the combined, then whisk in the egg and egg yolk until everything is well mixed.
  5. Add the flour mixture, the oats, diced papaya, diced pineapple if using, and the coconut mixing until well combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (You can refrigerate overnight if you like and this is my preference).
  6. Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls – I like to use our #2040 Zeroll scoop – and space them evenly apart on the prepared pans.
  7. Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are golden brown, but centers are still a bit soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool pans and cookies on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
  8. Cookies are tantalizing slightly warm and once cooled can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes:

Tips

FODMAP Information

Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.

Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.

Dried Coconut: Dried coconut has been lab tested by both FODMAP Friendly and Monash University. Monash states has established that the low FODMAP amount is ½ cup (30 g).

Papaya: Monash University has lab tested ripe papaya and it contains no FODMAPs. Dried papaya (paw paw) is low FODMAP in 5 g servings.

Pineapple: Monash and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested pineapple. Monash lab tests deem 1 cup fresh, chopped pineapple at 140 g to be Green Light low FODMAP. FODMAP Friendly give it a “Pass” at 1 cup (150 g). Monash has also tested dried pineapple and they have not determined a low FODMAP amount. It is Moderate at 25 g for fructans.

Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.

Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.

Course: Dessert, Snack, Treat
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.