I’m currently working on recipes that replace all the bad fats/sugars/white flour, etc. from my diet. For some reason, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning with a CRAVING for Old-Fashioned Raisin Oatmeal Cookies.
SO … I did some online searching, viewed a few recipes I thought sounded “somewhat healthy” and then decided upon a Sun-Maid cookie recipe I thought could be tweaked just a bit more. I changed the sweetener and improved on the fat source.
Here then, is my adapted and amended recipe.
ANGELA’S OATMEAL COOKIES:
I removed the brown sugar (which is basically white sugar with a bit of molasses in it) and replaced it with a combination of applesauce and Grade A Maple Syrup. Instead of Canola Oil, I used Coconut Oil. I thought they might taste bland or that maybe I would be dissatisfied with the texture, but I was so happy (and so was hubby) that they came out grrrrrrrrrreat. They are very very satisfying and have a wonderful mouthfeel. I can even have two of them with my morning coffee. YUMmo!
TIME-SAVING TIP #1 – I used a miniature ice cream scoop, available at Bed Bath and Beyond. It assures all your cookies are the same size and it’s so easy to use.”.
TIME-SAVING TIP #2 – Take out all your ingredients BEFORE you begin. My experience has shown that things go much quicker this way.
TIMER SAVER TIP #3 – Cover your cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat right after you take out your ingredients.
ENERGY SAVING TIP: I usually turn my oven on AFTER I’m done measuring and putting all the dry and wet ingredients into my bowl, and have finished the combining process.
This recipe makes 30 Perfect sized cookies.
Dry Ingredients:
*Oatmeal flour (from groats), 2 cups (which I make from oat ground organic groats)
Rolled oats .33 cup) I use Quackers
Baking Powder, 1 tsp
Cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp
Baking Soda, .50 tsp
Salt, .50 tsp
Wet Ingredients:
Applesauce, unsweetened, .75 cup
Maple Syrup, .25 cup (remove)
Kefir (no sugar), plain, low fat, .25 cup (8 fl oz)
Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp
Egg, fresh, 1 large (or Aquafaba)
Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp
Medjool Dates, 1 cup, chopped
Walnuts, 1 cup, chopped
*or substitute Whole Wheat Flour, 1 cup for 1 cup of the oatmeal flour
.
In a large bowl – COMBINE the wet ingredients: applesauce/unsweetened, maple syrup, yogurt, oil, egg (or aquafaba) and vanilla, dates, walnuts.
(I use Motts unsweetened applesauce)
.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients to make a blended dough.
Heat oven to 350.
While the oven is pre-heating do your dishes and clean up your counters. 🙂
DROP mixture using your miniature ice cream scoop (or by rounded tablespoon) 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes until very lightly browned. Do not over bake. Slide cookies from parchment paper (or Silpat) onto the countertop to cool.
NOTE: Depending on your oven you may have to bake them more or less. You’ll know when they reach a nice caramel-colored brown color that they are done.
TIPs:
1) Soak your dates first.
2) After I put the batter on the cookie sheet, I press the batter down with a fork to flatten them before they bake. You don’t have to do this, but I like my cookies flatter than mounded.
3) I buy my rolled oats from Costco (it’s a great value).
* Next Time I’m going to use 1/2 Quinoa flour and 1/2 whole wheat (experiment). I’ll let you know. Try them, I think you’ll like em.
p.s. Today is day #2 after I made the cookies. They were even sweeter after having sat all night long. I love this recipe.
Photo by splityarn on Trend Hype / CC BY-NC-SA
