Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Loaded Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies



Here's a confession:  No matter how healthy I eat during the day, I always want a bit of something sweet at night.  This cookie recipe came about one evening when there wasn't anything in the kitchen that was going to meet my little craving.  Roy loves oatmeal raisin cookies, but I wanted something that at least gave a nod to being halfway nutritious.  So I substituted whole wheat flour for white and threw in other accouterments besides regular raisins to jazz it up.  I knew I had a winner when I took some down to Allison and her college roommates, and she asked for me to make them again.  She graduates this weekend, so I made some for the celebration.  They freeze well and are in the freezer now - hopefully they will remain undiscovered until Saturday! 





Ingredients For About Three Dozen Cookies:



The Good Stuff

1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1/4 cup pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots


The Dry Stuff


3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


The Sweet Stuff

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs


Directions:



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Using an electric mixer combine the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter together until "creamed" (it will look spreadable).



Add the eggs and the vanilla and blend well.



Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.  The electric mixer could be used to combine this as well.



Using a wooden spoon or something similar, add in the oatmeal, almonds, raisins, pepitas, cranberries, and apricots and mix until everything is combined together.



Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto it.




Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies start to get brown on top.  The cookies will feel very soft when they are first removed from the oven, but they setup as they cool. Let them sit for at least a minute on the cookie sheet before they are transferred to a cooling rack or platter. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy!


4 comments:

  1. I love all the add-ins! Great way to spice up your run of the mill cookie!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Becky - The add-ins make me feel a bit less guilty - ahaha!

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