{Healthy} Soft-Baked Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

With all these Christmas treats popping up on blog after blog, today I’m sharing a recipe that you can eat without worry. 

These delicious, soft-baked cookies are filled with oats, dark chocolate and cherries, and are amazing right out of the oven. 

These cookies use only 1 T of olive oil, and 1/2 C sugar – rely on 100% whole wheat flour and add in yummy antioxidants for big flavor.  You know, dark chocolate & cherry.  Hey – if someone tells me those two are healthy, you don’t have to tell me twice to eat them!

Soft-Baked Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies – From Joy Bauer: Slim & Scrumptious

• 1 1/2 C oats (quick or old fashioned)
• 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 C dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 C dried cherries
• 1/2 C applesauce (unsweetened)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 T vanilla

Directions

Begin by combining the 1 1/2 C oats (I did 3/4 C quick, 3/4 C old fashioned), 1/2 C whole wheat flour, 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (alternatively, you can use 1/2 C all purpose flour, or all white whole wheat flour), 1/2 C sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl.  Whisk together until dry ingredients are well blended. 

Meanwhile, toss the dried cherries in a pinch or two of flour. 

Doing so makes them easy to chop – helping to prevent the chewy, sticky inside goodness of the dried fruit from sticking to your knife. 

This kitchen tip comes from my mom!  She’s brilliant. 

Never again will I chop dried cherries (or any dried fruit) without flour.  Toss those nicely chopped dried cherries, along with the dark chocolate into the dry ingredients. 

In the bowl of your mixer, or in another large mixing bowl, combine the 1 T olive oil with 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce (we like Mott’s naturals), 1 T vanilla and 2 egg whites. 

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the applesauce egg white mixture and blend until well combined.  The dough will be thick and sticky. 

 

Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough by tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Our cookie scoop is the medium-sized scoop from Oxo – a great stocking stuffer! 

When a tray is full, bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes, until edges of cookies begin to brown. 

Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes.  Then, transfer to a wire cooling rack. 

Store in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days.  They kept well on the counter for about 2 days, but since they only have 1 T olive oil in them, I suggest making fresh what you’d like to eat right away, and freezing the remaining cookie dough.  An on-demand cookie at it’s finest. 

Linked to: Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday 2, Talent Show Tuesday, Ingredient Spotlight