Today on the way to the grocery store, I listed my shopping list out loud…Kristina had a couple of items she wanted me to pick up, too. “Cookies!” she yelled, determined to be heard. I explained to her we would make our own cookies, and with that we added oats, dried cranberries, and Earth Balance to our growing list.
While I can’t seem to escape the addition of a sweetener in the cookies, I could certainly make them with whole wheat, sneak in flax, some nuts, and a little fruit. These cookies are not overly sweet, and have a slightly drier, pleasant texture with a nutty finish. Think of them as breakfast in a cookie.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup softened Earth Balance
2/3 cup Florida Crystals sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
2 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ crushed hazelnuts
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
1) Cream together Earth Balance & sugar, add vanilla, then beat in eggs.
2) Mix flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, and salt evenly, then add in batches to egg mixture. Once wet & dry ingredients are well-mixed, incorporate coconut, hazelnuts, cranberries, and white chocolate chips.
3) Roll mixture into walnut sized balls and place about 1 ½ inches apart on baking sheet; bake 12-15 minutes, or until bottom of cookies are brown & your house smells like oatmeal and vanilla. Let cool on a wire rack before eating, unless you don’t mind burning the roof of your mouth.