Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

It is my pleasure to bring you this recipe for Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that are actually good for you, all while satisfying your sweet tooth. You're welcome!

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2013. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

With the words "whole wheat" in the title of these cookies, I may have scared some of you away.

For those of you with an open mind and that is trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, I'm glad you've stuck around.

These cookies are significantly lower in calories than their classic counterpart and come in at around 113 calories per cookie and about 4 grams of fat.

When you looking for a little something sweet and don't want to blow a whole lot of calories on a cookie, this may be the cookie you'll turn to.

These cookies have all the flavors you love about a traditional oatmeal raisin cookie, but none of the guilt.

WHOLE WHEAT OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES     

1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons chopped nuts (I used pistachios)

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
-In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
-Add in the applesauce, egg whites, vanilla, and coconut extracts and blend to combine.
-In a large bowl, whisk together the oatmeal, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
-Working in increments, add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture (⅓ at a time) and mix together until completely combined.
-Using a wooden spoon, stir in the raisins and the chopped nuts.
-Drop the dough by tablespoons onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2" apart.
-Using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly coated with cooking spray, lightly press the cookies down to form flattened discs.
-Bake for approximately 13-15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
-Cool completely on a wire rack.

I think the next time I make these I may add some mashed bananas and maybe a different kind of chopped nuts to the mixture just to play around a little and experiment with the flavors.

As long as the general "bones" of the recipe stay similar, I don't think too many calories will be added or subtracted either way.