Low Fat and So Good Even Your Kids Will Love 'Em Oatmeal Cookies

My kids wanted to make cookies today in the Easy Bake Oven, so I went online to the "Cook Yourself Thin" website for a recipe. I adapted the following Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (I skipped the raisins and rum and saved at least 10 calories per cookie) and let the kids have at it. They only had the patience to cook two cookies in the easy bake oven (each cookie takes as long as a whole sheet in the oven) but we finished the rest in the traditional way. The result: Two high fives in taste, flavor and texture!! And I ate two because they are only 110 calories a piece with 1/3 of the fat of regular oatmeal cookies.

Makes about 40 (2 1/2-inch) cookies
Calories per cookie: 110

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup natural unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons pure almond extract (or vanilla as originally called for, but we love the fortune-cookie flavor almond extract adds)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups oats (not instant) I used quick oats.

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.


2. Using a handheld or standing mixer, beat the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Beat in the egg and egg white, milk and amond or vanilla extract.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, add to the batter, and beat just until the flour is absorbed. Gently fold in the oats with a rubber scraper.

4. Use 2 spoons to scoop out the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are set but still soft in the centers and beginning to brown on the edges, 17 to 20 minutes.

5. Take out and leave on pan 1 minute to let set. The scrape off right away and let cool on a wire rack so they don't end up sticking to the pan.

Click on the book title to see the Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes (Voice) video or books Cook Yourself Thin Faster: Have Your Cake and Eat It Too with Over 75 New Recipes You Can Make in a Flash!; " Cook Yourself Thin " : The Delicious Way to Drop a Dress Size; Cook Yourself Thin Quick and Easy: Shift the Bulge and Still Indulge with Over 100 New Recipes
at Amazon.com or check them out at your library. The show recipes since December 2009 are online, but it's also nice, I think, to have a book you can thumb through on hand. Eat happy and healthy!

Resources: http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes/chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies