Guilt-Free Cookies

As you may know, I like to live a healthy lifestyle which includes eating food that's not only tasty, but also good for me. The only problem is... I LOVE sweets! :/ Luckily, I have found a delicious cookie recipe that is not loaded with sugar and butter, yet it tastes great. Let me show you how you can make them too.
First, you'll need to cream together 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 2 tbsp soft unsalted butter and 2 tbsp canola oil. You can do this using a handheld mixer, a stand mixer or even by hand (good arm workout!). FYI, the canola oil substitutes some of the fat needed in the cookies. Plus, it's good for you!

Next, add 1/4 cup apple sauce (I recommend organic, unsweetened), 1 egg white and 1 tsp vanilla extract, and keep mixing until everything is fully incorporated. The brown sugar and the apple sauce substitute for the white sugar. Also, by leaving out the egg yolk, you're reducing the cholesterol and fat in the final product. The egg white can bind just as well without its "partner in crime." :)

Time for the dry ingredients: 2/3 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour), 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. I use pink Himalayan salt, but regular salt is fine too. I don't need to explain how using whole wheat flour is better than using all-purpose flour, right? :) Don't worry, the cookies won't taste gritty. Not after the ingredients yet to come. *suspense* Mix the dry ingredients together (I like to use a whisk) and add them to the wet ingredients. Mix only until combined.

Finally, the best part about these cookies. They're loaded with chocolate, dried fruit and nuts. I did say chocolate, yes. The secret is using the healthy kind of chocolate. I use organic 85% dark. That means I don't have to worry about added sugars AND I still get all the antioxidants that chocolate's packed with. I use 2 oz chopped chocolate. In terms of dried fruit (of which I use 1/2 cup in total), it's up to you. I used cranberries and raisins because I was out of dried apricots, but add whatever you want/like. I plan on using dates and dried bananas in the future, for instance. The same goes for nuts... use whatever floats your boat. I looooooooove almonds, so that's what I go for. Any kind of nut is fine, though. Just make sure to read the label when you buy anything. If you're buying peanuts, you don't want more than 2 ingredients on the label: peanuts and salt (if any). I get so frustrated when I try to buy canned mandarin oranges for salad, for instance, and the label lists 15 ingredients instead of just fruit and water. Anyway... excuse my rant. Bottom line is, load these cookies with anything you like as long as the ingredients are good for you.

Give it a quick mix so everything gets incorporated, and the batter is done. The oven should be preheated to 375 F by the way. 

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the cookies. If you only have a tablespoon, that will work just as well. Make sure to flatten them out a bit, though, because they won't spread much otherwise. Place them on a baking sheet that you've sprayed with nonstick baking spray, and bake for 10 minutes. Trust me, you won't believe these are guilt-free cookies when you taste them. :)

Ingredient list:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp soft unsalted butter

2 tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole wheat (pastry) flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots (or other dried fruit)

1/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts)

2 oz dark chocolate