Healthilicious: Oatmeal Cookies

I love my Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And when I have them sitting around I do eat them all. the. time.

Today, I was reminded that I cannot NOT eat them when they are in a jar on my counter... even if I try to hide them in the freezer, it doesn't stop me. And, since one batch makes 4 dozen cookies, I figured it wouldn't hurt to tweak a few things to make them a bit healthier.

Oatmeal cookies are, what I consider, one of the healthier cookies you can make anyway- oatmeal=healthy, so why not make them even better for you? {"cookie logic" might be an idea for another post}

By using less sugar, Egg Beaters and substituting applesauce+vegetable oil for butter, you'll never be able to tell that these are a healthier alternative to yummy oatmeal cookies!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. applesauce (I prefer cinnamon applesauce, but plain ol' unsweetened works great too)

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs or the equivalent using an egg substitute like Egg Beaters

1 T vanilla

3 c. quick oats (I like to do half quick oats, half regular oats. It makes for a chewier cookie)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the applesauce, oil, sugar, brown sugar, egg substitute and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, and baking soda and stir with a whisk until mixed thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time until combined. {If you feel so inclined, since you've made such healthy choices thus far, go ahead and add 1 c. chocolate chips and stir well :-)}

I use a medium scoop to place cookies on a stoneware pan {the stoneware keeps them from spreading too much, but they will spread some, so space them a bit apart}.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges are brown.

Because of the applesauce, the cookies might be a little sticky coming off the pan. I recommend using parchment paper or a stoneware pan for baking. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes to make it easier to remove them with a spatula.

For the same reason, let them cool completely on a wire rack to make sure they don't stick together in the cookie jar.

These also freeze really well after they have completely cooled.

But if they do stick together, eating two is really like eating just one. Right?