Healthier Oatmeal Cookies

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Last March, in the midst of my Cinnamon Roll baking frenzy, I picked up a copy of Cook’s Illustrated Light Recipes when I saw the recipe for Guilt-Free Cinnamon Rolls [which I haven't tried, of course]. What I ended up making first from the magazine were the Healthier Oatmeal Cookies, and let me tell you — they wowed me. I can’t help but take a bite…then the next, and another one, and before I knew it I ate 2 cookies already. They’re sweet, chewy and somewhat lighter without sacrificing that great texture with each bite.

To be honest with you, when I was comparing its ingredients with that of my beloved Blueberry Pecan Oaties [I'll share that with you sometime in the future], I didn’t expect much considering that there are only 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of (brown) sugar for 24 cookies. According to the magazine, the brown sugar made them moist — “because of its unique properties, brown sugar holds on to water during the baking process”. If you want to get technical about it, it’s caused by the “invert sugar” (found in brown sugar, but not in white sugar), which is hygroscopic, or pulls water from wherever it can be found.

It contains a cup of old-fashioned rolled oats, which I just love eating for breakfast. I like having something to chew on instead of just gulp down. For cookies, it’s no different — it makes it heartier, and gives it better texture. Yum..munch, munch.

Instead of raisins, I used dried cranberries. Dan and I don’t like raisins, and would rather have dried cranberries or blueberries. I also added nutmeg to the recipe. It’s a must for every oatmeal cookie I make.

I have to tell you, this is the ONLY cookie recipe where the number of cookies I made matched what’s on the recipe. I thought that was pretty cool. [I'm easily amused.]

For those who are curious on how to make balls out of the dough, here’s a pic for you. I use a plastic tablespoon to measure it, then have a teaspoon to scoop and mold with it.

A 15″x20″ insulated cookie sheet would hold 20 cookies. And I really would suggest using one. Or a Silpat baking mat if you have it.

I baked the last 4 cookie dough balls on a regular cookie sheet with parchment paper and they did not spread as much, and it turned out browner. You can see the considerable difference below:

Hope you get to try them. They’re definitely a great alternative to your usual oatmeal cookie recipe.

Healthier Oatmeal Cookies
[adapted from Cook's Illustrated Spring 2008 Light Recipes]
» download the PDF recipe

Ingredients: [makes 24 cookies]

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed (7 oz) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk butter, egg, and vanilla together. Stir in brown sugar until smooth, smearing any remaining clumps of sugar against side of bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in oat mixture and raisins until thoroughly combined.
3. Working with 1 tablespoon dough at a time, roll dough into 1-inch balls. [If dough is too soft to roll, refrigerate until firm. You can also use the technique of using plastic measuring tablespoon and a teaspoon to shape the dough]. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. I highly recommend insulated cookie sheets and Silpat baking sheet to replace the parchment paper for better results.
4. Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light golden and centers are just set, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating baking sheet front to back halfway through baking (do not overbake). Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes, then serve warm, or transfer to wire rack and cool completely. [Cooled cookies can be transferred to an airtight containger for up to 4 days.]

Nutritional information per cookie — Calories: 90 Fat: 2.5g Saturated Fat: 1.5 g

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