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. Read the full story

I’m doing some “spring cleaning” around here and deleting doubled drafts and whatnot. I found this which I made last February. Heavens, it’s May already. Time flies and next thing I’m 30. The end. It all goes down to that. Eek.

As anyone who eats with me on a regular basis can tell you — I am not a big fan of sandwiches. I don’t crave for it, I don’t fantasize about making them, and I just don’t care for them much unless I make them at home with only a few ingredients that I really like. I could not stand piling up all sorts of stuff in the sandwich — I want to taste the cheese, the meat, the bread, and the leaves. I liken it to eating everything in the fridge in one bite. It’s not palatable at all. I know I have weird tastes sometimes.

This is my kind of sandwich, which I assume would be considered boring and conservative in a sandwich lover’s world:

A slice of muenster cheese slightly melted over freshly toasted whole wheat bread.

Topped with fresh spinach leaves.

Then a slice of folded roast beef with some freshly crushed pepper.

It’s perfect for me.

How do you make your sandwiches?