Welcome to Cookiefest: Day 1 – Orange Oatmeal Cookies!

I’ll admit it; I’m on SparkPeople. It’s a great way to log my eating habits each day, and it keeps me accountable for remembering to go to the gym, too. But sometimes you also get nice little emails with recipes and tips, including the current spate of cookie recipes!

All the more reason to log back in and go back to the gym, right? After eating all those cookies?

Well, maybe not. The recipes on SparkPeople are designed to be healthier than the average, and this particular one includes citrus and oatmeal for a health boost, and also ramps down the fat content with applesauce (a great tip for boosting moistness without losing flavour, by the way).

I’m going to make a batch of these Orange Oatmeal Cookies (although I’ll probably use real butter instead of a spread; in small amounts, butter is just better) and pair it with a cup of Cosmo – the citrus will go nicely, while the cranberry will add a good complement to the sweetness of the cookies!

Orange Oatmeal Cookies
from SparkPeople

Ingredients

1/2 cup Smart Balance butter for baking, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg white
1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon orange juice

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Cream the butter using an electric mixer. Slowly add the sugars and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the egg white and applesauce, and mix just to combine.
4. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl. Add to the wet ingredients, along with the juice and zest.
5. Drop the dough one tablespoon at a time onto two cookie sheets lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
6. Bake 10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are just browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Serves 18 (2 cookies per serving).