Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been desperate for cookies lately.  Since August I have avoided making cookies, with my commitment to eating clean.  Most cookies I've made before use a hefty amount of butter, and I'm trying to avoid that.  I knew the July/August 2009 issue of Clean Eating Magazine had oatmeal cookies, but I never got that one and my subscription began with the following issue.  Luckily, The Happy Texan posted it (and her ice cream sandwiches look great!).  I happened to be making oatmeal cookies for my husband at the same time, and Baking Illustrated suggested using ground nutmeg in this type of cookie instead of cinnamon, since it can be over-powering.  I decided to use that suggestion in these cookies as well. 


I was so excited to make these because they looked so good, and they definitely did not disappoint!  They are soft, chewy, and sweet, with a high oat to flour ratio.  Much better than I expected!  I grabbed one before they cooled completely, and the large chunks of bittersweet chocolate were still warm and gooey.  I think the icing on the cake for me is that each cookie is under 100 calories, and packs 2 grams fiber and 2 grams of protein! 

Now, it's November, and I'm obsessed with cranberries, so I added some to half the batch.  I've been getting accustomed to the natural sweetness of foods and I was surprised at how sweet these cookies were, so adding the cranberry helped to take the sweetness down a notch.  


Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies
Source: Slightly adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, July/August 2009, as seen on The Happy Texan Cooks
Yield: 16 cookies

• 1 1/4 cup quick-cook old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp ground flaxseed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp. unsalted almond butter or natural peanut butter
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped cranberries (optional)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flaxseed meal, nutmeg, baking powder and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together agave, egg white, almond/peanut butter and vanilla. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients all at once and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Scoop 2 teaspoons of batter per cookie onto prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced.  Using the back of a slightly dampened spoon, flatten each mound into 2.5 inch circles (if desired). Bake 9-10 minutes, until golden. Cool on sheets for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, cookies will keep fresh for 2-3 days.

Nutritional Information 
Per cookie, using bittersweet chocolate chips and without cranberries

Calories: 94
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Sat. Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 52.6 mg
Carbohydrates: 17.3 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 9.2 g
Protein: 1.9 g