Cookies, to me, should be a time to indulge. I never really got excited about the trend of making them healthier – i.e. not using white sugar or chocolate. I mean let’s leave cookies be. Don’t eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner followed by two cookies and you’ll be ok.
But I recently had a change in heart. Inspired by a dear friend who must eat dessert after every single meal (including breakfast) I thought why not attempt to make a cookie a healthy way to start the day? But it has to taste good.
This recipe surprised me a bit. Some of the ingredients I was excited about – cinnamon, honey, and cranberries. Other’s I was a bit skeptical about – whole wheat flour and flax seeds…? I really didn’t know what to expect with this one. But as they were baking away I slowly changed my mind. They smelled GOOD. I actually found myself pacing back and forth by the oven during the last minute. I was hungry and I wanted to try one.
The result? These totally rock!!! Healthy and chewy there is a light sweetness about them that leads you to believe it’s a special treat but the ingredients ensure you that you’re making a smart decision. And you know that you ALWAYS make smart decisions.
- - 6 TBS butter, at room temperature
- - 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- - 2 1/2 tsp honey
- - 1 large egg
- - 1 tsp vanilla
- - 1 cup white flour
- - 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- - 3/4 cup old fashion oats
- - 1 tsp cinnamon
- - 1/2 tsp baking soda
- - 1/2 tsp baking powder
- - 1/4 tsp salt
- - 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- - 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- - 2 TBS flax seeds
- - 1/2 cup cranberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Beat together butter, sugar, and honey until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat on medium low speed until just blended.
- Gently fold in almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and cranberries.
- Using a 1.5 inch ice cream scoop drop mounds of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each cookie using the bottom of a glass and bake until lightly browned, about 10 – 12 minutes. Cool cookies completely. Makes roughly 15 cookies.
No dessert needed after these!
Courtney