Oatmeal Cookies

With 5 variations to choose from, these really hit the spot. And they can be made into cookies, bars or breakfast squares. They're great just as an oatmeal cookie or with added goodies to liven them up. We've put together 5 variations that we like, but the possibilities are endless. Be creative and let us know what you come up with.

Oatmeal Cookies – 5 Ways

Plain:

• 2 tablespoons ground flax in 6 tablespoons filtered water (2 flax eggs)
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup oat flour (to make your own, put 1 cup rolled oats in high-speed blender and blend at highest speed for 10-15 seconds, until finely ground.)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup almonds, chopped
• 1 apple, grated or ¾ cup applesauce
• ½ cup date paste
• ¼ teaspoon liquid stevia
• 0 – ½ cup purified water
• Additional (optional) ingredients from selections below

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside to gel.

Add everything except the flax egg and water from list above: rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, almonds, applesauce (or apple), date paste, and stevia to a large bowl and mix.

Add flax eggs and the additional ingredients from the variations list below and mix well until everything is combined, adding water if necessary.

Drop onto a parchment covered cookie sheet for cookies or into an 8” x 8” baking pan for small squares or breakfast squares, and bake at 375º for 25-30 minutes, or until edges are brown and they're cooked through.

Apple Cinnamon

• ½ cup raisins
• 1 apple, very small dice (or dried apricots)
• 1 extra teaspoon cinnamon (so 2 total)

Blueberry or Raspberry

• 1 cup blueberries or raspberries, (fresh or frozen)
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 less dropper of stevia (so 2 total, rather than 3, which equals ¼ teaspoon)

Peach

• 1 cup peaches, small dice
• ½ cup raisins

Orange Cranberry

• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• additional ¼ cup applesauce (so 1 full cup total)

Sweet Potato and Carrot

• 1 cup sweet potato puree
• ½ cup grated carrots
• scant ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• scant ¼ teaspoon  cloves