Healthful and Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Most cooks try an oatmeal cookie recipe when they wish to eat healthy desserts, but they don't substitute the fat and sugar well enough which creates a dry cookie.  These are soft, healthy, and delicious oatmeal raisin cookies, seasoned to perfection.  Katie likes to grab one on her way out the door in the morning as a filling breakfast bar. 

3/4 cup applesauce
1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/3 cup skim milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (sweet but expensive spice.  I found it for $10 a jar.)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp grated orange zest (or peel)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins

MAKES TWENTY 3-INCH COOKIES

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg Fahrenheit.  Combine the applesauce, sugar, egg whites, milk, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.  Add the flour, baking soda, salt (if using) cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and orange zest and stir just to mix.  Stir in the oats and raisins.
2. Grease 3 cookie sheets with spray oil.  (This is unnecessary with nonstick pans.)  Spoon the batter onto the cookie sheets, 2 heaping tablespoons at a time, leaving 3 inches between cookies.  Gently flatten each cookie with a wet spatula.
3. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned on the bottom.  (Watch them closely: They burn faster than butter-based cookies.)  Let the cookies cool on a cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store any cookies you don't eat right on the spot in an airtight container.

Recipe taken from
Raichlen, S. (1995.) High-Flavor, Low Fat Vegetarian Cooking. New York:  Penguin Books.