Healthy Recipe Doctor

A more “healthful holiday cookie” sounds like a contradiction in terms, but you can bake up cookies that have fiber and phytochemicals and feature whole foods like oats, whole wheat flour, dried fruit and nuts. These cookies are festive and delicious and work well as a holiday food gift or for office parties or cookie exchanges.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chews

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (slightly rounded) ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon (slightly rounded) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup less fat margarine (with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon), whipped butter can be substituted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries (dried blueberries or raisins can be substituted)
1/2 cup pecan pieces (walnut pieces can be substituted)
2/3 cup flaked or shredded coconut (optional)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In medium bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. In large mixing bowl, combine light margarine and both sugars by beating with electric mixer about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and beat another minute.
3. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients just until blended then stir in dried cranberries, pecans and coconut and/or white chocolate chips if desired.
4. Using a cookie scoop, drop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet for each cookie (about 12 per cookie sheet). Bake for about 8 minutes or until just starting to brown on edges and still slightly soft in the center. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Yield: about 20 cookies

Nutritional Analysis per serving: 125 calories, 2 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 83 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 36 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .7 gram.

Now that I’ve shared my recipe, how about sharing one of yours? The 2010 WebMD Cookie Swap is on!  This week I’d like to see your recipes for healthful holiday cookies like my oatmeal cranberry chews — something that tastes great but also adds a little something to your healthy holiday eating. Submit your recipe today. And there’s a surprise for one lucky submitter this week!