They are, indeed, the thing. They’re moist and chewy and apple-y and chunky.
Lilly loves them. And I’m okay with her loving them because I made them with whole wheat flour and replaced almost half of the butter with applesauce. So she’s getting whole grains and two kinds of fruit in every bite. We took them to the park yesterday and they were a hit with the toddler crowd and the mom crowd too.
I think they’d be even more interesting with some walnuts or pecans thrown in. We skipped that step this time because we have some nut-allergic friends, but we might give it a whirl next time around.
Anybody else experimenting with Fall flavors right now? Or have sneaky suggestions for adding extra nutrition to cookies or other treats?
Chewy Cherry Apple Oat Cookies
Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on size
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup dried cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl cream together butter, applesauce and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Scrape butter mixture from sides of bowl then add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients into butter mixture and mix well. Add oats, apples and cherries and mix well.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and wait 1 minute before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool.
