Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies / Healthy Eating

Oatmeal cranberry cookies are soft , chewy delicious treats loaded with healthy goodness of oats and cranberries. With a simple and easy to follow recipe, these oatmeal cranberry cookies are egg-less, butter-less , vegan and gluten free and best part is that these do not have refined sugar either ! Now who would say no to these guilt free healthy treats ? Serve them with milk or have them plain to satisfy those sweet cravings . The recipe is diabetic friendly and perfect for fitness freaks and weight watchers.

My papa and dada (father-in -law) have a sweet tooth but unfortunately both are diabetic and so we take little extra efforts to make only healthy and guilt free desserts for them so they can also satisfy their sweet cravings without compromising on their health. What i have realised is that choosing right ingredients and modifying the recipe as per our needs is not that difficult. A few days of conscious efforts and then it becomes a habit. If your are following my blog, you must have noticed that i often opt for whole grains over refined and polished ones and almost all my bakes use whole wheat flour. I also replace refined sugar with cane sugar or jaggery as far as possible and butter with oil.

I made these cookies for my father- in-law and he loved it to the core. In this recipe oats are used which are among the healthiest grains on earth. They are gluten free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Oats aid in weight loss, they lower the blood sugar levels and are heart friendly. Cranberries are one of the healthiest berries and their dried version also is rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It is rich in dietary fiber and aids in improving immunity.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 10

Ingredients;

• 1 1/4 cup oats ( i have used quick cooking oats)
• 1/4 cup jaggery powder
• 1/4 cup applesauce ( grind the peeled and cored apple to get a lump free puree)
• 2-3 tablespoon dried cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Dry roast the quick cooking oats on low to medium flame for 2-3 minutes or until there is no more raw smell.

2. Allow it to cool down completely. Now transfer it to a grinder jar and powder it.

3. Chop the dried cranberries into small bits using a knife.

4. Now in a bowl add the applesauce and jaggery powder. Mix it well until jaggery dissolves in it.
Now add the vanilla essence and oil. Blend well. Our wet ingredients are ready.

5. In another bowl take the powdered oats. Add salt , baking powder and baking soda to it. Mix well.
Add this mix to the wet ingredients and blend well. Lastly add the chopped cranberries and gather it to a dough like consistency. Do not knead.

6. The mix will be sticky. Cover the bowl with a fresh wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. In the last 15 minutes of refrigeration, preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

 7. After refrigeration, the cookie dough will be easy to handle. Scoop out the dough using an ice-cream scoop and arrange the cookies on a greased or lined cooking tray about 1 1/2 inch apart and bake for about 15 -17 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

8. Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer the cookies to an air tight container and use as per need.

                                                    

  Recipe Notes:

• You can substitute dried cranberries with raisins or any dried fruit of your choice.
• To make applesauce , just peel and core apple and pulse it in a grinder jar to get a lump-free puree.
• Roasting oats is optional. But it helps to get rid of the raw taste of oats.
• Do not over bake the cookies as they may turn hard on doing so. 

 This recipe is featured in the #139th #FoodieMondayBlogHop with #healthydessert as the theme.

                                                   

 I hope you would love to try out this healthy guilt free treat for your loved ones. If you do so , feel free to share your feed back with us. Follow us on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter   and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more healthy cookie recipes, do check the following posts from my blog

• Healthy Gingerbread Cookies

                                  

• Beetroot Oats Cookies

                                 

• Strawberry Cookies

                                 

• Coconut Cookies using Stevia ( natural Sweetener)