Mission: Bye Bye Sugar / Target: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recently, a work friend of mine held a going-away party at the office. As I am always on the lookout for baking opportunities, I naturally offered to bake something for this special occasion. Since I was somewhat short on time and wanted to avoid potential baking fiascos, I decided to make my fail-proof vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. The cookies were a huge hit and I received multiple recipe requests; nonetheless, I was a little bit irritated with myself because I had not yet reworked the recipe to reduce its sugar content.

My fail-proof recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. That’s already a 2/3 cup less sugar than what the original recipe called for, but still a ton of nutrient-free sugar. I went into brainstorming mode and came up with the following recipe that calls for only a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. That’s a 75% reduction in sugar! You can’t see me, but I’m doing the happy dance :-). What makes this recipe even better is the fact that these cookies not only taste amazing, but are also rich in fiber (Go Spelt Flour!). I brought some of these cookies to the office today and my colleague told me that she actually liked these more than the ones I served at the going-away party. Result: huge grin on my face; I was practically beaming. Lowered sugar content – check! Achieved awesome flavor – check! Mission accomplished! 🙂

Instructions

Ingredients

Dry ingredients 

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins

Wet Ingredients 

• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 3-4 tablespoons canola oil

Baking Tip: If you prefer less-dense cookies, substitute 1/2 cup spelt flour for 1/2 cup rolled oats.

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, except the raisins.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all wet ingredients until well-combined.
4. Add wet mixture to the dry one and then mix all ingredients until they are just combined.
5. Fold in the raisins.
6. Roll the dough into balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Flatten them out a bit with your palm.
7. Sprinkle some salt over your cookies for an extra oomph.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Allow cookies to cool for roughly 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer your masterpieces to a cooling rack for another 10+ minutes.
10. Enjoy!

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