Why Buy Them When You Can Bake Them!!!!
In today’s economy where health bars/cookies can be anywhere from 88 cents to over $3.00, it is so worth a little bit of time to save some. Even at 88 cents, your investment in the health bar/cookie is almost $20.00 per month if consumed daily. Also, being creative in the kitchen is so much fun, a fabulous stress relief, and you can involve your family and friends in the adventure. There is nothing better than a sample of a fresh cookie right from the oven and I think we can all agree on that. Another fabulous note, you are in control of what you are consuming and even understand what you are eating. No lengthy food labels where words that seem to not exist in Websters ever venture into self baked healthy goods. The fats and sugars have been greatly reduced in this recipe, as well as any empty calorie white product ingredients. Guilt free enjoyment awaits the first batch out of the oven, and the perfect power snack that you can carry with you on the go, giving no excuse to not fuel that body the healthy way.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp "Real" organic butter @ room temp (no margarine...fake chemicals)
- 2/3 cup vanilla fat free yogurt
- 1 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1 whole organic egg
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups ground old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 large handfuls dried cranberries
- 1 large handful flaked organic coconut
- 1 12 oz bag dark chocolate chips (feel free to use 1/2 bag)
Preparation
- Preset oven temperature to 300 degrees. Have ready a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If no paper, then spray the cookie sheet with PAM. I personally like easy clean up by tossing the paper when I am done.
- Dry Ingredients: Place oats in your blender, and grind until flour consistency and until you reach 2 1/2 cups and place in large mixing bowl. Add the 1 cup of vanilla protein powder, and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. Fork through to blend
- Wet Ingredients: Place soft butter in your mixer bowl, along with vanilla yogurt and cream together. Add the coconut sugar and continue to blend until creamy. Add the egg, and continue to mix thoroughly. Add the pure vanilla extract, and continue to cream together.
- Time to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: Slow the mixer down, and slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Now, add 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, mix; add the coconut and mix; add the dried cranberries and mix; and lastly add the chocolate chips and mix slowly. You should have a wonderful cookie dough ready for baking at this point.
- Baking the cookie: I use a large tablespoon to make large cookies. This recipe will create 20 large cookies or approx 80 small cookies if using a teaspoon. Scoop a large tablespoon of the dough onto your prepared cookies sheet and continue this process until the sheet is full. Place in your pre-heated oven and bake between 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overcook these, as they will be dry. There should be a slight give to the touch on top of the cookie in the oven and only very little browning. They will continue to cook on the sheet. Transfer cookies to a baking rack to cool.