These moist oatmeal-apple cookies are the perfect dessert to pack for lunch or enjoy as a snack. They taste sweet and comforting, plus have nutritional benefits from the oats and baked apple.
When it comes to packing lunches, I like to feel like I am including foods that fortify and energize my family, to help them get through the day. With 3 cups of whole grain rolled oats in this recipe, we can all benefit from the fiber, protein, and extra vitamins and minerals the oats add. The chopped baked apple adds flavor and even more nutrients. I like this recipe because it makes me feel like I am walking that fine line between healthy and indulgent. In fact, I am going to take a big container of these cookies to my kids’ cross country meet today as a post-race treat. They are nutritious enough to pass as healthy, yet delicious enough that kids actually really want to eat them!
It seems that fine lines are a bit of a theme for me this week. In my most recent yoga class, the instructor talked about finding that space between control and letting go. We have to have some measure of control in our lives, in order to keep the train on the tracks (for the most part!). But we also need to not grip too tightly. We need to surrender to larger forces, too, and be open to outcomes we cannot imagine. It is a tricky balance. Things come up continually to help teach us to find balance–car problems, scheduling dilemmas, decisions about budgets and resources, to name a few!
In light of all the challenges and teaching moments, I’m not sure how well I did with the whole balance thing this week, except for with these cookies! With these cookies, I feel like I found it. The recipe is adapted from the inner lid of my Quaker old fashioned rolled oats container, though I used chopped apples instead of raisins.
Maybe it is because of the autumnal equinox this week that I am thinking about lines and balance. We are poised in the middle, between summer and winter, between sunlight and darkness. It is a beautiful time. I hope you all have a very lovely weekend! Happy beginning of autumn! “You will never be alone, you hear so deep / a sound when autumn comes.” –from the poem “Assurance” by William Stafford
I am sharing this recipe over at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by two great bloggers, Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Johanne @ French Gardener Dishes.
Oatmeal-Apple Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 3 cups of raw oats
- 1 cup of apple, peeled and finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, vigorously stir together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar (you may use an electric mixer if you wish–I like to use a wooden spoon and get an arm workout). Add the eggs and vanilla and stir/beat again, thoroughly combining.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir/beat well. Then add the oats and chopped apple. Mix well until everything is combined. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in your 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for a minute on the cookie sheets, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store tightly covered to preserve freshness. Enjoy!
What a beautiful post! I hear you about balance and unexpected outcomes. I constantly have to work to let go and remain present and maintain my space. I think autumn is a good reminder of that. These cookies!!! So good. I love oatmeal. Great idea to bring them to the track! Lovely.
Thank you, Amanda! It’s always good to hear from you, and I know you can appreciate the effort it takes to try to find that balance. It is a constant practice! 🙂 Hope you are well and I am thinking your race is soon, so good luck with it!
Love that autumn quote! These oatmeal cookies look scrumptious and pretty healthy with the addition of apple to keep them moist.
Thank you, Johanne! I love the autumn quote too. It is such a poignant time of year, it helps to find quotes to express it. 🙂
I love a good oatmeal cookie – and I’ve had the raisin version but I just bet those apples are perfect in these – gorgeous photos, too. Balance, huh? Can’t think about it now, lol!!
Mollie
Thank you, Mollie! Balance has been eluding me the past few days too! But it is a worthy goal! 🙂
What a great idea! So seasonal & yummy too. 🙂
Thank you, Josette!