Healthier Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies (101 calories)

Healthier Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies that’s made with whole wheat flour, oats, and a little butter. So good, you won’t even believe it.

I’m baaaaaaaack!!! 


First, I want to start off by thanking those of you who left the sweetest comments on my last post.  Every single comment put a smile on my face.  Additionally, I want to thank all the readers of Honey, What’s Cooking for your continuous support.

As you all know I stepped aside from blogging for a much needed break from my life. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind due to unexpected family circumstances, and I had to shift my priorities slightly because family comes first.
So yes, the past few weeks were spent hanging out with my family… sometimes chatting up a storm, other times sitting in complete silence, sometimes I’d make myself useful by baking a cake for the ones dearest to me, and other times doing absolutely nothing.  It truly amazes me how therapeutic hanging out with the ones you love can be, especially when life throws you curve balls when you least expect it.

Unfortunately, its during trying times like this which force me to sit back and reevaluate my life.  That is, am I on the right path?  Am I doing all the things I wanna do?  What is my purpose in life?  What’s missing?  I’ve stressed it many times before on my blog, and I’ll say it again, and that is to live life to the fullest doing things you love no matter how small or big they are.  We all have different notions of what makes us happy and often times people say to enjoy the little things in life, and while I completely agree, I also believe it is also important to enjoy the bigger things in life – if they make you happy.     
And I did just that once the dust sorta settled (and still continues to – FINGERS CROSSED), I decided to give myself a break from life and drift away from everything all too familiar.  It was a much needed trip which involved great company, amazing food, shopping on Oxford street, and of course, strolling the charming streets of London, a city I adore!  I needed to lose myself in a place that felt familiar, but wasn’t quite home.  I’ll save the rant for next week though. 
For now, enjoy these delicious, moist, chewy, and healthier Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies that I made.  Everyone loved them, and the best part is, they don’t taste reduced-fat whatsoever. 
And once again, thank you ALL for your continuous support during my blogging break.  Words cannot begin to express my gratitude towards all of you who follow Honey, What’s Cooking.  Truly appreciated! 


NUTRITION: Whole Wheat Pastry Flour adds Protein and Fiber to these cookies.  Oats help reduce cholesterol and are a good source of Protein and Fiber.  Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  Raisins are known to be an antioxidant rich fruit.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• This is an original recipe I worked on after a few failures.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 16 cookies)

• Calories: 101 cals
• Fat: 4.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
• Carbs: 15 g
• Protein: 1.6 g
• Fiber: 0.9 g

OATMEAL RAISIN WALNUT COOKIES (REDUCED FAT)
~ yields 16 cookies @ 375 degrees using a 9″ x 13″ baking tray

INGREDIENTS:

• Unsalted Butter – 3 tbsp
• White Sugar – 3 tbsp
• Brown Sugar – 3 tbsp
• Egg – 1/2 an egg  (or 2 tbsp)
• Vanilla Extract – 1/4 tsp
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1/3 cup
• Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
• Ground Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – 1/8 tsp
• Oats – 1 cup
• Raisins – 1/3 cup
• Walnuts – 1/4 cup (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cream the butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add the sugar and brown sugar.
4. Cream until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Cream until well incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients… flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
7. Mix, but do not overmix. 
8. Chop the walnuts and set the raisins aside.
9. Add the oats walnuts, and raisins.
10. Mix, but do not over mix.

11. Using a tablespoon measurement, add the cookie batter to the parchment paper.
12. Into the oven for 10 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.
13. This is what you have.  The cookies will bake up a little more once out of the oven.  
14. So chewy and delicious!


OVERALL RATING: 5 / 5
Amazing cookies.  Moist, chewy, and they don’t taste reduced-fat at all.  Totally worth giving these a try if you are health conscious.

TELL ME: What little or big things do you do for yourself to make YOU happy?