Heart Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies



I'm always looking for ways to give my kids snacks which are yummy, easy to pack and good for them. Recently, it's been fresh fruit, drinking yogurt and cheese sticks after school, but they do get special treats once in a while! And who doesn't like a chewy, chocolate chip cookie?

It's so much easier to stop by the store and buy a box of packaged cookies on the run (I've done that many times in a crunch), but when you stop to read the ingredients on a box of store-bought cookies, you'll think twice about filling their little bodies with all that high fructose corn syrup, chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavorings.

So when I can make the time, I prefer to prepare them homemade goodies. We love oatmeal in our household and it's a good way punch up the fiber count in your diet. Here, I've adapted a oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding some heart-healthy walnuts and dried cranberries -- they were a big hit with the kids and my husband too. Chewy, crunchy, nutty, and just sweet enough.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Raisins, Dried Cranberries and Walnuts


Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (in France it's vergoise)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups organic flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups of oatmeal (in France it's called flacons d'avoine)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (abut 175 degress Celsius). Beat together the butter and both sugars until fluffy (3 to 5 minutes). Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. 

2) In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix into the butter/sugar. 

3) Stir in oats, raisins and dried cranberries with a large wooden spoon. Fold in chocolate chips.

4) Drop batter by rounded tablespoons about 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on ungreased non-stick cookie sheets. (If you press the batter down with your fingers you can allow about 1 inch between each cookie, as they will not spread as much).

5) Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top.

6) Let cookies set for about 1 minute on cookie sheet before carefully transferring with a spatula to a wire rack for cooling.

(Recipe makes about 3-4 dozen, depending on the size of your cookies, and they store well in an airtight container for a few days -- if they last that long!!)

Enjoy!




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