It's that time of year again, when the kids are preparing to return to school. So why not spoil them just a little with some great cookies? This is an ideal choice. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup dry oats 2 tablespoons olive oil or 1 tablespoon oil + 1 tablespoon nondairy milk 1/3-1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 egg replacer (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7678.0) 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup nuts or seeds, optional Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or a parchment paper. Sift the salt, cinnamon, and baking soda into the flour and oats in a bowl. Stir to blend together. In a mixing bowl, beat olive oil (and/or milk) together with the vegan sugar. Add in applesauce and egg replacer, and beat well. Add in the flour mixture and beat on medium until a semi-stiff dough forms. This dough will be slightly sticky. At this point, add the vanilla, raisins and nuts (if you are using) and mix well into the dough. This step will require a little more strength because the dough is pretty stiff due to the whole wheat flour. Try to incorporate the raisins into the dough. Drop by tablespoonful about 3 to a row. Flatten to about 3/4″. Just keep in mind that this dough will barely flatten out when it's baking, so what you see is what you get, but don't flatten it too thin. You will probably get about 15 to a standard 9×13″ cookie tray. Bake in the center of oven for about 10-12 minutes. When done, remove from cookie tray and cool on a rack. It is very good just out of the oven and still slightly warm! The finished cookie will look uncooked on the inside but that's because of the color of the whole wheat flour together with the applesauce, so don't be afraid to take a bite. BM
