Lest you think I’ve been wallowing in self-pity, I decided to throw some recipes up too. Friday and Saturday night we’ve enjoyed some really good dinners, so as time allows, I’m going to throw the recipes up here.
First, last night’s dessert, Oatmeal Cranberry Classics. I got these from Weight Watchers Best Ever Desserts cookbook, which I believe they sold only in meetings, not in bookstores, and as is their way, took out of print within the year. What attracted me to these suckers (besides I’m a huge oatmeal cookie lover) is that I had all the ingredients in the house. I even had dried cranberries, which I didn’t use though, because no one but me and Mom like them. Instead, I subbed Cinnamon Chips which just give a little burst of flavor. If you want to stay within “protocol” you could have subbed dried cherries, blueberries or chopped dried apricots (and I imagine the ubiquitous raisin) but I wanted a little indulgence.
I used my smallest scooper (about 1T) and got 36 cookies (as opposed to the 30 they said) and the best part, each of these little suckers comes in at only 1 point (high fiber). Oh and I found Whole Wheat Pastry flour at Whole Foods but if you use that cinnamon chip link above, you can also get it from King Arthur Flour.
1C whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2t baking soda
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t salt
1/2C light brown sugar, packed
1/4C granulated sugar
2T unsalted butter, softened
2T canola oil
1 egg white
1.5t vanilla extract
1/4C unsweetened applesauce
1.5C quick-cooking (not instant) oats
1/2C dried cranberries
1) Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 – spray cookie sheets w/ nonstick spray (I didn’t do this but instead lined them with parchment paper).
2) Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl, set aside (I didn’t bother with a whisk, I just mixed it).
3) With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the sugars, butter, oil, egg white and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended, about 1 minute. Beat in the applesauce. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. Stir in the oats and cranberries.
4) Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets about 2.5inches apart, making a total of 30 cookies (like I said, I got 36). With the back of the spoon, spread the mounds to make 2-inch cookies (I didn’t bother with this step). Bake until the edges are lightly browned about 12 minutes. Cool on sheet for about two minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.