If you subscribe to a plethora of food blogs and websites – as I do – you’ve probably lately seen many recipes for cookies featuring dried cranberries and white chocolate. The tart dried fruit is the perfect compliment to the sweet chocolate, and the color scheme is undoubtedly holiday-worthy.
What I’m offering you here is a healthier version of this popular cookie. This recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce to replace 1/2 of the fat, and a conservative amount of brown sugar to sweeten the cookies. After about 12 minutes in the oven, these cookies emerge soft on the inside with a crisp golden-brown rim.
If you’re looking for a lighter holiday treat to share with family and friends, (or to enjoy yourself), these cookies are a great pick!
Cranberry & White Chocolate Chip Oaties
adapted from Ellie Krieger’s Kitchen Sink Cookies
yields about 20 small cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375*F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, oil, and brown sugar. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add applesauce, egg white, and vanilla, and mix to combine. Add flour, rolled oats, salt, and cinnamon, and mix just until combined.
- With a rubber spatula, fold in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or piece of parchment paper. Using a mini ice cream scoop, spoon dough onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden-brown around the sides but soft in the center. Let cool on a cooling rack.
