Clean Eating: Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies

I love sweets. Cookies, cakes, pies, candies. You name it, I love it. But I have found over the years that eating sweets does not always agree with me. And certain sweets will trigger a reactive hypoglycemia spell where my heart races, I am shaky and confused, and end up in some sort of drugged like state on the couch or in bed. Gluten causes a whole other set of GI issues for me. Often these things will contribute to a flare up of my fibromyalgia, so I find it’s best if I just avoid them altogether.

So I am always happy to find healthy alternatives I can make at home that taste great too. One of my favorite cookies is the oatmeal cranberry walnut from Jason’s Deli. So when I found a healthy oatmeal raisin recipe I could adapt, I was excited to try it. (The original recipe is from Kathy Smith’s website.)

These cookies have all the good stuff:

* Oatmeal lowers blood sugar, is good for your gut, and has antioxidants.

* Chia seeds and Walnuts are also good for your gut and have heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

* Bananas, unsweetened applesauce, and dried cranberries provide the natural sweeteners.

* Protein powder provides some extra protein in your day.

Recipe

• 1 1/4 C. Rolled Oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free)
• 1/4 C. Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/4 C. Orgain Vanilla Bean protein powder ** (You can use your favorite brand of protein powder. This is my favorite organic pea protein powder, because I avoid soy and whey products.)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Chia seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Sea salt
• 1/2 C. Dried Cranberries (you could substitute raisins or dark chocolate/carob chunks here)
• 1/4-1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 C. Unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 C. Unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix first 6 dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl mix together banana, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

Use cookie scoop or spoon to scoop dough. Use hands to form into a small ball and then slightly flatten on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake 18-20 mins at 350 degrees until edges are slightly browned. (This made 2 dozen cookies for me, using about 1 Tbsp. of dough per cookie.)

Cool and enjoy!

additional reading:

Here are some old posts of mine on what I eat and don’t eat for my fibromyaglia. And you can search my blog for other “Clean Eating” recipes and my favorite Smoothie recipes.

• Sugar is the Root of All Evil
• What to Eat with Fibromyalgia
• Fight Fibro with Your Diet (most popular post)

Let me know if you tried these. What’s your favorite healthy dessert recipe?