Sinless Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

*I got this recipe off of Awesome Vegan Girl at her blog http://www.tatianacochran.com/ Don't let the word "vegan" scare you!  Just a couple of updates.  I made these last night. They were really good, but I was missing that butter flavor.  I added my additions in RED

Sinless Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (makes about 2 dozen)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat fluor
1 heaping cup brown sugar
2 tbsp oil and 1/4 cup applesauce* (I would use 2TBS of melted butter instead of the oil)
1 tbsp cinnamon
(I also grated some nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
2 heaping cups of oats
1 mashed very ripe banana
a couple spoonfuls of water (Big Tablespoons)
1 cup raisins (optional, but very recommended)

*You can use just 1/4 cup oil if you don’t have applesauce on hand, or if you like your cookies a bit more crispy (as opposed to chewy). If you use the oil, remember to add 3 tbsps of white sugar. If you use the applesauce, experiment with different types of applesauce (strawberry, cinnamon, etc).

First off, you need two medium sized mixing bowls.

First Bowl: Mix the oil/applesauce, sugar, water, vanilla, and banana. Make sure to mix well, use a mixer if you have to. Add in your raisins (or any other extra you may have).

Second Bowl: Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine the two bowls into one, but don’t mix too hard, do it as gently as possible. Lastly, add the oats. If it’s too dry, add water until it’s manageable. Scoop the yummy cookie dough by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. I like to use parchment paper/waxed paper so that I don’t have to worry about a dirty cookie sheet. (I did a bar cookie.  I sprayed a pan, then baked them for 20-25 min.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on how large your cookies are. The best way to know is to sneak a peek at the bottom of the cookie and see if it is slightly brown. If it is, take them out immediately, because cookies tend to keep cooking even after you take them out of the oven! Let them stand for 10 minutes.  They are so soft and yummy!