Perfectly Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

I featured this recipe on the blog about a year and a half ago. Back when the blog was a mess and it was impossible to find anything. So, I re made these lovely cookies, changed a few things and felt they deserved a post of their own.

Perfectly Chewy Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Gold Medal Flour's "Whole Wheat Baking"
makes 3 dozen cookies

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening, softened
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup mix-ins, optional: can be dried fruit (raisins, cherries...) or chips (chocolate, butterscotch...) or a combination*

*I was really excited to play with the combinations. I made most of mine plain ole chocolate chip. But then, for some of the dough, I added some dried cherries (1/3 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dried cherries for a whole recipe). Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal cookies - ohhh yeah. I highly recommend this combination. :)

The original recipe does the all the mixing by hand. While I am not opposed to this labor, it didn't really work for my adjustments. I changed the fats to half butter and half shortening because of the different melting points (AB says this is what makes them perfect). I use Earth Balance as my non-hydrogenated shortening because it doesn't contain GMOs or trans fats (evil!). This is great health-wise, but it doesn't have that wonderfully buttery flavor that hydrogenated shortening does. There's an easy fix to that...but it requires beaters. :) 

Heat oven to 350F. Beat together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. (The amounts pictured are a half recipe...because I don't need 3 dozen scrumptious cookies lying around!) See? Pretty.

Add sugars and cream with the beaters until well mixed.

Add in eggs, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.

Stir in oats and flour and using a large wooden spoon. It is essential to not use the beaters anymore because they can beat up on those beauuutiful oats. The oats are our friends. Be gentle. 

Stir in mix-ins.

Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use a medium cookie scoop for even cookies!) on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove from cookie sheets.

Nutritional Information (for oatmeal cookie): 129 calories, 6.4g fat (2.9g sat), 15.7g carbs, 0.8g fiber, 2g protein

Nutritional Information (for chocolate chip cookie): 142 calories, 7.4g fat (3.4g sat), 17g carbs, 1g fiber, 2.2g protein

Nutritional Information (for raisin cookie): 138 calories, 6.4g fat (2.9g sat), 18g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g protein

Nutritional Information (for chocolate-cherry cookie): 142 calories, 6.7g fat (3.2g sat), 18g carbs, 1g fiber, 2.1g protein

I always forget how much I LOVE oatmeal cookies until I make oatmeal cookies. I can honestly say that I prefer an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to a regular chocolate chip cookie. GASP. I must be un-American. But oh well. They really are that good. And I think I was a genius up there for suggesting butterscotch chips. That sounds divine.

I'm trying really hard lately to curb my cravings for sweets. (Kinda hard while blogging about them, right?) I really need to get in gear if I want to lose those last 15 pounds. Before winter, it was only 10. Le sigh. No use in complaining now. Just gotta get my butt in gear. I ran Tuesday for the first time in a couple weeks. Two miles! I was ecstatic. I'm slowly getting back into it. ;) I am most impressed though, with how my body is handling it. I was sore yesterday but today, I'm fine! I always take that as a sign that my body is stronger than I think. I just gotta have more faith in what it can do! :)