My nieces live across the street from me and stop by often, which I love! They are 9 and 7 and full of energy and laughter. They frequently ask if we can bake something together. Something delicious, easy enough for them to help make and healthy! Yes, healthy!

These requests are always spontaneous, so we have to work with whatever is stocked in my pantry and fridge. And of course, our creativity. This morning we made our second version of healthy oatmeal cookies. They were not only fun to make together, but came out fabulously. Even the 9 year old, my toughest taste-testing critic, loved them!

The youngest was excited to crack the egg without getting any shells in the bowl! She measured the oats and flour and spices (she loves the smell of cinnamon and maple syrup!) and scooped the dough onto the parchment paper.

We even added math lessons into the mix! How many 1/2 teaspoons do we need to fill to make 1.5 teaspoons? (3!) To reduce the amount of sugar and increase the fiber and nutrient complex, instead of 1/2 cup of sweetener, we used half maple syrup and half applesauce. What is 1/2 of 1/2 of a cup? (1/4 cup!)

The cookies were a hit with everyone from Grandma and Grandpa down to my two nieces and I agreed. These cookies are healthy enough to be a grab and go breakfast and delicious enough to be a dessert.

Try them out for yourself and let us know what you think!

Follow us on Instagram @embodywellnesscompany, Twitter @EmbodyWellness1 and like us on Facebook for more healthy living inspiration, recipes and nutrition tips and tricks! We love to help you #embodywellness!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat or brown rice flour (to make the recipe gluten free)
1.5 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted coconut oil (unrefined)
1/4 cup raisins, currants or mini chocolate chips
optional: chopped nuts or seeds
2 tbsp brown sugar, coconut sugar or maple sugar

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3.) Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine
4.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed, but do not over stir!
5.) Fold in dried fruit/nuts/chocolate chips
6.) Scoop dough into balls onto the parchment paper and press to flatten.
7.) Sprinkle sugar on the top of each cookie to form a sparkling, crisp topping!
8.) Bake for ~15 minutes until the edges are just brown.
9.) Allow to cool 5-10 mins before serving.
10.) Eat, enjoy and EMBODY Wellness!