Oatmeal Galore

When I was younger and I thought of oatmeal, my thoughts immediately went to oatmeal chocolate chip muffins, or oatmeal raisin cookies. However, over time my taste buds have changed, and with that I have started trying new recipes, and incorporating foods into my baked goods that I may not have before.

Well, over the past little while I have become more and more interested in using fruits and vegetables in my baking. From zucchini, parsnips, apples, cranberries, raisins, figs, dates, you name it, if it sounds healthy and delicious I am willing to try it. As I was going through my saved files on recipes that I wanted to try I realized that my oatmeal collection has been growing. With that being said, I knew what I must do. No, that did not mean deleting a recipes here and there because they were adding up, it meant... baking of course! So that's what I did.

Today I think mother nature was over being gracious with the hot weather and decided that fall must hit. Yup, I even took my winter jacket out. If you must know one thing about me, it's that I am always cold. I can count on one hand how many times I wore shorts this summer. I am always, always, always freezing, it becomes quite annoying to be quite honest. I was still wearing my winter jacket in April... that means, I went without my jacket for about three and a half months... pathetic. Nonetheless, onto my story. Today when I had come home from having sushi lunch with my friend, I realized that the house was much much colder than it had been even this morning. I knew how to solve that problem! Bake. The oven always adds a nice touch of heat, especially considering my house is about the size of a red Monopoly house piece. Well, the baking helped kill two birds with one stone, made the house warm, and I made comforting beautiful oatmeal baked goods.

Fig Oatmeal Bars - these remind me of Date Squares, yummy!

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh figs, such as Sierra, diced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups oats
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 8 tbsp applesauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. (It works best to spray the pan with non-stick, then press in parchment, and spray the top.)

Combine figs and honey in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until honey is dissolved and figs start to break down. Mash up a bit with a potato masher. Set aside while you get the oatmeal mixture ready.

In a food processor, blitz oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon until the oats are broken up to your liking. Incorporate applesauce add to mixture, pulsing until incorporated and the mixture is crumbly.

Take about half the oat mixture and press it into the pan evenly, forming the bottom crust. Spread the fig mixture over the top, then scatter the rest of the oat mixture over it.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies - talk about one of the prettiest looking cookies I have ever seen, I'm a girl, purple and pink anything make it pretty to me!

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
  
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chopped frozen cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix applesauce and sugar together in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. Cream the heck out of them, until they are really light and fluffy (up to five minutes.)

Beat in eggs one at a time, then add the

honey.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, and mix on low until just combined.

Stir in chopped cranberries.

Drop spoonfuls on cookie sheet, flatten slightly, and bake for 10-12 minutes. After a few minutes, move warm cookies to cooling rack.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies - I cannot tell you how fresh and spicy these cookies smelt while baking, they definitely added a nice fall smell to the house! Note: these cookies were good enough without the icing and since I'm not the biggest fan of icing I decided to keep it off, what people don't know what's missing on a cookie won't kill them right? Besides, who wants to take away from the base of the cookie anywho? Not me.

Recipe adapted from here

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup chunky-style applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1 cup black raisins
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and place parchment paper until a wire cooling rack.

Mix the butter and sugars on low speed in the bowl of a standing mixer until combined.

Add egg and applesauce and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly blended.

Mix in the dry ingredients — oats, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt — and then stir in the raisins.

Drop 1½-inch balls of dough onto your baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to the wire rack. Let cookies cool completely.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large banana, mashed
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars, mix until smooth. Add in vanilla extract and egg. Next, add the banana. Beat well.

Slowly add in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or Silcone baking mats. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Oatmeal Coconut Chewies - By far one of the best cookies I have ever had in my life. It was just, amazing. They went pretty much within the first day. Buttery, sweet, crispy, chewy, tasty, exotic, perfect.

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to cool room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup quick oats

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together the sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or lined (silpat or parchment) baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are set but not overly browned (bake a few minutes longer for a crispier version).

Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies - Low Fat. These cookies smelt absolutely amazing when they were baking. It reminded me of Christmas, the chocolate aroma filled the whole kitchen it was wonderful and definitely put me in a good mood.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 + 1 tbsp cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup frozen cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix rolled oats, flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to the oat mixture. The dough should be very dense. Incorporate the rice krispies.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.

No Bake Coconut Oatmeal Cookies - These didn't even last three days. Even without me putting butter, and replacing it with applesauce they were still a hit. I made these last year for Christmas with peanut butter, but since my friend is allergic to peanut butter and loves coconut I knew that I needed to find a version of this cookie without the peanut butter, and it was worth it because she adored these!

Recipe adapted from here

• 9 tbsp oatmeal
  
• 4 tbsp flaked coconut
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp baking cocoa
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine oats and coconut; set aside. In a saucepan, combine milk and butter.

Stir in sugar and cocoa; mix well. Bring to a boil. Add oat mixture; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 in. apart onto waxed paper. Let stand until set.

Hope you will try some of these amazing tasting and looking cookies!