ALMOND, CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRY COOKIES

I recently came across this recipe in a chatelaine magazine and decided to make it.  What I liked about this recipe is that it includes oats, cranberries, almonds and cocoa.  Also each cookie is 84 calories.  The cookies I made probably have fewer calories than this as I used splenda instead of sugar and milk instead of the honey.  I also used dark cocoa.  With my changes, the cookies are not sweet, maybe a bit drier.  The honey probably helps to bind them as honey is sticky and also makes them sweeter.  The next time I make them I will include the honey.  It is an easy recipe to make.  The cookies don't rise very much and spread out while baking so you don't have to worry about spreading each spoonful of dough on the baking sheet miles apart from each other.   I plan on freezing these cookies and having a cookie in the evenings when I have a chocolate craving and I am cruising the cupboards for something!

Mixing the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and milk or honey are mixed.

What the dough looks like before it is spooned out on baking sheets.

Ready to go into the oven.

The finished product - almond, chocolate and cranberry cookies.

Almond, Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup oil

½ cup brown sugar or splenda

¼ cup milk, soya or almond milk OR honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 cups rolled oats

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup almonds, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size bowl, mix the oil, sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.  In another bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa until combined.  Add this to the sugar and egg mixture.  Mix.  Add the oats, cranberries and almonds.  Stir until combined.  Using a tablespoon, spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.