Molasses Cookies

It’s that time of year again when most of us start indulging on sweets. I know I get started around Halloween and it goes from bad to worse there because next comes Thanksgiving then Christmas and with all that good food who in their right mind would resist.

Sundays always put me in a baking mood and one of the things I love to bake is cookies because they are much quicker than a cake and they go good with a glass of milk. Here are some healthy cookie recipes I found over at Shape Magazine.

Molasses Cookies:

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. ground flax
1 egg white
1 banana
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. oats (not instant)
1/2 c. blackstrap molasses
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flax and egg white in a bowl. Set aside. Using a fork, mash banana in a bowl. Add flour and oats. Mix well. Add flax mixture and molasses, mixing until everything is combined. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Scoop out rounded spoonfuls of batter onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes 20 cookies

Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. ground flax
1/2 c. dried cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a fork, mash the bananas in a bowl. Stir in oats, applesauce, dried cherries, flax and vanilla extract. Mix batter well. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 36 cookies

Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies

Ingredients:
2 c. quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/2 c. natural salted peanut butter
1/3 c. raw honey
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c. raw cocoa nibs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Flatten tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper and bake for approximately one hour.

Makes 24 cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. white whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 egg whites
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. pineapple, drained and crushed
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. raisins
1 c. carrots, grated
1 tbsp. orange zest
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients, like flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg, in one bowl. Add the wet ingredients, like egg whites, oil, pineapple, milk and vanilla, to the dry, stirring together. Stir in raisins, carrots and walnuts. Drop by tablespoonful onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes 30 cookies

No Bake Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients:
1 banana, mashed
4 tbsp. butter
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. nonfat milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. instant oats
1/2 c. peanut butter

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients except vanilla and oats in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Let the mixture cool. Add vanilla and oats and continue to stir. Drop by teaspoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.

Makes 30 cookies

Get more cookie recipes over at Shape Magazine.

Photo credit: Shape Magazine