Chocolate chip is my favorite variety of cookies, but I can’t stand the guilt that goes with eating them so I rarely indulged in the past.  Now that I have discovered this delicious recipe that uses whole wheat flour and rolled oats, I feel a little better about eating them.  Whole grains are so much healthier than their processed counterparts, so you can feel less guilt about chewing on these cookies.  Not only are they healthier; they also taste fantastic!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

¼ cup applesauce
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup quick cooking oats
¾ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine applesauce, butter and sugar.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Gradually add this mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.  Add oats and chocolate chips.  Drop onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden.

You can also add a little nutmeg and cloves for a spicy treat.  These are so satisfying on a blustery fall day, especially fresh out of the oven.

If you find yourself making baked items like cookies very often, you can mix up big batches of the dry ingredients, store them in zippered freezer bags, and keep them in the freezer so you can just pull them out and stir them up when the urge hits.