Healthy Raisin 'n Oat Cookies

 I just love simple, quick and delicious recipes. A few basic ingredients get paired to unique flavour and texture combinations, the miracles of cooking or baking just take a few minutes and you're left with some pleasing dish or baked thing that leaves you coming back for mooore - and know what, because it's so quick you can do it over and over again - in some cases pretty dangerous for the waistline though...

This recipe has it all: its simple, quick, delicious and HEALTHY! A win, win, win and win ;-)
A combo of natural ingredients: Bananas, Apples, Oats and Raisins pair up with carrots (trust me on this, it works like a charm!) and you can have a totally (refined) sugar free cookie within 'bout half an hour.

This makes them a perfect little snack during the day, to carb it up right before/after a workout or when you just need something to pick you up during exhausting work/school days! You can have your cookie and eat it too! Enjoy them plain or dip them into your tea/coffee/milk - they surely will bring a smile to your face! The hearty texture of oats meets a subtle sweetness from the fruit and the carrots stand for another daily portion of vegetables - yay, an excuse to eat cookies, who doesn't love this?!? It's also an easily adaptable recipe, thick and chewy or thin and crisp - you decide!

One last little secret to share: those are also perfect crumbled up in milk as a granola substitute in the morning but shhhh.... we're on the healthy side so no cookies for breakfast huh? (I'll cheat on that, because there are oats and fruits and veggies in it ;-))

 

 Healthy Raisin 'n Oat Cookies



 - makes about 20 huge cookies (2 inch diameter)
- 1 medium sized Carrot
- 1 medium sized Banana, preferably (over)ripe
- 1 medium sized Apple
- 1/3 cup Raisins
- 1 and 1/2 cup  Oats
- 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 pinch Cardamom
- optional: nuts or seeds (I used 2 Tbsp of sliced Almonds)

1. Peel the Carrot and grate it into a bowl, set aside. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Peel, core and slice the apple, put it in the microwave or heat it on the stovetop until soft. Peel the banana and cut it into small pieces. Mix in the apple.
3. Put the raisins into a measuring cup and fill up with water until the 1/4 cup mark. Heat the mixture in the microwave (~2 min) or on the stovetop until the raisins absorb the liquid.
4. Mix the raisins with the banana and apple and blend the fruits together until smooth. Add in the Oats, Flour and Spices - mix with a fork.
5. Squeeze the grated carrots until most of the liquid is absorbed and add them to the dough. Now mix in the rest of the raisins and the optional nuts/seeds.
6. Scoop the dough into cookies according your likings (pat them down for crisp ones or leave them on the thicker side for a chewier texture).
7. Bake the cookies for 15-25 minutes (for a chewier texture stay on the shorter side of the baking time). Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. Enjoy!