Cookie Calendar: Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Why mess with a classic?

That's what I ask myself every time I bake a recipe for oatmeal cookies that's not the recipe found on the underside of the Quaker Oats canister lid. That recipe turns out perfectly every time: sweet, chewy, and satisfying.

Still, I will give Martha Stewart's folks credit for creating a decent oatmeal cookie so low in fat. This svelte Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies recipe calls for a mere half stick of butter. As you might have guessed if you have familiarity with low-fat baking, the applesauce replaces the moisture lost to fat cutting, in addition to adding its subtle flavor.

The cookies have a more tender, cakey texture than typical oatmeal cookies. They're also sticky, so be sure to use parchment on your cookie sheets.



While these won't displace my go-to recipe, at least I can feel better knowing that my helper is taking in healthier cookies as his reward.

We added 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to the dough for extra flavor. We also subbed in dried cranberries for raisins in half the dough. We'll add the icing to these cookies closer to Christmas Day.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen cookies

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated 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 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1. Make cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce, mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins.

2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.

3. Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, syrup, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.