½cupalmond flour(or use a full cup whole wheat flour instead of splitting with almond flour)
1cupoatmeal(old fashioned)
1tspbaking soda
1tspsalt
1tspcinnamon
Wet Ingredients
½cupgranulated sugar
½cuplight brown sugar
6-8tbspcoconut oil(extra virgin/unrefined)
½cupunsweetened applesauce(drained)
1large egg
4tbspegg whites(or use 1 more large egg)
1tsp vanilla extract
Goodies (see notes)
75gbutterscotch morsels
100gsemi-sweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
Prep Ahead
Pour applesauce into a strainer and let sit over the sink or an empty bowl while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This step helps to drain out some of the extra water. I have made this recipe without straining the applesauce and it works fine. But if you remember and have a few minutes, straining will make the final dough texture is a bit more firm.
Combine Dry Ingredients
Combine all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl, except the oatmeal.
Whisk together.
Add the oatmeal to the rest of the dry ingredients and mix it in well.
Blend Wet Ingredients
Measure the sugars into a mixing bowl that you can use either a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of your electric mixer with.
Add the coconut oil, and mix until well blended.
Add in the eggs and egg whites, one at a time.
Mix on the highest speed you can without flinging dough everywhere :) and mix for 1-2 minutes on high - you are just trying to get some air incorporated for an extra "lift" to your batter.
Add in the vanilla, blend to incorporate.
Add in the applesauce (it should have lost some of the extra liquid by now), and mix at low-medium speed until well incorporated. (See notes.)
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl periodically to be sure ingredients aren't getting left out!
Combine Dry Into Wet
Slowly add the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. I usually add about 1/3 at a time, mixing on low speed, and them fully incorporate between additions.
Transfer the mixing bowl to a scale, and weight out the goodies into the bowl, then mix by hand to incorporate.
Chill, Bake, Eat
Chill the dough for a couple hours up to overnight. I have made this recipe baking the cookies immediately. They turn out more flat, but have crispy edges and bake up just fine. If you chill first you will get more of a "mounded" cookie like you see in the pictures. So choose the option that matches your cookie preference!
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Scoop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat baking mat. I like to use a 1½ Tablespoon cookie scoop filled just below level, and this ensures I get about 36 evenly sized cookies. If I do it by feel they always turn out bigger, and then the calorie calculations are off!
Bake for ~8 minutes, until just turning golden brown, but still very soft in the middle. This will get you a slightly gooey finished cookie texture.
Let the baked cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. If you transfer too soon, you will likely squish the warm cookies, and maybe leave some of the melted morsels behind, stuck to the sheet.
Eat fresh within a couple days, or freeze for up to a month and enjoy straight from the freezer. Or freeze, and bring to room temperature for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
For the goodies: I have found one great way to control the calories going into these cookies is by weighing out the goodies. It is easy to have a free hand with these, but if you weigh them out you have to be more thoughtful about how much you are putting in, and how much you need to still make a yummy cookie, but not overdo it. You can also add in different varieties of chocolate here. Butterscotch and semi or dark chocolate just happen to be our favorites :)After adding in the applesauce the batter will be a bit lumpy. Don't worry! Just mix to incorporate. The lumps will disappear when you bake, and you'll never know they were there.