Cutting down on fat and sugar in cookies is perhaps the hardest battle of all. The sugar not only determines the sweetness of the cookie but it also effects the texture- how soft or crunchy the cookie is, how much it spreads on the cookie sheet and how much it tastes like a cookie. But when people say that you have to be precise in baking the truth is- in order to get a particular result you have to be precise. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only result that works. Perhaps you didn’t want a crunchy crisp oatmeal cookie in the first place. With a lots of fiddling and tweaking I’m making big progress in the @Sweetbyhalf kitchen and that’s meant munching my way through quite a few sub-par cookies before they hit the big time. Oh for the day when I have a garden , chickens and a compost heap (can you compost cookies?).
About a year ago my friend Lish was raving about some fat-free cookie she had come across. I was skeptical to say the least. The cookies were good but as like most fat free cookies I’ve come to try, not only are they full of sugar but they always taste of banana. Banana seems to be the fruit of choice across the board when it comes to making lower fat cookies, I guess because it has a great moisture content. But not everyone out there is a banana fan and for those, I feel this scenario can only end in utter disappointment. Cookies my friends, should never disappoint. I ask you- what is the point in eating a disappointing cooking?
So for those who hate bananas- how about avocado?! I know that you diet-savvy foodies out there are saying avocado’s not fat-free, Anna. And, no, no it’s not, but it’s healthier fat, full of nutritional qualities that butter only could dream, like low-cholesterol and heart-healthy fats. I haven’t replaced all of the butter with avocado- but I have ratcheted the volume up a notch since I made these guys. These are classic oatmeal cookies- and hey, do you see any green in these cookies?! I didn’t think so. And no, that is not because I let the avocado sit on the counter until it went black before I used it, promise.
These are your classic oatmeal cookies- without raisins, because if you know me, then you know how I feel about raisons and if you don’t know me then here’s a little hint- Bleh! They are delicately spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, full of rolled oats, coconut, brown sugar (not too much, mind) and chunks of toasted walnuts. I took the wisdom of Ben & Jerry’s and made sure that there were walnuts in every bite. Your welcome.
In truth I could have probably cut the sugar down even more…..but honestly, I was more interested in the effects that the avocado would have this time around. There is still work to be done in the fight for low-sugar cookies but for now, I’m feeling pretty gosh darn good about how these cookies turned out. You can just call me Super sugar-fighting woman! Until, I come up with a cooler superhero name, anyway.
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Oatmeal walnut cookies, with avocado
Trust me- you will not know that there is avocado in these! The dough keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to bake to order!
Makes 30-40 soft oatmeal cookies
85g/6Tbsp butter, at room temperature
150g/about 1/2 large ripe avocado flesh
150g/3/4 cup packed light brown soft sugar
1 large free range organic egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g/1 rounded cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch nutmeg
180g/2 cups rolled oats
50g/ 1/2 cup shredded (dessicated) coconut (unsweetened)
85g/1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• Heat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5. Line 2 large baking trays with silpat or parchment paper.
• Beat the butter until completely softened ( you can do this in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment). Add the avocado and beat again until the avocado is completely smooth.
• Beat in the sugar until fully combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
• Sift over the flour, baking soda, salt and spices and stir slowly until just barely combined. Add the oats, coconut and walnuts and fold through evenly.
• Use a mini ice cream scoop to scoop 30-40 balls of dough onto your prepared sheets. Press down using your palm (lightly floured helps) or the flat bottom of a glass. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet. If you are cooking the both trays at the same time, alternate the racks half way through cooking- they may take a few minutes longer this way.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
These look and sound wonderful. I’m wondering how to convert this to gluten free. I have an all purpose gf flour mix. I wonder if that would work. What are the properties of pastry flour that I would need to mimic? I made chocolate pudding with an avocado this week and it tasted great. I was amazed that I couldn’t taste it.
Hi Diane! I think you would be fine using an all-purpose gluten-free flour- or maybe even brown rice would. I use whole wheat pastry flour because it’s finer and therefore not as heavy as regular whole wheat flour but is still whole wheat! let me know how you get on!
I really hate dessicated coconut! Can I leave it out?
haha! yes leaving out the coconut is fine!