When I got out of bed this morning, I decided that today was going to involve some baking.  To be honest:

• I’m sick at home…which means bed rest…which means boredom…catch my drift?
• I had a bar of Ghiradelli dark chocolate in the fridge that was screaming to be made into chocolate chips
• How else will I be able to enjoy some cookie dough??
• Unlike cakes, I don’t have to wait for an eternity ages until they’re ready 😆
• When do you ever need an excuse to bake cookies???

Despite this being a ‘healthy’ blog, these cookies contain butter…and sugar…and white flour…and chocolate chips

Buttttt…

They also contain

• Oats: cholesterol-lowering
• Walnuts: omega 3’s
• Raisins: contain phenols which prevent oxygen-based damage to cells in the body

Okay, okay the ‘redeeming’ list above was a joke.  But in all seriousness, I wouldn’t say these cookies are ‘unhealthy’.  Being home-made and containing whole, real ingredients, these are far healthier than any low-calorie biscuit you’ll purchase at the supermarket.  And anyways, isn’t that what healthy is all about… eating nutritiously 80% of time so that you can enjoy treats during the remaining 20% of time??  Just try and resist the urge to eat the whole batch! 😉

I called these cookies ‘Packed Oatmeal Cookies’…because each bite packed with pure deliciousness. 

Packed Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup (140g) Oats
• ¾ cup (94g) All-purpose flour
• 1 tspn vanilla essence
• 1 stick (100g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 1 egg
• ½ tspn salt
• ½ tspn baking soda
• ½ cup (75g) dark chocolate chips (or 75g dark chocolate chopped up)
• 1/3 cup (50g) raisins
• 1/3 cup (33g) walnuts

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375
• Mix together the dry ingredients: oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts and put aside.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add an egg & vanilla essence and stir together well.  Mix in the dry ingredients and keep stirring until they all seem nicely acquainted.
• Scoop out tablespoons of dough onto a baking tray and flatten out.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.