Tresa’s Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve made these healthy oatmeal cookies, with several variations, for a while now. I have them at my classes, take them on my road trips and make them ahead when I’ve got a very busy week. With all the nuts, they have lots of protein, the flax and hemp add Omega’s and the coconut oil is a healthy fat source.

For the Ayurveda followers, these cookies are good for Vata with all the grounding nuts, the moistness and sweet taste, Pitta’s love them since they are packed with protein and enjoy the cooling coconut oil and Kapha’s would savor the sweet taste, would perhaps increase the nutmeg and use ginger and replace raisins with cranberries. Want to know more about Ayurveda? Click here.

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups organic whole oatmeal
2 cups almond meal
½ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup hemp hearts
½ cup organic golden raisins
¼ cup ground milk thistle
1 cup coarsely ground almonds or hazelnuts
¾ cup coconut oil, melted
1 – 1 ½  cups sweetener (maple syrup, sucanat, jaggery, coconut sugar) NOT honey
¾  cup milk, warmed
¼  tsp Salt
¼  tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp aluminum-free baking powder

Instructions:
Mix well all dry ingredients (except nuts). Now add the ground nuts. Stir in warmed milk and melted coconut oil. (If you don’t warm the milk, your coconut oil will harden very fast making it difficult to mix.) Depending on the type of sweetener you use, this mix might be moist or dry.  If using a liquid sweetener, it will be moist. All other sweeteners, it will be a drier mixture.  If dryer, it is important to press the cookies together tightly. I make a ball in my hand and squeeze them very well.  Then, I shape cookies 2 to 3 inches apart onto a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Completely cool on a cookie tray and enjoy!

Variations: you can add dried ginger instead of nutmeg, 1/4 cup of chia seeds for extra energy and make with non-dairy milk like almond milk, hemp milk or coconut milk, replace raisins with cranberries.