Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup butter or shortening
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cup rolled oats, blended in food processor until powdery
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter, applesauce and sugars, then add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Scoop by tablespoons onto sprayed baking sheet and gently flatten with palm.

Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies. Freezes well.

*****
Thanks to Emily for this great recipe. Recipe adapted from http://mymuffinthursdays.blogspot.com/

I LOVE the oat flour in these cookies- they have quickly become a favorite in our home. The applesauce in the cookies reduces the amount of fat and gives the cookie a great chewiness. My husband prefers a little more chewiness by reducing the butter to 1/2 cup and increasing the applesauce to 1/2 cup. I personally prefer the 3/4 to 1/4 ratio as it gives the inside a chewy texure but the butter allows the outside of the cookie to get a nice crunch. Experiment to see what ratio works best for you.

Per cookie: 88 Calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 7.6 grams of sugar