January 22, 2009

I've had some amber agave nectar and organic coconut oil in my pantry for a while, and it's been recently screaming to be used in baking.  Once I saw that Anna at CookieMadness had whipped up a batch of Agave & Honey Oatmeal Cookies, I was reminded that it was time to put those 2 healthy ingredients into action.

My recipe was adapted from Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano.

Baking with Agave Nectar

It's similar to the recipe Anna used and to RecipeGirl's variation with M&Ms.  I baked the full recipe instead of scaling it down, and I got 24 cookies.  I substituted coconut oil for all of the butter, and agave was my only sweetener.  I also used ground flax seeds instead of wheat germ, and omitted the raisins since I'm allergic and skipped the M&Ms to make these as guilt-free as possible.

As soon as I got these scooped out on the cookie sheets, I was wishing that I had added some sunflower seeds and chopped walnuts to the batter.  Once these were out of the oven, it was clear that those additions would have been scrumptious, so next time I'll do that!  I may also add some dried cranberries or cherries, and perhaps a little shredded coconut to complement the coconut oil's great flavor.

I hesitate to even call these cookies, to me they're more of a healthful substantial pre-workout or post-workout snack.  They're sturdy and cakey, and not very sweet which is a plus for me since I'm not a big sweets eater.  A slight little sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of each cookie before baking might even be called for!  I loved these chunky cookies, and they got thumbs-up from my coworkers.  I'll definitely make them again.  I love that they're tasty, but they seem to be such great fuel for our bodies!

Agave Coconut Oatmeal Cookie

Agave Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup organic coconut oil
3/4 cup amber agave nectar
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 c oats (not quick cooking)
1/4 c flax seed (pulverized in coffee grinder)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or release foil.

Beat the coconut oil in a large bowl with the agave nectar for about 2 minutes until it's well blended and slightly fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla.  In another smaller bowl, combine the flour, oats, flax, cinnamon, soda, and salt.   Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Drop onto cookie sheets by heaping tablespoons and flatten out slightly.  Bake for about 12 minutes until the bottoms are slightly browned and the tops are dry.  Don't overbake.

~BigSis