Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m new to the whole applesauce baked goods phenomenon. I’ve never really been a “dieter,” and if I was going to have something–like cookies–that was “bad” for me, I’d just go for it. Same with soda. I hardly ever drink it, but when I do, I want the real stuff.

But, I trust the Happy Herbivore, and I really wanted to try these. One, because I went totally overboard with that brownie bonanza, and two, I wanted to know if it worked. The results?

Well, it sorta worked. My two-year-old was a HUGE fan of these. But I found the texture to be almost gummy, which was a real negative. I don’t like crunchy cookies, so it’s not like I was creeped out by their softness. There was just something weird about them. So, long story short, I think I’ll make applesauce cookies again, but I’ll probably add in one tablespoon of canola oil, and subtract a tablespoon of sauce. It should only add about one gram of fat per cookie, but maybe it’ll give me more of the texture that I’m looking for.

Have you tried these? What do you think?

Peanut Butter Cookies

While trying to kick the sugar habit (and failing, p.s.) a couple of years ago, I stumbled across this recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies. It was vegan, which I was skeptical of, but I went ahead and made them. Can we all just say now that olive oil and cookies should never meet? I couldn’t handle the flavor. Since then, with a few tweaks, this recipe has become my stand-by for really great peanut butter cookies. You’ll notice the yield on this is kinda small, because I don’t like to make dozens and dozens of cookies at one time–because I will eat them all.

Peanut Butteries (makes 1 dozen little cookies):

• 1/2 cup flour (I usually use a mix of unbleached white & wheat)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I usually use smooth, but it would be much better with chunky)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp apple sauce
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now, you’re going to mix all the dry ingredients, and then in a separate bowl, mix the wet. I usually put the peanut butter in a glass pyrex, and microwave it for a few seconds until it’s soft. Then I mix in the maple syrup, apple sauce, oil and vanilla together until they are smooth. Pour into the flour mixture and gently fold until everything is mostly wet. It should look a little floury, but with no flour actually left pooling in the bowl. Now, let it rest for five minutes, just like in the original recipe.

I like to make little tiny cookies, since the applesauce can make for some cake-y chewiness in larger sizes. So,  spoon in teaspoonfulls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake tiny cookies for about 6 minutes–they should just be golden on the top.

Did you love the vegan peanut butter cookies they used to sell at Whole Foods? Me, too. These taste very similar to their recipe, so you don’t have to be sad anymore. Hooray!