After a December full of lots of sweets and treats I’m trying to real it in and bake some healthier options. Last week I was experimenting with flax meal and these health-ish Loaded Oatmeal Cookies were born. I used King Arthur Flour Golden Flax Meal, which can be found in the baking aisle at most grocery stores. Flaxseeds are rich in fiber and essential fatty acids, whole ground they are more easily digested than if you ate the seed whole and maintain more of the dietary benefits than just using flaxseed oil. In baking you can use flax meal to replace oil or eggs. 

For this recipe, I used the flax meal to cut out some of the butter and 1 egg. The recipe still has a stick of butter though, that is why I am calling them healthy-ISH, if you wanted to make them health-IER you could cut the butter by 1/2 again or all together and add another 1/4 cup of flax meal per 1/2 stick of butter. If you do this you may need to add a tablespoon of water as well to keep the batter together. I also used whole wheat flour to up the fiber content.  

The flax meal gives the cookies a nutty and complex flavor that pairs nicely with the raisins and dried cranberries. I like to enjoy my cookie with a cup of fruity tea! 

(Loaded Oatmeal Cookie with Pomegranate White Tea) 

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(refrigerate dough at least 2 hours or up to 1 day prior to baking)

(form dough into balls and bake for 12-14 mins)  

(cool and enjoy!)