Let's Workout!!! and eat cookies too =)

Last year I was plowing through granola like it was going out of style.  I had just started getting back in the groove of working out and wanting to eat healthy after my 6 stress filled weeks of job training.  But the pounds weren't melting off (like we all imagine them to).  I was actually staying about the same weight, which really frustrated me!  I hadn't baked in over a couple months, so I couldn't imagine why I wasn't losing weight...  Then, I actually looked at what I was eating, and when I saw the fat and sugar content in some of the granola I was eating, I knew I had found the culprit to my dieting woes.  Right then and there I had decided to change up my baking (and eating) habits, and make more healthy recipes.
I researched granola recipes and a ton of them have cups of oil and butter that are included in the recipe (yuck!).  I dug deeper and then it hit me that I could switch out the oil and fat for APPLESAUCE.  After that I went a little crazy over board with the granola making...and I eventually got bored of it, but had all this leftover applesauce and oats.  I started looking for different ways I could use my ingredients, and fell onto a healthy version of a chocolate and oatmeal cookie.  Yey!!!! Cookies back in my diet =)

Applesaucey Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup  All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon  Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon  Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon  Salt
1 teaspoon  Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons  Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 Cup  Light Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg
1/4 Cup  Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 teaspoon  Vanilla Extract
2 Cups  Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 Cup  Dark Chocolate Chunks
1/2 Cup  Craisins
1 Tablespoon  Flax seeds

DIRECTIONS
1. Whisk together oats, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, flax seeds and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter a sugar till fluffy.  Then, beat in the egg, making sure it's incorporated before adding the applesauce and vanilla extract.

3. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined, and fold in chocolate chunks and craisins.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 11 - 13 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.

5. Let cookies cool, then transfer to a cooling rack (or your belly).

The great thing with this recipe besides the fact that you can include it in your diet, is that you can change up or add ingredients such as wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, or nuts.  Soooo yummy!