Guilt free November cookie!

This morning I saw this awesome looking Pin about Honey Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. Sounds divine, right! Especially since we have just entered Thanksgiving month, I knew that I needed to try these. While I was out running errands today I picked up everything I needed to make them and now I'm sharing with you.


The original post is over at Undressed Skeleton. She does a fabulous job of explaining and documenting the awesome cookies. I did mine just a bit different.


Ingredients:
4 Cups Cranberries - I used 3 cups (that's what came in one bag)
1 cup baking Truvia - I used a few packets of Truvia, because that's what I had on hand
1 extra large ripe banana
4 cups whole grain oats
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp honey
1 packet Truvia
Mini Dark Chocolate Chips

I boiled 4 cups of water, then added the cranberries and cooked until they were popping and foaming. After that, I removed them from the boiling water and put them in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Next, I mixed the banana, oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, honey (agave) and Truvia with an electric mixer. 

The "dough" is crumbly, sort of like it would be if you were making an apple crisp. The next step is to add the cranberries and mix gently with your hands.

On the original post, this is where you would add chocolate chips. I decided to skip that step. I wanted to make these as a healthy snack and as close to "clean" or "whole" as I can. That means no chocolate chips for this girl. Don't worry, it doesn't ruin it :)

Another thing I did differently was to put them in a 9" x 13" pan instead of dropping them in 1 TBS cookie balls. After I spread them out in the pan I cut lines in to the mixture. I wasn't sure what the consistency would be when cooked and I didn't want it to be super hard to cut. It worked out well. 

The last thing to do is to drizzle a bit of honey on the top and cook for 13 - 15 minutes. The voila! A nice healthy snack on the go. I think that I am going to freeze the majority of them and just take them out when I pack my lunch. 

Added a dollop of greek yogurt, too!

I will warn you, they are a bit tart - but I don't mind that. To be honest, I did't know how I would feel about the cranberry, but I am kind of loving it! 

Happy November! Up next, preparations for Christmas have started with a cute Christmas wreath....

*Andrea*