Weight Watchers Wednesday: Apple-Oatmeal Cookies

We can pretend that today's still Wednesday, can't we? It's my blog so it's Wednesday here (too bad I can't rewind real life).

The weather might disagree, but the calendar says that it's fall. It's almost October and when it's fall (regardless of the ridiculous heat) I want to make fallish things. Apple things, pumpkin things, squash things. You know, fallish things.

And this week I wanted a sweet fall thing. I had an apple in the fridge, oatmeal in the pantry and this recipe in my cookbook. The stars aligned and thus, I made these cookies.

They're good; they're a nice light bite of sweetness. With only 1/4 cup of sugar, they aren't overly sweet, but just enough. And the small amount of fat means that there's not a lot of dough to this cookie; it's mostly a lot of oatmeal and apple bundled together. But they are good! We've really enjoyed them this week - and guilt free because they are low fat and low calorie! I'll definitely make these again.

I hope you enjoy these little light bites of fall!

Sorry for the crummy photo; I took it with my phone. But a crummy photo is better than no photo, right?

Apple-Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe courtesy of the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats, toasted until lightly browned*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dark raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray (don't spray if sheets are nonstick). (I use parchment paper instead - love the stuff.) In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, cream the brown sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the apple, egg, and vanilla; beat until combined. Add the oats mixture, stir to blend, then stir in the raisins (if you use them ... I didn't). Drop the dough by tablespoons onto the baking sheets, forming 12 cookies on each sheet; flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes Cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

*Toasting oats brings out their nutty flavor. Spread the oats in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.