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.

Sausage something-or-other and cinnamon apples

The original recipe title of this recipe is "Sausage braid," but it sounds too much like a meat headpiece to me, so I decided to rename it. And then I couldn't think of anything snappy. But, regardless of the name, it's a scrumptious meal.

Now, I'm not typically a sausage eater. At all. But I will eat anything that Suzanne and Carter dish up when it's their turn to cook on Thursday night. Well, this little humdinger of a meal is what they served one evening, and it, folks, is a winner. Even for this self-professed non-sausage-eating person. Something about the way the cream cheese and the veggies and the crescent rolls all combine together with the sausage just makes it work. Oh, and this is another one of those versatile foods; we eat it for dinner here at our house, but I made it for brunch at my parent's house one morning and it was perfect then, too.

Sausage Braid
12 ounces bulk pork sausage*
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I used 2 teaspoons dried parsley instead)
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg, lightly beaten

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Add cream cheese, green onion and parsley. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted; set aside.

Unroll crescent dough on a greased baking sheet; seal perforations. Roll into a 12-inch x 10-inch rectangle. Spoon sausage mixture to within 3 inches of long sides and to within 1 inch of ends. On each long side, cut 3/4 inch-wide strips 3 inches into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle, forming a braid.

Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers.

*I can't find 12 ounce bulk pork sausage, so I just use the full 16 ounces that I can find.


Cinnamon Apples
4 apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter

Toss the first four ingredients in a large Ziploc bag to coat the apples. Pour the apple/sugar mixture into a medium saucepan and add the water and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. (Cooking time depends on how tender you like your apples - and probably on the type of apple you have; Patrick likes them very tender, so I cook them for at least 25 minutes.)