I am seriously addicted to these Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies

I’m addicted, it’s true. I ate probably 10 on Sunday. It’s the butterscotch chips. They just add that irresistible je ne sais cois that makes me want more.

You have probably realized this about me by now, but I LOVE my desserts, I grew up with my mom baking all the time and with fresh cookies and breads around the home so it’s something that I crave and find comforting – not to mention my mom passed down the love of baking to me. My enjoyment of these sweet nuggets has me always looking for a “healthier” version of my old favourites.

Today I’m taking a second look at oatmeal cookies, to try and make these cookies a little healthier I reduced the sugar and even tried out a new sweetener I’ve been curious about, switched up the butter for coconut oil, white flour for whole wheat and used a ‘flax egg’ instead of a real one, just because I like the added goodness of the flax.

I’ve been hearing a lot about brown rice syrup, Sarah Wilson, of I Quit Sugar, talks about using it and so did Alicia Silverstone, author of the kind diet. You hear so much negativity about sugar that I’ve been looking to try different sweeteners that don’t affect your body in the same negative way. I have tried Stevia, which tastes a little funny and unless you get the whole leaf, it’s still been treated and chemicalized the way the white sugar I’m trying to reduce has. So that brought me to brown rice syrup. And you know what? I like it. It’s not super sweet like honey and it has a real mellow taste. Next time maybe I’ll try making these with only the syrup.

So check these out! I love ’em, Mark can’t stop eating them and the receptionist at work BEGGED me for my last cookie today.

Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or other liquid sweetener you can just use more sugar but then I would recommend adding another tablespoon of water or so as the dough was a little dry when I just used sugar)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg (or 1 “flax egg” 1 tblsp flax mixed with 3 tblsp water – refrigerated for 10 min) I used flax egg because it’s good for you, adds Omega-3s and more fibre
1 cup whole wheat flour (or white if you prefer – but you know what they say about white flour….)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup (or less depending on taste) chocolate chips/butterscotch chips
1/2 cup coconut

METHOD

Mix oil and sugars. Beat in egg or flax egg mixture.
Combine flour and baking soda, stir into the creamed mixture [or if you are lazy like me dump the flour and baking soda on top of the sugar/oil mixture and stir in]. Mix in oats and then chocolate/butterscotch chips.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets (or use parchment paper). Roll the dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 29 cookies – comes to 100 calories per cookie, but they’ve got oats and flax and whole wheat flour so they are good for you.