Oatmeal Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, I know - I don't usually post receipes. To be honest, I'm not much of a cook in recent years. I love to cook, but writing takes up most of my time. However, I made these cookies today and they turned out so well I thought I'd share the recipe. It was created by a nutritionist at the University of Utah, and I tasted the cookies this summer at a healthy fair. While I wouldn't call them completely healthy because of the butter and sugar, I will say they're not as bad for you as some cookies are. And they are absolutely delicious!

• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour


• 1 cup old-fashioned oats


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp unsalted butter, room temperature


• 1 cup packed brown sugar


• 1 tsp vanilla


• 2 lg egg whites, room temperature


• 1 lg egg, room temperature


• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts (i think pecans would be good too)


• 1 small apple, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, baking soda and salt. In a large boal, beat butter until soft. Add brown sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add egg whites and egg, one at a time, completely inforporating the first before adding the next. Add vanilla, scrape down sides of bowl and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Using spatula, fold in chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and apple. Batter should be very thick..

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet (I lined the sheet with parchment paper) about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information per cookie: Calories: 137; total fat: 5 g; cholesterol: 15 mg; sodium: 89 mg; carbohydrate: 20 gr; total dietary fiber: 1 gr; protein 3 gr