Endurance Cookies

We have lunch at 12 and dinner at 6. In between lunch and dinner, my children need a boost of nutrients to get them through the long afternoon. I keep cheese-sticks, yogurt, apples, cut veggies, and peanut butter available for that occasion. But I like to make something to pop in our cookie jar once in a while. For some time I have tweaked various oatmeal cookie recipes until I landed upon these ingredients for a healthy and hearty afternoon snack for my children. In fact, these cookies could be breakfast cookies. They are far more wholesome than anything that could be bought in a box!Ingredients:1 cup softened butter
¾ c. coconut sugar
1-2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. vanilla extract
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
2 large eggs
¼ c. applesauce
2-3 T. Blackstrap Molasses (Molasses is full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants and it is low in sugars.
In fact, it significantly outshine any sweetener on the market including raw honey! It has a strong flavor profile, so unfortunately, I do not use it in most of my baking, but I add a bit of it when using coconut sugar. It brings a rich dark brown sugar depth to the baked goods)
1 ½ c. white wheat whole wheat flour (I use Montana Mills Prairie Gold)
1 ½ c. old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup golden flax seed meal (I grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder)
¼ cup whole golden flax seeds
1 cup salted, roasted peanuts (make sure there is no sugar added-a lot of salted, roasted peanuts
contain more than just salt and nuts)
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (or a bit more)
1 cup chopped pecans
1-2 T Chia seeds (Optional for sprinkling)1) Mix ingredients together (I use a mixer, but it can be done by hand)
2) Roll dough into 1” balls
3) Sprinkle dough balls with Chia seeds if desired
4) Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
5) While still warm, gently flatten cookies to about 1/2”Option A: Dip half the cookie in dark chocolate-it is a bit more sugary, but a nice combo
Option B: Sub the applesauce for peanut butter for a richer peanut cookie
Option C: Add dried fruit bits like raisins, cranberries, etc. But like chocolate, dried fruit ups the sugar content of the cookie.