Oatmeal Apple Raisin Cookies

My mom makes the most incredible oatmeal raisin cookies.

She makes them every Christmas.  I have very fond memories of my sister and I helping her to make them, and of eating them through April because I kept asking for batch after batch.

Once I grew up and moved out on my own, she gave me recipe.  I have since attempted to make them every year at Christmas.  Every year, my cookies come out like crap.  I don't know what the problem is, other than that they require "my mother's love" as one of the ingredients.

So, this year, I have officially given up, and decided to try a variation.  The originals wouldn't have worked, anyway.

My mom's original recipe calls for vegetable shortening, 1.5 cups of refined sugar, white flour, and egg yolk.  These are all ingredients I try to avoid anyway, so maybe it's just as well to let her make them.  I can enjoy them as a special treat when I visit her house!

My new version uses unsweetened apple sauce in place of the vegetable shortening, 1 cup of maple syrup in place of the refined sugar (I cut water from the original recipe to compensate for the additional liquid), whole-wheat flour in place of the white flour, and two egg whites instead of one whole egg.

The result is a cookie that is in absolutely no way reminiscent of my mother's oatmeal raisins.  It's an entirely different cookie: more cake-y between the oats with a unique sweetness.  But still yummy!

The one thing I didn't change: Letting my girls help me make them.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup maple syrup (still a whopping amount, but less sugar than the original)
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups uncooked oats (must not be "instant")
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins

Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine apple sauce, maple syrup, egg whites, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (through baking soda).

Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Stir well.

Add raisins and stir.

Drop by rounded teaspoon (about 1-inch balls) onto an un-greased non-stick tray.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!