Smart Cookie

Here's a scrumptious cookie recipe made with wholesome oats, pecans and maple syrup. A few years ago, while my sister and I were living together in NYC we discovered what is possibly one of the best cookies out there...Whole Foods' Vegan Maple Pecan Cookies. I looked high and low but couldn't find the recipe anywhere so I came up with this one myself. Now I always have the dough in my freezer so when the craving hits I can get my fix without a trip to Whole Foods. And there is nothing like a fresh warm cookie straight out of the oven!
I'm always looking for ways to make more healthful desserts...using whole wheat or spelt flour instead of white flour, substituting healthy oils for butter or vegetable oil, and using natural sweeteners such as agave or maple syrup instead of white sugar. By making just a few simple substitutions, I've come up with many delicious AND healthy sweets. Rolled Oats give you a good dose of fiber and are loaded with nutrients. Pecans are rich in good fats. They contain oleic acid (the same fatty acid in olive oil) and when eaten 4-5 times per week have shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer and heart disease and lower cholesterol. Maple Syrup contains powerful antioxidants and is high in zinc which is good for the heart and the immune system.
Yes, they're that good for you AND yes, they're delicious! I promise this will be the first of many recipes for sweets without the guilt. Hooray!

Vegan Maple Pecan Cookies
Time: 30 min Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Spelt flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup expeller-pressed canola, grapeseed or safflower oil
3/4 cup pure Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350* F with the rack in the middle of the oven.
2. In a food processor, combine dry ingredients and process until the oats, nuts and flour form a grainy looking meal, about 5-10 seconds. Add the wet ingredients and pulse slowly until well combined and formed into a dough.
3. Spoon balls of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the balls down gently with the back of a fork to shape the cookie and add a bit of decoration to the top:)
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned around the edges. For softer cookies, shorter the bake time to 10-12 minutes. For a bit more crisp, keep them baking for the full 15 minutes.