Low-Fat Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

FAQs

What is the purpose of baking soda in oatmeal cookies? ›

Baking soda is used in recipes that include one or more acids. When the recipe doesn't include an acid, baking powder is used. A recipe that calls for both ingredients probably contains an acid, but not enough to completely leaven the batter or dough.

Both whole grain oats and raisins are a good source of fiber. The presence of whole grain oats will also help you stay fuller longer. That said, oatmeal raisin cookies are still cookies with higher butter and sugar content than other snacks, so they should only be considered a healthy snack in moderation.

Many recipes lean on applesauce to replace all or some of the original version's butter or oil. It's a tactic that can work reasonably well in cakes, muffins, and cookies, though you may end up with gummy or over-sweet baked goods.

Not Enough Moisture: Ensure you're using the right amount of butter in your recipe and that it's at the correct temperature (softened not melted) when you start. Oatmeal cookies require more moisture to stay soft. Consider adding an extra egg yolk or a touch of milk to your dough to enhance moisture content.

However, if you're in a pinch, the substitution is one teaspoon baking soda equals three teaspoons baking powder. Baking soda is also much stronger than baking powder and, by trying to provide enough leavening, you may wind up with an unpleasant metallic, salty taste in the final baked product.

If you don't have baking soda, you can use baking powder, at three times what the recipe calls for. So if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, you can use three teaspoons of baking powder. Baking powder also contains a little bit of salt, so it's also a good idea to halve the salt the recipe calls for.

Can You Eat Cookies and Get Lean? Of course you can. Simply pay attention to consistently eating the amount of calories that keeps you at the weight you'd like to be, and make the majority of your foods “healthy.” The cookies (or whatever treat you love) are part of the diet—not the entire diet.

They (most likely) won't upset your stomach

Both bananas and oats are easily digestible foods, making them extremely gentle on the digestive system. For individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or those following a low-FODMAP diet, these cookies can be a suitable option.

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

Does applesauce replace oil or eggs? ›

For every one egg called for in a recipe, use ¼ cup of applesauce instead. Butter & Oil: Substitute applesauce in equal quantities of butter and oil. For example, if the recipe requires ½ cup of oil, replace it with ½ cup of applesauce.

There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough. The cookie should be baked only until the edges are slightly golden and the top looks a little wrinkled.

An oven that hasn't reached the correct baking temperature causes the fat in the dough to melt before the cookie bakes through. As a result, cookies spread too much. Heat the oven for at least 10 minutes. A good rule of thumb is to turn the oven on just before you begin measuring ingredients.

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

You technically can leave out baking soda in certain recipes (like chocolate chip cookies or pancakes) in a pinch, but you need to understand that your finished product will not be as light and fluffy as the recipe intended. Unless you have no other option, you really should use a leavening substitute.

To replace baking soda in baked goods like cookies and muffins, add three times the amount of baking powder to produce the same leavening effect. However, be aware that larger amounts of baking powder may leave your baked goods tasting saltier, so you may need to adjust your recipe's salt content.

Baking soda is also present in baking powder, but in a smaller amount, so it has a lower pH level which results in less browning. Baking soda in cookies leads to more spread and a crispy edge compared to baking powder, as shown in the photos below.