Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies

I bought some beautiful strawberries the other day and my girls kept telling me (insert whiny voice):  "I don't waaaannnt those" when I'd put them on their lunch or dinner plate.  Okay.  I couldn't stand to see the strawberries get soft and go bad so I thought I'd bake something instead.  I'm still trying to watch my sugar intake and lose a few pounds before Hawaii so I only had one (~85 calories/cookie) but it was delicious.   And, now I hear "I want a cookie!" instead of the complaining.

At first I was skeptical about the step of refrigerating the dough but it was too soft when it was all mixed up.  I thought the strawberries would start to macerate or get brown by letting the dough sit in the refrigerator but they held up well.  I diced them small, right before I mixed them in so that there wouldn't be too much liquid and it worked well.  I didn't add the chocolate chips or pecans this time but it would taste good with them!

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies (1.5 dozen)
adapted from Cooking Light

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup oats
dash of salt
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 T butter, softened
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 c. diced fresh strawberries
1/3 c. toasted pecans (or white chocolate chips) - optional

In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat applesauce, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla on low speed.  Add egg and beat until fully mixed.  Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir well.  Gently fold in the strawberries (so they don't mash) and pecans or chocolate chips (if using).  Mix until fully combined.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap or foil and chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Once chilled, remove from fridge, preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line or lightly grease a baking sheet.  Scoop cookie dough about 1 tablespoon at a time onto the sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch space between scoops.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.