Grab 'n Go Cookies

I've watched a couple of "Hungry Girl" episodes on Cooking Channel, with author and host, Lisa Lillien. Her recipes are creative, but often times, I think, "No wonder it's called Hungry Girl - her recipes leave you hungry!" But this recipe caught my eye because 1) I'm always looking for healthful snacks and 2) I had all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge...or at least enough of them and some that I could substitute with other things.

The recipe only makes 4 large cookies, so I tested it to see if my hubby would like them. He did. So I'm making more. I made 5x the recipe today because I had the rest of the 15oz. can of pumpkin puree to use up. It measured about 1.25 cups, so there you go - I did the math. :) I'll be freezing the extras and they will be ready to go whenever we're looking for a sweet snack! They are a little more like cake or a muffin than a cookie, but less messy to take with you.

Here's the recipe:

Grab 'n Go Cookies from Lisa Lillien

1/4 c. high-fiber cereal twigs (Fiber One Original, but I used Red Mill wheat bran)

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1/4 c. + 2 T. whole wheat flour

1/4 no-calorie sweetener (Splenda)

2 T. brown sugar, not packed (I used the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

2tsp. sugar-free French Vanilla powdered creamer (I used regular vanilla extract)

1/3 c. pureed peaches (I used applesauce)

1/4 c. canned pure pumpkin

1/4 c. egg substitute (or 1 large egg, beaten)

1 T. golden raisins (I used regular raisins)

1 T. dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a food processor or blender, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl.
To the bowl, add oats, flour, sweetener, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a medium bowl, dissolve powdered creamer in 2 tablespoons hot water. Add all other wet ingredients (pureed peaches, pumpkin, and egg substitute) and stir until mixed well.
Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir until completely blended. Chop raisins and cranberries and stir into the batter, evenly distributing and making sure they don't all stick together.

The mixture is sticky, like a cake batter

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and spoon batter into 4 evenly spaced circles with a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, if using. Spread batter out a bit with the back of a spoon.

I used my fingers to spread it out to a nice round shape

Bake in the oven until tops of treats are just slightly crispy, 12 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the sheet. Grab 'n go!

PER SERVING (1 cookie): 154 calories, 1.5g fat, 166mg sodium, 32.5g carbs, 5g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 5g protein