Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

If you haven’t noticed by now, I reallly, really like oatmeal cookies. Past favorites include Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, Coconut Oatmeal Cookies, Heart Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Oatmeal Cookie Biscotti – and even with a list of recipes that long, I don’t feel the need to stop yet.

This recipe was a spur of the moment idea and is a variation on one of my favorite lowfat oatmeal cookie recipes. I decided to jazz up the regular cookies with a splash of rum to give them some holiday spirit and it worked beautifully. The rum flavor was present, but subtle. You could tell that there was something different about the cookies, but until you knew that there was rum, it was hard to pinpoint the source of that flavor. The result was delicious and slightly adult.

The cookies, although they are low fat, still have a nice chew to them and stay moist when you store them in an airtight container, although they don’t have the same light texture that a really buttery cookie will have. Frankly, I don’t mind in the least. These still taste great and I’m not going to complain when I can eat an extra cookie or two without feeling guilty.
If you don’t want to go with the low-fat cookies, just make the run raisins and use them in this recipe instead!

Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup raisins
2-3 tbsp dark rum
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plain apple sauce
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats

Combine rum and raisins in a small, microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for a few seconds, until just warm. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at least 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add cinnamon if using raisins, instead of chocolate chips.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Beat in the egg, followed by the applesauce and the vanilla extract. Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the rum-raisin mixture.
Drop tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, flattening each cookie slightly. Bake for about 9-12 min at 375F. Cookies will be light brown at the edges when done.
Let cool on sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.