Oatmeal Chia Cookies

I remember buying my first bag of chia seeds. I was ready to experiment with chia pudding (an earlier version than my coconut banana version), and didn’t know I could buy them in bulk. I didn’t stir the chia seeds for the pudding, and they ended up a clumpy mess. I stressed over how I would finish the bag! Now, I feel like a chia pro- the key is to mix them around as you are incorporating them into something, like strawberry rhubarb chia seed jam. Or throw them into granola, and cookies! Alongside oats, ground flax, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and a mini chocolate chips for good measure, you get a satisfying healthy cookie recipe to blow your other afternoon snacks out of the water!

Oatmeal Chia Cookies (makes 16 small cookies)

• 1 c rolled oats
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 c butter (I used vegan Earth Balance)
• 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• Add-in’s: up to 3/4 c of chia seeds, almonds or cashew pieces, shredded unsweetened coconut, mini chocolate chips, sesame seeds, etc!

Combine dry ingredients (7 first ingredients- oats through baking soda) in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, mash softened butter with the brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Begin incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet until you have a firm dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours in order to get soft cookies with chewy edges- the oats are absorbing liquid during this time and this ensures a fluffy cookie.

After up to 24 hours of refrigeration, preheat your oven to 350. Take the dough out and incorporate up to 3/4 of a cup of add ins. I used chia seeds, sliced almonds, mini chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. You may want to use your hands to work the dough, warming it up a bit as you get the add ins combined.

Take 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough and flatten them slightly onto a greased cookie sheet. You should get around 16 cookies unless you decide to make them bigger. Bake for 12 minutes and then let them cool before storing in an airtight bag or container. I found that they stayed wonderful for 5 days- chewy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside, with lots of fun crunch from the add-ins! Enjoy!

Marisa