Chocolate Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies

I ran out of ice cream so instead of going out and buying more (ice cream ain't cheap, yo) I decided to make cookies. Of course, I wanted to try something new because I get bored easily. Today's offering is a slightly sweet oatmeal cookie flavored with chocolate hazelnut spread. They're soft and almost cake-like, but a little chewy too. I like that they don't have a ton of sugar because then I don't feel bad if the boy happens to eat three in a row. They have oatmeal and applesauce too, so that makes them sort of healthy, right?

Start off by measuring out 1/2 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread. I like Justin's. For goodness sake, just don't use Nutella!!! Place it in the bowl of your mixer.

Add 1/4 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and whisk to combine.

Add two eggs, two teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Whisk just until combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine 156g of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Stir in three cups of of rolled (not quick cooking!) oats.

Stir the oat mixture into the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula just until it's combined. The more you stir after you add the flour, the more gluten you allow to form, which creates a tough cookie.

At this point, if you want a slightly sweeter or more chocolatey cookie you could stir in a half cup of chocolate chips at this point. I left them out because I was going for less sugar.

Scoop small mounds (about a tablespoon each) onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. These don't spread very much, so you can put them closer together than I did.

Slightly wet your fingertips and use them to flatten out each mound a little bit. The water on your fingers will keep the dough from sticking to you.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about ten minutes and allow to cool on the sheet set on a wire rack for about five minutes before removing to the rack to cool completely.

Oh! I also wanted to let you know that Dorie posted the recipe for her mother's lemon pie that I was raving about the other day. Go check it out on her blog!