Deliciously Vegan Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

This cookie recipe happened by mistake! I was visiting my Mom, and had a real hankering for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, but my Mom had no raisins, and I was in no mood to go out in the Massachusetts cold to go purchase some. She did however have walnuts in the snack cabinet so I thought I'd use Antioxidant Rich Walnuts in the cookies instead, and they came out delicious! My mom is a very honest critic when it comes to my recipes and she loved them!

What You'll Need:

Baking Sheet(s)

Parchment Paper/Silicon Baking Mat

Mixing Bowl(s)

Mixing Spoon/Hand or Stand Mixer

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Fork

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 sticks vegan butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 ripe banana ( mashed ) 1/3 cup dairy free milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 cups rolled oats 1 cup walnuts (toasted) 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix Zest of 1 lemon

Recipe:

Toasted Walnuts:

To Toast your walnuts toss them in 1 Tblsp. of Oil of your choice and put them in a 350 degree F oven and Bake for 8-10 Mins on a parchment or silicon lined baking sheet. Take them out let Cool, and then Roughly Chop Them for your cookies.

Cookies: Heat Oven to 375 degrees F Cream Sugar(s), butter, then add vanilla extract and banana and Mix Together Combine Dry Ingredients in separate bowl, Then combine wet ( everything but the milk) with dry and mix. While mixing add instant pudding package and slowly incorporate milk and lemon zest and chopped toasted walnuts. Spoon roughly 2 Tblsp. of mixture on lined baking sheet and place in oven. Bake cookies for 7 mins, then take out of the window and press lightly with back of spoon and put them back in the oven for an additional 7-8 minutes.

Note: cooking times may vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on your cookies!

Pro-tip: Walnuts are a whole food that provide a plethora of Omega 3's and Antioxidants, putting them in the super-food category. They also help to maintain a healthy gut!