Vegan Stevens

jessicasuss
Feb 22, 2012
2 min read

This title is an ode to the Disney Channel Show of yore Even Stevens. Remember when Shia LaBeouf wasn't annoying and horrible? Yeah, me either. My parents were pretty strict with me when I was a little kid and didn't let me watch TV except for on Saturday mornings, and o! What glorious mornings they were. As a child of the 90's, Even Stevens featured prominently in my Saturday morning lineup and while hilarious and frothy, it also had some solid life lessons. Therefore, I didn't feel too guilty watching it past when the parentals said it was time to turn off the TV.

These vegan cookies are similar: they taste sinful but truthfully there's a lot of healthy stuff behind them so you don't have to feel too guilty when you eat all of them and don't share. I'll be the first to say that generally I hate vegan baked goods. I'm sorry, there's just no replacement for butter and milk. Vegan margarine tastes like shampoo. But I wrote this recipe for legitimately tasty vegan cookies that are also super healthy. Everyone wins!

I initially made these for an old roommate who had every dietary restriction in the book so they are vegan, gluten free and very low in sugar. They're also very easy to customize: I recommend toasted pecans, different types of dried fruit and even carob chips if you're feeling wild.

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 c. rolled oats (or halved with 1 c. granola -- I used Bear Naked Fit vanilla almond flavor which only has 4 grams of sugar)

1/3 c. dried berries such as blueberries or cranberries

1 1/2 c. no sugar added all natural applesauce

2 tbs. molasses

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Small handful of trailmix, toasted nuts or whatever else your heart desires

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring well to incorporate the applesauce.

2. Place on greased cooking sheet. They can be fairly close together because they don't spread.