Florentine Style Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

We all enjoy a sweet treat, but one that is loaded with healthy ingredients and has great flavor is definitely ideal. Susanne suggests scooping these cookies while the dough is soft and fairly liquid so that the cookies spread out and are almost like Florentine’s in texture. The recipe makes 3 dozen and trust me, hide some as they will disappear in record time. We all enjoy a sweet treat, but one that is

loaded with healthy ingredients and has great flavor is definitely ideal.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

¾ cup oat flour (rolled oats can be pulverized in the food processor until fine)

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup nuts, walnuts, pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped

1 cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup brown rice syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Heat the oven in the Convection mode 325 ℉. Line  two flat cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the rolled oats, flour, salt, baking soda, nuts and chocolate chips in a large bowl and mix together. In a smaller bowl combine, oil, maple syrup, brown rice syrup and vanilla and whisk together.Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

Scoop the dough with a tablespoon cookie scoop and place the mounds at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets so they have room to spread while baking. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until crisp. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool and continue baking.

Variations: Add lemon zest, orange zest, crystalized ginger or dried fruit.

Makes 30 - 36 cookies