"I can't believe these are healthy cookies," my friends say. That and, “I would make these. Send me the recipe, will you?”

So here I am today, back from a small blogging break, to share with you a fantastic recipe that a number of you have asked for.

I consider it a transitional recipe because it’s pretty much sugar-free and dairy free, and it’s chock-full of those good things like oats, raisins, nuts, and coconut. But if you’re gluten-free, the cup of flour keeps it from fitting into that category, and it does have (dark) chocolate chips which are kind of a small cheat.

But really these are healthier than most breakfast cereals out there and definitely better for you than 99% of the cookies on the supermarket shelves.

The inspiration for this comes from the Two Sisters’ Cookbook, but I’ve made my own alterations to accommodate dairy-free and the “a little bit of chocolate, please” cravings.

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wet Ingredients:
½ cup coconut oil, melted (or 1 stick butter, softened)
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon flax + 3 tbsp. water (or 1 egg)
1 tsp. vanilla

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 cup unbleached flour)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. sea salt
2 cups rolled oats
¾ cup raisins
½ cup chocolate chips (or substitute date pieces)
1 cup nuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut (works without the coconut too)

• Mix wet ingredients together. Then add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Form into tablespoon-sized balls. Then flatten the dough slightly.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
• Yields about 42 cookies