Heart Healthy Cookies

• 2 cups walnuts
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups oat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Heart Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and oil cookie sheets (or use a pizza stone)
2. Blend walnuts in food processor until ground into a fine meal. Add canola oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.
3. Whisk together sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.
4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips. I find this dough easier to deal with if I refrigerate it for 30 minutes before rolling it.
5. Roll cookie dough into 2-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten cookies with your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water.
6. Bake until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry ~15-20 minutes.
7. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cook completely.

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