Coconut Oil Strawberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are sweet, chewy, soft, and bursting with strawberries and white chocolate chips.  Pretty to look at, delicious to eat, and healthy to boot!  Oh, and did I mention they are mixed in only one bowl?  And that you don't have to chill the dough before baking??

 

I'm finally getting around to Valentine's Day food!

Strawberries are red,
Oats add the chew,
White chocolate and coconut oil,
These cookies rule!
 
(pretty legit, no?) 
I'm taking the liberty of calling these holiday treats because there is red in these cookies! 

 

 

These cookies are incredible.  My family gave them 10 out of 10, which is pretty good considering these are not your average cookie.  Thanks to some easy substitutions, this cookie is good for you!
I now have coconut oil!  I just got my newest jar.  It was on my Christmas list, but my secret santa had it defer to an iTunes giftcard (which I have been loving!)  This is the first recipe I've made with it.  Coconut oil really has no coconut flavor at all and subs 1:1 for oils and butters.  Also with the coconut oil, I used applesauce.  Applesauce can leave baked goods dry or tough or sometimes even crumbly, because it is wet, but not oily.  But because these cookies use all brown sugar (the more brown sugar, the chewier the cookie) and oats, they don't fall apart like some other applesauce cookies I've tried (either from being too moist or too dry)  There is enough coconut oil in these to balance the applesauce and make them taste buttery without the extra fat and calories.

I think the strawberries and white chocolate are so pretty together.  Not only are they a colorful couple, they taste incredible together!  I didn't count on the strawberries adding as much moisture as they did, so I did have to tack on a couple more minutes of baking time, but they were worth it.  (If you are using frozen, I would encourage you to quickly scoop your first batch onto the cookie sheet and then refrigerate or freeze the remaining dough while the first batch is baking, so that the strawberries don't bleed into the dough.  I didn't use fresh, but I assume you would want to do the same with them.)  The strawberries retain their juicy sweetness in the cookie and pair with the creamy white chocolate chips.  Between the oats, the strawberries, and the white chocolate chips, we've got a party for the tastebuds right here.  And one for your diet, because these are pretty darn good for desserts!  (if you are pointing to the sugar and white chocolate chips, I'm covering my ears and pretending not to hear.  what is a dessert without sugar???)

Then we've got the aforementioned oats.  Oats are a great source of fiber and add heartiness to just about anything!  They give a ton of texture to this cookie, so even though it is "lighter," you can still get your daily chew out of it.  I love textured cookies!  For even more stick with ya goodness, there is whole wheat flour hiding behind the strawberries and white chocolate.  I used half whole wheat, half white, but you can use all white if that is what you have on hand.  You can try all whole wheat, I don't know how it would turn out, but if you do, let me know!

 

 

For the sake of cleaning the pan, I made sure the diced strawberries were never at the bottom of the cookies.  Also, I pressed a few reserved white chocolate chips on top of the cookies before baking.  It only takes about a minute extra and you get eye-catching cookies AND more white chocolate!

 

I know Valentine's Day desserts are more formal (and I have one coming) but for a lower key meal, these make a fabulous, family pleaser dessert! 

 

Coconut Oil Strawberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 18 cookies

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oats
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup diced strawberries (frozen is best)

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt your coconut oil.

Whisk in the applesauce, egg, and vanilla.  Make sure the egg is beaten in well.

Add in salt, flours, sugar, and baking soda. 

Stir in oats.

Add white chocolate chips and strawberries.

Using a two tablespoon cookie scoop, place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-13 minutes.

Let cool for five minutes on cookie sheet before moving to a wire rack.

Eat warm or let cool completely before serving.

 

Notes:  If you are using frozen strawberries, I would encourage you to quickly scoop your first batch onto the cookie sheet and then refrigerate or freeze the remaining dough while the first batch is baking, so that the strawberries don't bleed into the dough.  I didn't use fresh, but I assume you would want to do the same with them.