Hi, and welcome to the Cooking Forum!

Oatmeal cookies are sorta bland without something to spice them up a bit. I like cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts or pecans, and even sometimes chocolate chips. But none of those things are necessary.

Here's a recipe I found that "might" work for you & provide a bit more flavor profile that just plain. No egg yolks or butter since you mentioned watching cholesterol and fats. I haven't made these cookies but I don't see anything inherently "wrong" with the recipe. The molasses goes good with oatmeal. If you don't have molasses in your cupboard - the national brand I buy is "Grandma's Molasses". It's not expensive & is available at any grocery store. If you don't like or have cinnamon and/or raisins - just omit - it won't affect the recipe's baking qualities.

SUGAR AND FAT FREE OATMEAL COOKIES

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. equivalent sugar substitute (Splenda for recipes)
1/4 c. molasses
1/3 c. oil
1/2 c. skim milk
1 c. raisins

These cookies may be counted as fat-free on some diet plans when 1 serving of 2 cookies is consumed. Technically, these cookies contain a small amount of fat and sugar per serving.

Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon and brown sugar substitute. Stir in oats. Combine egg whites, oil, milk, vanilla and raisins and add to flour mixture. Mix well. Drop batter (1 teaspoon) on lightly oiled cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 375�F for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on texture desired. Shorter baking time results in a chewy soft cookie, the longer time in a crisp cookie.

Servings 36.

Nutrition (per serving): 134 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.3g total fat, less than 1mg cholesterol, 23.7mg sodium, 93.7mg potassium, 27.1g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 19.3g sugar, 1.7g protein.

If this doesn't work or you hate molasses - let us know & we'll keep thinking. Also, we'll be glad to help with the actual baking. Most of us love to bake cookies! :)

/tricia

Oops! Forgot...

Omit the Splenda and substitute a tablespoon of honey.

/tricia

Sorry to hear you have all these food-related challenges, but you may need/want to purchase the right ingredients so you CAN have treats.

Can you use stevia, low-glycemic palm sugar or low-glycemic agave nectar? BTW, "sugar" isn't the only carbohydrate in cookies you should concern yourself with. All carbs count and flour is very high on the Glycemic Index of Foods and I would consider eliminating flour as much as "sugar".

If you use applesauce, bananas, dates, raisins, juice concentrate, etc. as non-sugar sweeteners, you can achieve a "sugar-free" product, but there ARE sugars (carbohydrates) in those substitute sweeteners and the flour that raise blood sugar just as there is in table sugar. It's the total amount of carbs from all sources for your daily intake no matter what the source is.

You may want to try low-carb flours like coconut flour and almond flour and eliminate wheat flour (bleached, unbleached and whole wheat) from your diet. The recipe at the link below would be a low-glycemic alternative if eaten in moderation with a mixed meal that includes fat and protein.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Anja's Food 4 Thought

Here's another recipe that might work for you, but I would suggest you use bananas that are under-ripe (or at least two out of the three bananas be under-ripe). "The less ripe a banana is, the more resistant starch it contains, and so the slower it is absorbed by the body and the lower its GI. This means more undigested starch passes into the large intestine, so a greener banana means you'll absorb fewer calories." Resistant starches include not only under-ripe bananas, but also cold potatoes, under-cooked pasta, hi-maize resistant starch.

Resistant Starch and Diabetes - http://www.livestrong.com/article/471546-resistant-starch-diabetes/

Leave the raisins out to reduce the total sugars (carbs) even more. Add a little stevia for more sweetness, if desired.

-Grainlady

SUGARLESS OATMEAL COOKIES
(source: Cooks.com -- http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,145162-245198,00.html)

3 bananas, mashed
2 c. uncooked quick cooking oats
1/4 c. raisins
1/3 c. reduced calorie butter, melted
1/4 c. skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Developed for diabetics, or if on low fat, low-cholesterol diets or if you just like to eat healthy.

Combine all ingredients, beating well. Let stand 5 minutes so oats will absorb moisture. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheets; transfer to wire racks and cool.

Serving amount: 1 cookie. Exchanges 1/2 starch. Cholesterol trace. Calories 45. Carbohydrates 8 gm. Protein 1 gm. Fat 1 gm. Fiber trace. Sodium 73 mg.

hi,
yes, dr said I can have LIMITED sugar. I seem to actually have that under control. Chol, is what was bad last visit, and before I had that under control...so every year I lose one, then gain it back, and lose another it seems. Now, I want to lose them all. :)
I personally do not want to use a substitute. just don't. would rather use a fruit, and count it as my fruit portion.
i dont have molasses in my cupboard, and guess would prefer not to use it, or honey. I have honey, as one of my kids loves it. yuk. :)
and I don't mind eating bland, or eating foods good for me. ex: #3 baby, I forced myself to eat broccoli, and that kid loves it. I tolerated it, and now i kinda like it. so, i just deal with it.
thanks...
need some bananas and then will try the last recipe...

oh, I don't eat the foods I make with flour anymore, but i love cookies and would like a few... thats why oatmeal is one I want to start making again. no flour....

what is "palm sugar" and what is "almond flour".

these are new, and I have no idea what they are, and where do i find them?????

--Palm sugar is a low-glycemic sugar made from the sap of the Palmyra palm tree. It works like sugar in cooking and baking and has a caramel-like flavor, and is a tawny brown color. I order it on-line from several different places (currently using NAVITAS organic palm sugar). You might want to check with your health care professional before using this. I have several friends with diabetes who can't use Splenda (one friend ends up in the hospital each time she is unknowingly served Splenda) and use palm sugar in moderation without any problem. But each person is different.

--Another sugar substitute I've been trying is SWERVE (made from Erythritol). This product is safe for diabetics.

--Almond flour is made from ground almonds. It is high in protein (6 g. per 28 g. serving) and low in carbohydrates (6 g. per 28 g. serving). I purchase it in 5-pound bags from Honeyville Grain Farms (http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx), but I also sprout and dry whole almonds and grind my own in my little Wonder Mill, Jr., as well as using almond pulp leftover from homemade almond milk I make. I dry the pulp in the dehydrator or use it moist. I make cookies, crackers, and there is even a recipe for Almond Pulp Freezer Fudge I'm going to try.

Check out Elana Amsterdam's web site (www.elanaspantry.com) for recipes using almond flour. I've about worn out her cookbook "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook". She uses agave nectar in most of her recipes, and that's another low-glycemic sweetener you may want to check with your health care professional before using it.

--Coconut Flour is a high fiber, low-carb, gluten-free alternative to wheat. You can find lots of recipes using it on-line and I love the book by Bruce Fife, N.D. "Cooking with Coconut Flour". Most of the recipes can be made with alternative sweeteners.

Diabetes is rampant in hubby's family, so I work hard at making foods that will hopefully help prevent him from ever getting it. We don't do without our favorite goodies, I just make them with different ingredients.

-Grainlady

We like these, but speaking with my doctor hat on, they should be very rare indulgences and only in small portions. Check your blood sugar after eating one and see wha it does to you. There is a lot of sugar in a banana.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Your best strategy, if you want to keep to such a strict diet, is to buy a cookie now and then, cut it into 4 pieces, and eat one piece a day.

Portion control is the key to cutting fat, calories, cholesterol, sodium, etc. Baking and keeping cookies around is just an unnecessary temptation. It's much easier to keep to a diet if the "dangerous" foods are not around. I speak from experience

Good luck.

Listen to Mom. When you are fighting blood sugar issues, molasses, honey, etc. are no better for you than white sugar. You really are better off with calorie free sweeteners, if you must have something sweet. Beware fruit juice too. I know it's hard, but better to cultivate non-food interests.

Welcome to the cooking forum! And thank you for asking this question. I have been looking for an oatmeal cookie recipe with molassas for years! Thanks for posting that one, Tricia! I will be trying it. I have everything but the milk. Guess I will be trying it with powdered milk.

Tami

Today I made the recipe I linked in my earlier post in this thread - "Anja's Food 4 Thought" - and we loved them. Great for anyone needing a gluten-free cookie. The cookies are lace cookies - thin and crispy - and delightful with a cup of tea. -Grainlady

VANILLA OATMEAL ALMOND COOKIES

1 egg
1/3 cup palm sugar (you could substitute brown sugar)
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used 2 T. butter and 2 T. coconut oil)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (almond flavoring would be good as well)
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Yields 20-25 [I made 34 small cookies.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preheat the oven to 175C/375F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine egg and sugar and beat until creamy. Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until well combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine oats, flour, and baking powder. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Drop teaspoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-3 inches space between the drops. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. Bake for about 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Let cool completely on wire rack, before storing in airtight container.

As a diabetic, I generally just find any recipe I like and then substitute All Fruit spread for the sugar. It can be interesting finding the best flavor matches and amounts, but I've found it has very little impact on my often volatile glucose levels.

slowlane-

Have you experimented with sugar-free apple butter (homemade or commercial), or just All Fruit spreads? I've often wondered if sugar-free apple butter wouldn't work well as a sugar substitute like you use All Fruit. I would think the cinnamon in sugar-free apple butter would be a secondary benefit for a Type II diabetic, as well.

-Grainlady

I just made the cookies "SUGARLESS OATMEAL COOKIES", from Grainlady. They are not bad, but the kids say they are dry and a bit tasteless unless you eat a raisin. They don't like raisins either :) .
Now, I want to keep this recipe, but add one or two ingredients to make a taste a bit better. Would cinnamon help? What can I add that won't hurt me too much? Applesauce?
And what causes the dryness taste?

thanks!!!