By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-10-01

Servings: 45

Yield: about 45 cookies

Total Time: 1 hour

Prep Time: 15 minutes

To Make Ahead: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.

Recipe Description:

Here's a new take on an American classic. Tahini (sesame paste) makes the cookies sophisticated for adults and lower in saturated fat, while brown sugar and chocolate keeps them ever so delicious for the whole family.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 2 cups rolled oats, (not quick-cooking)
2. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 1/2 cup tahini, (see Ingredient note)
8. 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
9. 2/3 cup granulated sugar, or 1/3 cup , Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
10. 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
11. 1 large egg
12. 1 large egg white
13. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
14. 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
15. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Recipe Steps:

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat tahini and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended into a paste. Add granulated sugar (or Splenda) and brown sugar; continue beating until well combined—the mixture will still be a little grainy. Beat in egg, then egg white, then vanilla. Stir in the oat mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
3. With damp hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball, place it on a prepared baking sheet and flatten it until squat, but don't let the sides crack. Continue with the remaining batter, spacing the flattened balls 2 inches apart.
4. Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pans cool for a few minutes before baking another batch.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Ingredient Note: Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Look for it in natural-foods stores and some supermarkets.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per cookie: 101 calories; 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat, 1g mono unsaturated fat); 7 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 45 mg sodium; 56 mg potassium

Nutrtion Note: Per cookie with Splenda: 97 calories, 12 g carbohydrate.

Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Dessert

Cuisine(s)

American

Degree of Difficulty

Moderate

Special Health Consideration(s)

Low Calorie

Low Carb

Low Sat Fat

Low Sodium

Heart Healthy

Diabetes Appropriate

Healthy Weight

Seasons & Occassions

Spring

Fall

Summer

Winter

Fourth of July

Housewarming

Entertainment

Picnic

Super Bowl

Technique(s)

Bake

Hand Mixer

Dish Type(s)

Baked Goods

Desserts

Other

Cookies

Cookies

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.