Oatmeal Brownie Cookies

These little cookies are my own little concoction using many of my favorite cookie add-ins.  By using brownie mix as a base, these cookies come together very quickly and are nice and chocolaty. 

The amount of chocolate in the brownie mix also lends itself as a perfect vehicle for some healthy ingredients (trust me, no one will know they’re there!).  The addition of oatmeal, flax and wheat germ provide some extra fiber, plus the oatmeal absorbs the extra liquid from the brownies to make them more cookie-like.

Now, the next healthy ingredient is purple puree (find the recipe here).  Purple puree is a Sneaky Chef recipe made with spinach and blueberries.  Yes, I said spinach.  But don’t be put off by it!  As long as you get a nice smooth puree no one (not even your kids or husband) will notice it.  There is surprisingly no residual spinach taste and the dark brown color of the chocolate camouflages all traces of the purple.  These cookies are great, because while they do have a lot of sugar, they have so many healthy ingredients that I don’t feel guilty for giving my son one for dessert!

Oatmeal Brownie Cookies

1 box of brownie mix

            Eggs, as indicated on the box

            ¾ cup purple puree + half the oil called for on the box – OR-

                        Water and oil, as indicated on the box

2 heaping tbsp wheat germ

2 heaping tbsp ground flax seed

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 small package of M&M’s

Mix together brownie mix, eggs, oil, puree (or full amounts of oil and water), wheat germ, and flax until smooth.

Stir in oats, chocolate chips and M&Ms.  Let stand for at least an hour to let the oatmeal absorb some of the liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (trust me, these stick terribly without it)

Drop cookies 2 ½ inches apart on prepared cookie sheets using a cookie scoop or 2 table spoons.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops look satiny.  Let cool for a couple minutes on parchment paper.  Before they are completely cool, peel off parchment paper and continue cooling.

Enjoy!

Amy