Mrs Fields' Applesauce Oaties

These oatmeal cookies borrow from the Mrs. Fields playbook and pack every bite with something good: chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, and warm spices, all held together by a soft dough made moist with ¾ cup of applesauce.

The applesauce is the secret to the texture. It keeps these cookies soft and chewy days after baking, unlike butter-heavy cookies that crisp up as they cool. Combined with the oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg, every cookie smells like fall baking.

Whisk the dry ingredients separately with a wire whisk before combining. This distributes the baking powder, soda, and spices evenly so you don’t end up with random pockets of cinnamon or salty bites.

Pro Tips

• Beat the sugars and butter into a grainy paste before adding the egg and applesauce. That grainy texture is right. Don’t over-cream it into something fluffy.
• Mix the flour mixture in at low speed just until combined. Overmixing makes oatmeal cookies tough.
• Transfer cookies to a flat surface immediately after baking. Leaving them on the hot sheet keeps cooking the bottoms.
• Use quick-cooking oats, not old-fashioned. They absorb more moisture and give a smoother texture.

Variations

• Swap chocolate chips for butterscotch or white chocolate chips for a different sweetness profile.
• Replace walnuts with pecans for a more buttery nut flavor.
• Use chunky applesauce for small pockets of apple throughout each cookie.