Honey Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Honey takes the place of refined sugar in these chewy oat cookies, lending floral sweetness and that gorgeous golden edge you get when honey hits a hot oven. Applesauce stands in for half the fat, keeping the crumb tender without weighing down each bite. Egg whites lift the batter into a lighter texture, and quick-cooking oats soak up moisture for chew rather than crunch.

Watch the cookies closely as they bake. Honey browns faster than white sugar, so 12 minutes might be plenty. They will look soft when you pull them out, but that one-minute rest on the sheet firms them up just enough to lift without breaking. The combination of applesauce and reduced-calorie margarine drops the saturated fat without sacrificing the kind of cookie you reach for twice.

Pro Tips

• Line your sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Honey doughs stick more than butter-based ones, especially as they cool.
• Heap the dough rather than rolling it. Rougher tops crisp up while the centers stay soft.
• Pull them when the edges look set but the centers still appear slightly underdone. They keep cooking on the sheet for that final minute.
• Store in an airtight tin with a slice of bread to keep them soft for days.

Variations

• Swap the chocolate chips for chopped dark chocolate and a handful of dried cranberries for a holiday twist.
• Use whole wheat flour for half the all-purpose to push more fiber into each cookie.
• Stir in a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg for a spiced fall version.