Have a sugar craving? Think smart about it before indulging.

Besides being delightfully high in sugar, oatmeal cookies have plenty of health benefits, especially the multi-grain version with flax seeds, triticale, barley and rye. Can’t find multi-grain oatmeal cereal? Add one or two tablespoons ground flax seeds with the dry ingredients. Newbie vegetarians avoiding diary can use one tablespoon of ground golden flax seeds plus three tablespoons of water for each egg. Allow the mixture to rest for a few minutes before using the mix in a recipe. Full-fat unsweetened soymilk is a great vegetarian replacement for cow’s milk. In addition, this recipe uses plenty of vitamin E and antioxidant rich walnuts. I prefer chunky walnuts to balance the sweetness of the sugars.

As for the chocolate, this recipe uses semi-sweet, which has less sugar and more intense flavor. The better the quality of the chocolate, especially when purchased at health food stores, the more iron it has. Don’t despair if milk chocolate is your favorite, for quality versions are high in calcium. Next time you have a sugar craving, don’t feel too bad if using healthy and smart ingredients.

Chocolate and Walnut Multigrain Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp./1 stick unsalted butter; room temperature
• 1/2-cup white sugar
• 1/2-cup brown sugar
• 2 organic eggs; room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1/2-cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups rolled regular or multigrain oats (not instant)
• 1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg
• A pinch of sea salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2-cup organic whole milk; room temperature
• 8 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate; roughly chopped
• 1-cup walnuts; roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cream butter and sugars in an electric mixer for at least five minutes or until creamy.
3. Meanwhile, whisk flours, oats, nutmeg, sea salt and baking powder together. Set aside.
4. Individually add eggs, beating after each addition until just incorporated. Add the vanilla.
5. Add a third of the flour mixture in the cookie batter and mix until just incorporated. Add half the milk and mix until just incorporated. Continue alternating and ending with the flour.
6. Stir in the chocolate and walnuts.
7. Drop a tablespoon of the cookie batter onto the baking sheets at least one-inch apart. Bake for at least 12 to 17 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
8. Remove cookies from the oven and let rest for two minutes. Remove cookies onto a wire rack. Let cool.

Enjoy with your favorite unsweetened milk.