Oatmeal Cookies Minus the Dairy & Egg

We recently had to omit both dairy and egg from our son's diet, so I will be sharing some dairy and egg free recipes now and then.  My son's chocolate-mint birthday cake turned out amazing (and I'll post that another time)... Cookies have been hit and miss.  Paper thin...  Too greasy...  Fortunately, these oatmeal cookies turned out chewy and delicious!  The dough is super yummy, and safe to eat too!

Oatmeal Cookies Minus the Dairy & Egg

Ingredients

1/2 cup of margarine (Earth Balance Buttery Spread) and/or shortening (Spectrum)
1/2 cup plain sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup raisins (or chopped prunes, dried apricots, chocolate chips, nuts, etc)

Method

Cream together the shortening, Earth Balance, and sugars.  Add the applesauce and vanilla, and beat until fluffy.  In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Combine with the oatmeal.  Mix the flour mixture into the liquid mixture about 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir in the raisins.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use baking spray).  Drop generous spoons of the cookie dough onto the sheet, about 1 inch apart (these don't spread much), flatten each drop a bit with the back of a wet spoon, or just use your finger dipped in water.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (or until slightly golden brown), transfer to a wire rack to cool, and eat!  Makes roughly three dozen cookies.