Cheese? In a cookie? Oh yes! These cookies are an after-school treat we remember from childhood — not too sweet, with just a touch of brown sugar. But there is still enough sweetness there to make them a welcome ending to a wholesome lunch. The apples are tangy and moist inside, and the cheese is an unexpected savory touch that melts and crackles around the edge of the cookie. These are the perfect lunchbox snack; just the right homebaked treat to take on a trail hike.
The original recipe for these cookies comes from an old Quaker Oats cookbook, now falling to pieces and nearly smeared beyond recognition with the collected years of baking from its pages. The recipe is inspired; just enough sweet, just enough salty.
We adapted it a little, though. We cut out the old-school margarine and substituted healthier olive oil (which also adds a savory round note to these cookies). We added more apple, and less sugar.
The result is a cookie that looks like a jumble of fruit and oats, barely held together in the batter (but they are quite sturdy, we assure you). The cheese melts into a crisp, lacy fritter around the edges, holding them together into one sweet and savory snack.
Apple Gouda Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla OR 1 tablespoon dark rum
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 medium-sized apple (about 10 ounces)
4 ounces Gouda cheese, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the olive oil and egg together in a glass measuring cup until completely combined. Whisk in the vanilla or rum. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, salt, and oats. Stir in the raisins.
Peel and core the apple. Use the coarse side of a grater to grate it directly into the flour. (You should have 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded apple.) Stir in the apple and the chopped Gouda.
Add the liquids from the measuring cup and stir just until everything is moistened. The dough will be loose and clumpy. Drop in large spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. They will be very soft still. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Related: Brunch Recipe: Crispy Turnovers with Apple, Bacon, and Caramelized Onions
(Images: Faith Durand)
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These sound wonderful and like they would be a great snack to have with an apertif.
Wow. These look and sound amazing, Faith. I'm so surprised to hear that this is an old recipe; the gouda just seems like such a modern twist. I think I'm going to have to pick up some gouda and give these a whirl this weekend. Thanks for dusting this one off for us!
Oh, I should have said - they originally had cheddar. I added the Gouda! :)
I was wondering about that, too, since cheddar + apple is the classic pairing.
Great! I keep trying to find ways to get more protein into my little ones lunches and snacks for staying power. She has such a long day. I bet she will love these. Except I can't call them cookies, or she won't like them. Clusters? Nah. My mom could get us to eat vegetables by calling them h'ors d'oeurves. Any suggestions?
Oh, man. I LOVE gouda! And oatmeal cookies are my fav. I must try these.
I love these cookies! My young kids enjoyed them for breakfasts, and now that they are married they still love them. Must try next with the Gouda.
These are really good! We didn't have any ground ginger in the house, so I substituted cinnamon. I also threw in about a tablespoon of maple syrup we had left after breakfast pancakes. I was going to cut down on the oil to 1/2 or even 1/3 cup but got worried the cookies would be too dry. Next time I will cut back as there seemed to be more than enough oil.
OK, add these to my list for "what's cooking this weekend" I'm thinking of SMOKED Gouda and almost no sugar, making more of a snack to have with a glass of cold white wine than a cookie. We'll see!
I want to try these in the waffle iron. I bet that would work pretty nicely too.
This recipe is outstanding! I made them with cheddar instead of gouda and and added walnuts. They were fantastic. My entire family loved them. :-)
From the moment I told my boyfriend the ingredients of these cookies I wanted to make, he was sceptacle. Even while at the store he asked me if I was sure that I didn't want to make chocolate chip cookies. I made them tonight and have received an apology and a promise that he would never doubt me again. These are more than just cookies. They are a hearty, delicious snack. Incredibly easy to put together. Next time we are going to throw in some walnuts. Thanks for the recipe!
I wonder if these would work baked in a tin as granola-type bars instead of cookies?
I made these last week as written and they were great. I did substitute dried cranberries for the raisins and used Holland walnut gouda. Next time I make them, I might add another 1/2 apple because the flavor only came through a little bit...or maybe a tart apple like granny smith would work well. Thank you! @ saucefiend, I think you could bake them in a tin that way, but they are really more soft than granola like. Not crunchy at all.
These were really different--definitely a very savory cookie! My husband really doesn't go for sweets and he loved these. We both agree that, next time, I would use a granny smith apple (rather than the ginger gold that I had on hand--very tasty on its own, but it kind of got lost among the cheese, olive oil, egg flavor in the cookie) and probably add some honey to the mix to sweeten everything up. I made 12 large cookies with this recipe and sort of formed the cookies into round, flat disks (1/2 in) on the cookie sheet and baked for 20 minutes at 375 degrees--everything came out perfect and the cookies (surprisingly) held the shape that I put them in, so they had a nicer presentation than I expected.
I made these last fall and they were amazing! For some reason I forgot about the recipe but I'm glad I found it bookmarked. I subbed cranberries for the raisins because I just don't like raisins. Can't wait to make them again!
Yummy and healthy cookies! Mine stayed pretty soft and didn't harden up though, which may be because of how I stored them. Also, I used smoked gouda cheese, which gave a great taste to the cookies.
They sound yummy! I was just wondering about the 'apple'? I can't vision getting 1 1/2 - 2 cups from one medium apple?
Should I just keep gratting until I get 2 cups?
Have you tried using the cheddar, but without oil?
Oh MY!! so any questions!!
I am diabetic and always looking for good after meal treats or a 'good' snack to have with my tea......thanks for sharing
hugs