Ingredients

* 1/2 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 apples, diced (you can use any variety -
I prefer Fuji or Pink lady but you can also mix types or add in some Granny Smith for a tarter flavor)
Juice of half lemon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon
* 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
A pinch or two of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 cup to 1 cup quick cook oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
(You can also make this dough a few hours or even a day or so in advance - they are better when the dough sits for a while).
Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat, careful not to overheat.
Mix the diced apple in a medium bowl with the maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Slowly whisk the brown sugar into the melted coconut oil. Continually stir for 3-5 minutes, letting the sugar melt into the oil.
Add the diced apple mixture to the sugar and oil. Reduce heat to low and continue to caramelize while combining the rest of the ingredients (about 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently).
Make applesauce mixture by combining applesauce with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
Turn off the heat on the skillet, and pour the coconut oil apple mixture into a bowl. Set in the fridge or freezer and let the mixture cool until the oil has slightly firmed.
Combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
Stir in the applesauce mixture.
Once coconut oil has hardened slightly, add it to the flour/applesauce mixture and stir until it has formed a moist dough.
Slowly add in the oats until the consistency of the dough thickens and is no longer runny.
The amount of oats will vary based on the wetness of the other ingredients, so just eyeball this until the dough seems firm enough to roll into large balls.
Form dough into balls. They should be a little larger than a generous-sized meatball, and there should be enough for about 10-15 cookies.
I used my largest cookie scoop and I got 15 fairly large cookies
Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You may need 2 cookie sheets to ensure that you have enough space between the cookies (at least an inch).
Press the cookies down using a fork or your hand. They shouldn’t be completely flat.

Cook 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.

Once the cookies are done, you can sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, top with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey or caramel or a dollop of whipped cream, frost them with cream cheese icing, or just eat them plain! They’re delicious any which way.