Chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze

Sometimes my taste in food makes absolutely no sense.

Exhibit A: for most of my childhood I hated avocados. Yet somehow, that never stopped me from eating, and enjoying, guacamole.

Which, yes, has onion and lime and cilantro and a bevy of other ingredients, but, for the most part is still just... a giant bowl of mashed avocado.

I also kind of hated oatmeal. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it actually. 

It's not the taste so much as the texture that throws me for a loop every time I think I want a bowl in the morning. It's just so... mushy. 

AND YET: I have always loved oatmeal cookies.

The logic behind this is that, as a rule of thumb, oatmeal cookies are generally pretty soft. 

See, I'm not a fan of overly crunchy cookies. 

Thus, although it's not a guarantee, I'd rather go for the usually soft and chewy oatmeal raisin, then the gamble of a chocolate chip cookie that, despite looking deliciously chewy, may or may not be hard enough to chip a tooth.

And since it's fall, and I like pretending that adding chunks of fruit to my dessert makes it healthy (which, it totally does)--I thought it would be fun to spice things up and trade out the raisins for fresh apples.

The tart, juicy burst of flavor from the apples is just perfect in the midst of the chewy, oatmeal of the dough. Plus, since there's wonderfully nutritious fruit in them... you might as well have another.

Chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
Makes 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 granny smith apple, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, whip together the butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture inside the mixing bowl gradually, mixing until combined. Stir in the oats and apples.

Place rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown in color.

Cinnamon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle over cooled cookies.