Want to impress your friends and family without letting your waistline pay the price? Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to your kitchen and make these cookies now!

The perfect combination of chew, spice and sweetness, these cookies are sure to be a hit with family and friends.

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light will work just fine, whatever you have on hand)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup light or dark molasses
• 7 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour

For the “rolling sugar”:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

I know you’ll ask, so I’m going to tell you right now that all of these spices are IMPERATIVE – they are crucial to the cookie’s overall flavor and perfectly spiced ratio – I promise

In order to bring you thise lovely recipe, I scoured some of my favorite gingerbread and spice cookies and added some of my own twists to make it healthy and wholesome – without sacrificing flavor. The sugary topping really takes this cookie over the top, so DO NOT leave that step out.

First, preheat oven to 375°F. Then coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or nonstick foil. If you have one of those fancy nonstick mats, that will work too (just know I resent you and your fancy gadgets).

Next we’ll want to get our rolling sugar ready pulse 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest in a blender food processor until well combined. Set aside.

Now it’s time for the main attraction – the dough! Grind oats in a blender until they look like a fine powder ( about 1 to 2 minutes)

Beat butter and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons orange zest and beat another 2 minutes. Add molasses, applesauce, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, pepper and salt; beat on medium-high until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

Turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the ground oats. Scrape down the bowl and slowly add whole-wheat flour.

Using a slightly rounded tablespoon of dough, roll into balls, then roll in the rolling sugar to coat. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies in batches until the tops are cracked, but the centers are still soft and puffy (about 10 minutes).

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet, lest you burn a finger (and tongue!). Serve warm or cool – preferably with a glass of milk.

In the Mister’s words, he said these taste like a chewy ginger snap, with a hint of orange and all rounded off with a sugary explosion. Now how can you resist that?

I’ll be featuring a few other of my favorite holiday cookies, so stay tuned throughout the month for more delicious, healthified creations!