Don't say diet: Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Most healthy eaters wouldn't chow down on oatmeal cookies for breakfast, but today's recipe makes a sweet compromise that can get the day off to a nutritious start.

Rachael Ray's oatmeal cookie pancakes feature oats and fruit, but several other ingredients send this recipe's calorie and fat content soaring. Two of her pancakes with ¼ cup of maple syrup contain 609 calories and 17 grams of fat.

You can have two of my oatmeal cookie pancakes topped with ¼ cup of applesauce for 318 calories and 9.4 grams of fat.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup white whole wheat flour

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons vanilla

½ cup light sour cream

½ cup fat-free milk

½ cup egg substitute

2 really ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed up

½ cup raisins

¼ cup canola oil, divided use

2¼ cup no-sugar- added applesauce, divided use

Mix together oats, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix ¼ cup of the applesauce, the vanilla, egg substitute, light sour cream and fat-free milk. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ones until just combined, then fold in the mashed-up bananas and raisins. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the canola oil.

Heat a griddle over medium heat and lightly brush the griddle with remaining tablespoon of canola oil. Pour ¼ cupfuls of batter onto the griddle and cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked.

Just before serving, put the remaining 2 cups of applesauce in a microwave-safe container and microwave until warm.