These cookies are evidence that when it comes to food, I am one of the most suggestible individuals around. It was particularly cold out last night, dropping to below freezing for the first time this winter season. I came home from a dinner of cheap (but delicious) Indian food with a friend. Moments after I walked in the door, Scott said, "You know what would be good tonight? Cookies!"

Instantly, I realized the correctness in his statement and soon after was headed to the kitchen. However, much to his disappointment, I took the opportunity to tweak my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe into something a little healthier by using whole wheat flour and honey for the sweetener. The resulting cookies were wonderful, but a discerning eater can tell that they aren't your typical, white flour, brown sugar cookies. Check out the recipe after the jump.

This is very strange timing, since I spent the entire weekend craving oatmeal cookies for some reason. I consider this, plus the fact that today is Oatmeal Cookie Day a sign from the Gods that I need to go out and get oatmeal cookies.

Here's a recipe from Epicurious, and here's one from JoyOfBaking.com. Or how about a little twist on the traditional cookie, with this recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies and this one for Beth's Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

And don't forget my twist, these Black & White Oatmeal Cookies from December's Cookie-A-Day extravaganza.

One of my goals this year is to eat more oatmeal, so I'd like to thank the Official Food Holiday Naming Gods for making the very first month of the year National Oatmeal Month.

Quaker has a bunch of great recipes, including Banana Bread Oatmeal and Berry Almond Crumble. Alton Brown has a couple of recipes, Steel Cut Oatmeal and Overnight Oatmeal. Or how about trying this Crockpot Apple Oatmeal?

Of course, you could put the oatmeal in cookies, as in these Black and White Oatmeal Cookies, these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, and The Best Cookies in the Galaxy.

I'm embarrassed to admit that it never occurred to me to put a chocolate drizzle on oatmeal raisin cookies. I always kept my chocolate and raisins separated (though I have mixed chocolate and dried cranberries with near-reckless abandon) when it comes to oatmeal cookies. If a picture is anything to go on - and a mouthwatering photo often is - then I have been missing out.

The Fanatic Cook posted the recipe for these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies just the other day. The cookies themselves are a healthier makeover of the classic cookie recipe found on boxes of Quaker oatmeal, with significantly less sugar than the original recipe called for and whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose. The reduction in sugar sounds like it would be worth a shot for anyone watching his or her intake, although the chocolate-drizzle strategy could certainly be applied to just about any recipe you choose.

Reducing fats in baked goods is difficult, without question. The reason that so many recipes involve copious amounts of butter and sugar is that they taste best that way. Shortbread without butter is just a cracker and a pecan pie without sugar is just a bunch of nuts. Since baking is actually more science – a delicious science - than not, each ingredient in a recipe has a role to play, so changing them can adversely effect the outcome you are trying to achieve when your real goal is to indulge without expanding your waistline.

Fats in particular are important. They are important to dieters and they are important to bakers. Light Life, which is a new feature here at Slashfood, is going to take a look at lightened and low fat recipes, as well as at some commercially avaliable products, like baking mixes.