Sunday 4 March 2012

a little bit of this, a little bit of that- yummy healthy cookies


My son is a picky eater. He is a typical toddler in is finickiness. My main concern with him is ensuring that he gets enough protein and essential fats in his diet. One of the ways I do this is by sneaking in extra nutrients. He likes these "cookies" because there are lots of surprises in them that he likes.

 I don't know what else to call them. They are cookies, but they are healthy and they are DELICIOUS. This is my take on a recipe from Planet Organic. I've ramped up the nutrient factor, toned down the sugary factor, while maintaining flavor and deliciousness.We all eat them now. Much healthier than a granola bar or other "go to" snack. I use organic, sulphate free ingredients whenever possible.



The recipe is very flexible. You can't really go wrong. Here's what I've tried that works:

2.25 cups of quick cooking oats
2 cups of a combination of any of the following: spelt flour, amaranth, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, black bean flour, ground flax seed, oat bran.*
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds, or hemp, or a combo of both
cinnamon to taste (about a tablespoon  or so)
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup organic dark chocolate chips (more or less depending on your taste)
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup water (you may need to add more if batter seems too dry once all liquids have been added)
1/4 cup black strap molasses
 1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
3/4 cup coconut oil, almond oil or your favorite vegetable oil (I like using coconut whenever possible because of its health benefits)
1 cup of almond milk, coconut milk, or cow's milk (you could use soy, personally, I'm not a fan of soy for various reasons. I haven't tried rice milk)

* when mixing these ingredients, don't use more than 1/4 cup of black bean flour, or else its flavor overpowers. Make the bulk of the 2 cups a "flour" of some kind of flour (spelt, amaranth, quinoa flour, whole wheat) and the remainder black bean flour, ground flax, oat bran.

Mix together all dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, add together, combine. Place a heaping tablespoon of batter, flattened a little with back of spoon on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack- then enjoy!

Let me know what you think and be sure to share your own ideas of what to add to or substitute into this recipe.



xo Jo

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