Featured Recipes

January 15, 2009, 5:16 pm
updated Jan 16, 2009, 11:32 am

Homemade Cookies: made with healthy grains, but enjoy in moderation

Disclaimer: mom and I have pretty strict ideas when it comes to food. Specifically, whole food vs. processed food. We believe it’s better to eat whole foods (but smaller quantities) than it is to have a diet filled with processed, fortified, low-fat, high-calorie packaged foods.

That being said, here is a healthy cookie we recently made, inspired by a Rancho La Puerta* recipe.

These cookies were a total hit! We brought the batch down to the studio last week and they disappeared quickly. A bit crumbly and not too sweet (unless you get a piece of chocolate) they were eaten up by adults and children.

Beware, these cookies aren’t cheap in the calorie department (98 calories per cookie!), but they are made with whole, healthful ingredients. So don’t feel guilty, instead, enjoy each bite –just don’t over do it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (224 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (90 grams) brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (244 grams) non-fat milk
• 2 cups (164 grams) rolled oats
• 1 cup (86 grams) wheat germ
• 1 cup (38 grams) Total cereal or any wheat flake cereal
• 1 cup (122 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup (78 grams) almonds, sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (162 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips, we used Ghirardelli
• 1/2 cup (54 grams) sour cherries, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350˙F

In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then the milk, beating until combined (the milk might not combine completely, that’s okay.)

In a separate bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, cereal, pastry flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips and sour cherries.

Add oat mixture to the milk mixture and mix on the lowest speed until thoroughly combined. Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop (1 1/2” across) to scoop dough onto cookie sheets sprayed with a non-stick spray or lightly oiled. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned.

We got 4 dozen cookies from this recipe using a 1 1/2” ice cream scoop. A serving is 1 cookie.

At our home, in order to not eat too many cookies, we give them away. Take them to the office, give them to a neighbor, or give them to the church kitchen. It’s a win-win situation; you get to eat a few cookies, then get them out of your home and you’re a hero to those you give the cookies to.

*Rancho La Puerta is Baja California’s premier resort spa, founded in 1940 by Deborah Szekely. With the most current cookbook, Cooking with the Seasons at Ranch La Puerta - Recipes from the World Famous Spa by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider, the authors hope to let people know that food is not the enemy. “…food isn’t about crime and punishment (the “crime” of eating and the “punishment” of dieting). Food is the very force of life, and eating simply and healthfully is one of life’s most profound pleasures.” In Cooking with the Seasons, "The spa experience is transported to your home kitchen, changing the way you think about food and cooking…and just possibly, changing your life.”

View our cookbook shop

Previous | Next Journal Archive