Deanna's Daughter

Waverly was horribly excited when she came bursting into the room with a story to tell.  ‘Mom! Guess what?!!’, she exclaimed, ‘Dad and I had a race to the gate and I scored!!’.  So cute!

This is adapted from a recipe I saw recently on Dinner with Julie – they were/are very good and we actually had them for dinner with a frittata – why not? The girls thought cookies for dinner was a marvelous idea.

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 c. margarine

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 c. flour

2 c. large flake oatmeal

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 c. fresh blueberries

Cream together the margarine and sugar and then add in the egg and vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and then add into the cookie mix and combine well.  Add in the nuts and then carefully fold in the blueberries.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.  They should have browned edges and soft looking middles and then when they cool, they will still be chewy.

I borrowed this from Dinner with Julie and they’ve turned out to be the perfect hiking/afternoon/take anywhere snack.  The girls have had them for breakfast – as a treat – with some scrambled eggs…and they freeze beautifully.  Also keep in mind that the ingredients can be widely varied without wrecking the cookie – any other dried fruit, nut or chocolate should work just fine – we just happen to like ours to have chocolate in every bite.

Breakfast Bean Cookies

2 c. oatmeal (not instant)

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1, 19 oz/540 mL can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained well

1/4 c. margarine, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

3/4 c. chocolate chips

1/4 c. raisins

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

2 T. flax meal

Preheat oven to 350 and place the oatmeal in your food processor and pulse until it’s well ground.  Add both flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and process until combined, then transfer to a large bowl.

Next put the beans in the food processor and process with the margarine, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the bean mixture into the oat mixture and mix by hand until almost combined, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir until just blended.

Drop largish spoonfuls a couple of inches apart on a cookie sheet covered in parchment and flatten them a wee bit with your hand.  Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until they just start to brown at their edges, but are still soft in the middle.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

The great thing with these cookies is that you can cook them longer to get a ’snap’, or cook them for only 10 minutes like I tend to do and allow the sugared outside to add a bit of crunch.  Either way, these are a family favorite and this recipe is a blend of sorts from my Mom and Mother-in-law.

Ginger Snaps

2 c. flour – leveled

2 t. ground ginger

2 t. ground cloves

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

3/4 c. margarine

1 c. sugar (plus extra for rolling – optional)

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

Preheat the oven to 350 and combine the 6 dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Using your electric mixer, beat together the margarine and sugar and then add the egg and molasses, mixing well to combine.

Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until there is no trace of flour and then roll the cookies into equal sized balls – I usually do the size of a heaping teaspoon.  At this point you can then carefully roll each ball in a bit of white sugar before placing on your baking sheet covered with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart – they are tasty both ways so don’t worry if you you don’t feel like it.

As I mentioned, I bake mine for 10 minutes – but try longer if you like more crunch.  These are especially good with an afternoon cup of coffee.