Healthier Cookies

Now that school is back in session many lunchboxes are back to work- housing lunch and snacks for hungry kids. As they are filled with sandwiches, drinks, and accompaniments… they often also include a “treat” that is in the dessert category. Instead of packing a packaged food prepared in a factory- make your own. After reading the label on many of the boxes that these items come in there is no doubt, even desserts are much healthier when they are homemade.
These three favorite recipes are definitely indulgences. However, thanks to whole grains and the lack of hydrogenated fats they are far preferable to their plastic wrapped cousins. For optimum freshness (and more self control)- make a batch, divide it into the desired portion sizes, then freeze them to grab and go when needed. If you have a picky eater to please try using whole wheat “pastry” flour- it has a finer grind than regular whole wheat flour and so it seems less “gritty”.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is a fun fall variation of the standard oatmeal raisin cookie and it a terrific way to please someone that isn’t fond of raisins. I like to add ½ cup of toasted pecans to the recipe too.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground allspice
1½ cups whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
1½ cups dried cranberries
1½ cup macadamia pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream butter, add brown sugar and continue to mix until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In separate bowl combine baking soda, salt, allspice, and flour. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix until smooth. Add the oats and cranberries and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Use a medium ice cream scoop to drop batter (in 2 TBSP scoopfuls) onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

Mocha Cookies

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp instant coffee granules
½ tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar, add the egg and mix together. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk together. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture then blend well. Stir vanilla into dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dough can be shaped with a small scoop and flattened or formed into a log and sliced. Bake 8 minutes until done but no significant color change, for best results do not use a dark pan. Allow cookies to rest on the pan for a few minutes after removing from oven before transferring to a cooling rack. Do not allow them to cool completely on cookie sheet or they will stick. Yield 30 servings.

Sylvia’s Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white raisins
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
Light Brown Glaze (optional – see below)

Preheat oven to 375°. In mixer combine sugar, pumpkin, butter and orange peel. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually mix this into the pumpkin mixture then stir in raisins and nuts. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Drizzle with the glaze if desired. Yield about 4 dozen cookies.

Light Brown Glaze:

1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat until light brown. Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk until smooth. Drizzle over cookies right away.