Anyone who’s spent any time with my son Ezra in the last six months has heard about his favorite food: “Hookies!” (The rest of us call them cookies.)
Ezra turns to me at least a dozen times each day and says with the utmost seriousness: “I need a hookie.” Dog, Bear, Turtle, and Seal eat a lot of hookies when we play make-believe. And as Ezra spins the steering wheel on the jungle gym at the park, he invariably explains, “I’m going to get some hookies.”
Back when I was pregnant and scarfing down organic salads, wild salmon, wheat germ smoothies and the like, I never imagined how many cookies this child of mine would eat. But he loves them. He really does. And as much as I’d like to see him develop a fondness for say, alfalfa sprouts and endive, I can’t help but enjoy seeing the sheer pleasure this boy gets from a cookie. Oh yes, he delights in them that much.
I have a couple of favorite cookie recipes, which are easy to make and produce cookies that are tasty and as healthy as cookies can be. They are in heavy rotation around here these days, and I will share them below. Oh please say you also have a favorite healthy cookie recipe you’d be willing to pass on.
Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
(From Laurel’s Kitchen)
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 cup honey
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
Cream peanut butter and honey together. Stir in egg and vanilla. Sift together salt, soda, and flour, and stir in peanut butter mixture.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto oiled cookie sheets. Mash each cookie slightly with the back of a fork.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes. They burn easily, so keep a close eye on them.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
(From Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Combine oats, flour, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together maple syrup, butter, and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and chips. With moist hands form dough into 3-inch cookies and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do you make healthy and tasty cookies? Will you share a favorite recipe? (Links to blogs or online recipes more than welcome.)