Giving Starts at Home and a Cookie Recipe

Sometimes giving needs to start at home. I've been so busy lately with projects, homeschooling, and trying to go through the house organizing, cleaning, and decluttering, that I've been a little okay...a "lot" slack on fixing real sit down dinners, and baking snacks for the boys. They've begun protesting that there's nothing to eat! (There is, just nothing special ;)

So today I gave a good part of my morning away baking protein cookies. They love them and they are full of healthy ingredients, along with some unhealthy...but better than most! Each batch makes a lot of cookies, so I put some in the freezer for later. 

Now I will give you the recipe. It originally came from Women's World magazine and was supposed to be a "diet" cookie. You eat one for breakfast and one for lunch, then eat a healthy dinner. Yeah...right! Anyway, my boys love them and I feel good giving them something pretty healthy. There are three variations: chocolate, raisin, and peanut butter.  I've modified the recipe somewhat from the original.  

Basic Giant Breakfast Cookies

1 ¼ C gran. Sugar
¾ C brown rice syrup (or dark Karo)

2T canola oil 

1 ¼ C prune puree

3 eggs 

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 C old fashioned oats 

2 C oat bran

2 C flour (I use 1 ½ C white + ½ C high protein, like rice flour)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Optional – I also add 2 tsp kelp powder, ½ C dry milk powder, ¼ C wheat germ and 1 T brewers yeast.

Note: to make prune puree, empty a box of prunes into blender, add water to equal 2 ¾ cups and puree. Makes enough for 2 batches. Can freeze half.

Oatmeal Raisin add:
½ - 1C cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon

Chocolate add:
1/3 C cocoa powder
½ - 3/4 C semisw. chocolate chips

Peanut Butter add: 
½ cup peanut butter

Mix sugar and all wet ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Stir dry ingredients into wet.  Spray cookie sheets with Pam.  Drop scant 1/4 cup of batter for each cookie.  Bake 350 for about 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden and set.  

I often mix up several batches of dry ingredients, put them in ziploc bags and store them in the freezer of refridgerator.  It makes the process much faster.