Blended flour helps recipe
Dear Terri: I tried several different versions of this, and if you take too much sugar out and add whole-wheat flour, it tastes too "healthy." There's no sense in making a cookie that no one wants to eat.
I finally ended up with whole-wheat flour and oatmeal flour, which can be made at home in a blender; replaced some of the fat with applesauce; and removed 1/2 cup sugar. All of these changes improved the nutrition of the cookie, and it still tastes great. If you do not have cloves, you can omit them, but it adds a nice flavor if you have them.
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
1 cup raisins
1 cup water
Simmer raisins and water in pan on stove until raisins plump. Drain raisins, reserving the liquid.
In a mixing bowl:
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup reserved raisin liquid
Beat together until well-blended.
Add:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix until well-blended. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Makes 48 cookies.
HEALTHIER OATMEAL COOKIES
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup applesauce
1 cup oat flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, cover the raisins with the boiling water to plump for 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg, egg white, vanilla and applesauce.
4. To make oat flour, place a heaping cup of oats in a blender. Blend until the oats are powdery. Combine the oat flour, whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a separate bowl and mix well.
5. Combine the wet and dry mixtures, then add the raisins, including the water, to the batter. The batter will be loose; allow it to absorb the moisture for about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. When the batter is firmer, drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, allowing 2 inches between cookies for expansion. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Makes 48 cookies.
Each cookie contains approximately: Original Recipe: 115 calories; 4 gm fat; 18 mg cholesterol; 118 mg sodium; 18 gm carbohydrates; 2 gm protein; 1 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 70 calories; 1 gm fat; 6 mg cholesterol; 45 mg sodium; 13 gm carbohydrates; 1 gm protein; 1 gm fiber.
Jeanne Jones is the author of 33 cookbooks, most recently "Cooking From the Cupboard" (Rodale Press). For more information, you can go to her Web site, jeannejones.com. Send your recipe for revision to: Cook It Light, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1212, La Jolla, CA 92038. Please include a stamped (58 cents), self-addressed envelope. © King Features Syndicate Inc.
You can be the first to comment on this story.