Thursday, July 15, 2010

Crazy Good Cookies



What is it about summer and the amount of snacks consumed? If it was just my own kids, that would be one thing, but add another hungry 5 and/or 7 year old to the mix and the gang can plow through a pantry of snacks before you can say "playdate."


Then there is swimming. French for 'ravenous'. I am pretty sure a kid swimming consumes more calories than your average marathon runner! Two hours in the pool, my kids can put down a sandwich, two pieces of fruit, a bag of chips and still ask for more food. Crazy drenched calorie suckers.

My kids love cookies. They beg for cookies as snacks. But in the summer, cookies don't last long in their tummies. Which makes them fun treats, but not a great lasting snack. This recipe fills that little space between cookie and granola bar.

A cookie without flour? You won't believe me, but these cookies are so good! Chewy, sweet, everything a good cookie should be. Made large, they fill you up with protein and whole grains, giving more staying power. You can omit the chocolate chips, but I never do! It is a cookie after all.


PB-O Super Secret Cookies
*makes 4 dozen

1 1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 c oats
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c ground flax seed meal
2 c dried fruits, nuts or choc chips

Cream together peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture. Combine oats, flax and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Add to creamed mixture. Stir in mix-ins.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Recipe Notes:
OK, here is the thing about flax seed. If you buy it whole, like I do, it will last a LONG time in the pantry.  Which is good, because you probably don't use flax seed all that often.  As soon as you ground it, keep it in the freezer, though, as it will start to turn. 

I tried putting these little guys in the mini-chop, to no avail.  Doesn't do a thing to them.  Same with the food processor.  The only way I have found to ground them is to use my coffee grinder.  Some people have an extra coffee grinder they use for spices and stuff like this.  I don't have an extra.  So, after cleaning the coffee out of the coffee grinder, it makes short work of the grinding.


Of course, then you have to clean the flax out of your coffee grinder... or not and just see your husband staring at his coffee in the morning, wondering what the floaty bits are.  Don't worry, they are good for you!  Because of this hassle, I tend to grind enough for a couple batches and put the rest in the freezer.


Spoon these out on parchment paper about as big as a golf ball.  Yummy big cookies!

I will admit one little thing about these cookies.  While they are baking they smell a little strange.  I can't place the smell, and it isn't really bad, just strange.  I think it is the flax, I am not used to the smell of it. However, they taste great, freeze well and last a good long time in the pantry.  I hope you like them! 

2 comments:

  1. These look delicious!! I am definitely trying them, my kids love cookies and I would love to make something a little healthier for them. Thanks for the great recipe. Hope you're having a good summer!!

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  2. Ok, so I tried these in Feb of 2011. They ROCK! The bonus of knowing I'm giving my kids something more substantial than sugar makes the purchase of ground flax seeds total worth it! A now looking for more recipesin which to use ground flax. And those cookies really are too awesomely tasty. I shared with multiple people and got "I want that recipe!" comments from every one!

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