In creating this recipe, I was looking for a lunchbox treat that would be sustaining… something tasty, with protein and whole grains that would fuel the roaring metabolism of my boys between their school day lunches and their late afternoon kitchen raids. I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical of my own handiwork – after all, you won’t find any chocolate or candy-coated-anything in these cookies. I tucked the first batch into lunchboxes and waited for reviews. At the end of the day, my oldest son announced, “You know those cookies today? Those were, like, the best cookies you’ve ever put in my lunch. Like, ever.” SOLD!
Because I try to stick with higher nutrition ingredients anyway, I don’t often bother with calculating nutritional statistics. Somehow with this recipe, I was curious. Three of these cookies, each about two and a half inches across as shown above, contains approximately 200 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat (including good quality fat from the pecans). Oh, and they’re absolutely delicious!
Ingredients (makes 36 cookies)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Directions
Step 1) In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and almond extract. Mix well.
Step 2) Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix well.
Step 3) Place tablespoonsful of cookie dough two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until centers are set.
Step 4) Immediately remove cookies from baking sheets and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Crowded Earth Kitchen 