Healthy Cookies for Kiddos (and grown-ups too)

These are souped up cookies that I altered slightly from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook. I put so many things in these cookies you'd hardly believe that they stick together. But they do and the boys were excited to have them in their lunches this morning. Of course, they are not Tollhouse, but I'm guessing they will be devoured at lunch ... and I won't be ashamed or sorry for packing them.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies with Chickpeas! Yes, chickpeas. Ripley doesn't know it yet, but it will be the first time he's had these! (ha ha ... little whipper-snapper) This recipe makes good sized fat cookies - well over 24 of them.

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Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Put a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. (Jessica says use cooking spray, I say no chemicals -- then compost the parchment paper)

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1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 C trans-fat free soft tub margarine spread (I didn't have any of this, so I used some butter and a little Crisco b/c I didn't have enough butter. I think I'd try to use the trans-fat free stuff -- it sounds good)

1 large egg (Jessica says 2 egg whites, but I'm okay with getting the omega 3's from the yolk in spite of the cholesterol)

2 t vanilla extract

1 15ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 C chopped walnuts

3/4 C raisins (I soaked these in warm water briefly and used YELLOW raisins -- more camouflage)

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C Whole Wheat Flour (Jessica called for just the all-purpose, I added in the whole wheat -- why not??)

1/2 C old fashioned oats

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt (I used 1/2 t like tollhouse. Over 2 dozen cookies, 1/4 t salt? Come on.)

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Sift together dry ingredients: flours, oats, soda, salt

Cream margarine/butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add all of the chunky stuff: chips, peas, raisins, nuts. Then, slowly add in the flour while beating on a low setting. Stop when thick dough forms.

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Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet. Press gently with a fork to flatten.

Bake 12 minutes -- don't over bake. If anything, slightly under bake.

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Voila!! You've gotten whole grains, protein, beans, raisins and nuts into your kiddo. Super yummy warm. Wow.

Chocolate Nut Chewies

**REVISED** (forgot to list the nuts ... oops. chocolate NUT chewies??!)

This recipe posting is a request ... because these are incredible.

The recipe is from Ann Faulstich. When my brother and I went to visit one of our closest neighborhood friends Amy Lynn and "Blair-Boy", their mother Mrs. Faulstich would invariably be pulling cookies right out of the oven. How she always managed to be thin I have no idea. But this woman seemed to bake cookies on a daily basis (I'm not exaggerating). We'd march into her house and grab several and off we'd go playing. When I got married, she sent three of her favorite and most popular cookie recipes along with a specially handmade cookie jar. Here is one of the recipes. Look out, you might have several!

Chocolate Nut Chewies
(Mrs. Faulstich noted that "Everyone likes these!")

cream:
2/3 cup butter
1 box brown sugar (1 lb)

Add:
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
Then add the dry stuff:
2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 cup pecans (or whatever your favorite nut is) and 1 cup chocolate chips
Mix until smooth. Pour into a 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Mrs. Faulstich adds that "Sometimes I put 1 cup of chocolate chips on top after I take it out of the oven, let them melt and spread - let it set until firm." That's what I did! Yum.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are my Valentine's Spitzbubien Cookes! For recipe look under "Cookies", "Family Recipes", or "Recipes". Yum!

Incredible Cookies

Valentine's Day is coming and here is the perfect cookie. Spitzbubens (Little Rascals), are made traditionally throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I've been eating this cookie for as long as I can remember. Mom can't quite remember just where she got the recipe. It's fabulous. Traditionally we make these around Christmas time. Maybe just because they look festive. You often see these types of cookies at an Italian bakery, and even at "good" Italian bakeries, they look great but taste like cardboard compared to these. They are sandwich cookies that are rolled out and cut with cookie cutters. Usually the lower one is round (for Valentine's Day, use a heart shape) and the top cookie is the same shape as the lower, but with a window. Through the window you can see jam or fruit preserves (traditionally we use apricot preserves, but for Valentine's Day, raspberry or strawberry is perfect.) Sliced almonds are sprinkled on top of the jam, through the window. If you're in the mood to make AND EAT some fabulous cookies, don't even think about it, make these!

Spitzbuben

Cut 1 1/2 C butter into 3 C flour and 1 1/2 C sugar.
Add 1 t vanilla and work ingredients into smooth dough.
Chill thoroughly.
Roll out dough as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out circles OR HEARTS that are about 2" in diameter.
Cut a 1" center out of half of the circles or hearts for the tops.
(this is done, obviously, with a small circular or heart shaped cookie cutter)
Bake rings and rounds on ungreased sheet at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Sprinkle the "tops" with granulated sugar when they come out of the oven.
Spread "bottoms" with preserves.
Assemble the "sandwich"
Sprinkle sliced almonds in center.

Yum. Yum. Yum.
If you want to knock someone's socks off, bake these.
Enjoy!

A friend of mine sent this picture of a similar recipe that she made for Halloween. Cute!