Some days you just need a cookie! I try to make them as healthy as possible without sacrificing the soft chewy cookie taste . . .
Cookie Base
1 c Butter
½ c White Sugar
¾ c Brown Sugar (or substitute 1c organic Sucanat sugar for both brown and white sugars)
1 Egg
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Vanilla
2 c Flour (add an extra ¼ c flour for high altitudes – I like to use spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour)
add:
1 c Chocolate Chips
½ c Oatmeal (I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain cereal)
½ c Chopped Pecans
Mix butter, sugar, and egg. Add salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in flour until mixed evenly. Stir in chips, oatmeal, and nuts. For other variations, try adding other things to the cookie base recipe—for example, white chocolate chips, dried blueberries, and chopped pecans. Be creative! Drop in spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for @ 8 to 10 min at 350°. (Do not overcook!)
Variations:
Fred’s Special Cap’n Crunch Cookies: add 1 c Captain Crunch Berries cereal and ½ c of chocolate chips
Oatmeal: add 1 egg, 1 c oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, and ½ c chopped nuts
Peanut Butter: add 1 c flour, 1 egg, and 1 c peanut butter
Carrot: add 1 c grated carrots, ½ c crushed pineapple and ½ c chopped nuts
Mocha Chunk: add ½ c flour, 1/3 c cocoa powder, 2 tsp coffee crystals dissolved into 2 tsp coffee liquor, and 2 c chopped semi sweet chocolate bars. Omit vanilla.
Ginger Snaps: add 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, and ¼ c molasses. Omit vanilla, ¼ c sugar, and ½ c butter.
Pumpkin: add 1 c pumpkin, ½ tsp nutmeg, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Optional: add 1 c chocolate chips. Omit ½ c butter.
Thumbprint: Add 1 egg. Omit sugar and ¼ c of brown sugar. Roll in 2 c chopped nuts. (Indent and fill with jam after baking.)
Chocolate Thumbprint: add 1½ c flour and ½ c cocoa powder. Roll into balls and roll in 2 c chopped nuts. Press indentation and fill with filling: heat 1/3 c corn syrup and add 1½ c chocolate chips. (Fill before baking)
Some of these variations are still as of yet untested. So, try them and then leave a comment on how they turned out. have fun!