Look, Mom! My Own "Garden" and some Oatmeal Cookies

Can you see the three tomatoes? 

How 'bout these jalapenos?  There's just two, but lots of flowers and little ones starting.  Aren't no rabbits or coyotes getting 'em this time, they are up on the deck.  I forgot to photo the basil, two gorgeous plants that just won't quit.  Love it.  Next year I will do a lot more up on the deck.

COOKIES!

I tried something today that I've been wanting to try for a while now.  I made some cookies using all natural xylitol.  It is a natural-occurring sugar alcohol that comes in the form of small crystals much like sugar.  While it being newer is more expensive (I paid $5.99 for 16 oz.) it was fun to try and I will probably make more goodies from time to time trying it along with some other natural sweeteners, like honey, evaporated cane sugar, agave nectar, to name a few.  The cookie recipe I used was from a box of The Silver Palate Thick & Rough Oats (steel cut oats), but I have totally adapted the recipe and will post it how I made it.

I made the dough and then divided it in half and made half with some cinnamon and raisns and half with some chocolate chips (so I guess the chocolate chip ones have some sugar, not much though!)

No Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup Smart Balance Buttery Spread

1/2 cup xylitol

4 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup liquid Egg Beaters w/touch of yolk (1 egg)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 T. whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup Silver Palate Thick & Rough Oatsl (old fashioned oats would work)

3 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins

dash or two of ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In mixing bowl, combine buttery spread with xylitol and honey, mix well until creamy.  Add Egg Beaters and vanilla extract.  Mix well. 

In another medium size bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, salt and oats.  Whisk together.  Add to wet ingredients.  Mix until combined.  If you'd like to separate to do half with chocolate and half with raisins, this is where I separated the dough and added the specified amounts of chips and raisins.  Both cookies are good.

Drop by rounded teaspoons about two inches apart on baking sheets.  Bake for 8-9 minutes.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for five minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.  This recipe made 31 cookies.

The Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 

The cookies are a bit more cakey than I'd wanted, but that is probably because of the Smart Balance.  They probably don't even really need the honey, or maybe less.  These cookies are pretty healthy as they have Smart Balance for the butter and Egg Beaters for the whole egg as well as the natural sugar and whole wheat flour.  They still taste great though.  I will make these again.

The Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Xylitol has 10 calories and 4 carbs per teaspoon and sugar has 16 calories and 4 carbs per teaspoon.  While that may not seem like a significant amount, it is the fact that sugar is chemically processed and xylitol is all natural that really makes a difference.  You can substitute it for equal amounts with granulated sugar in recipes.  Now I want to try a good old full fat chocolate chip cookies using xylitol and see if they come out just as good.  JT, Levain, hmmm, which to try??