oatmeal cookies

we use a lot of oatmeal around here. i cook with oatmeal a lot, cookies, muffins, oatmeal for breakfast. all good. people are always hungry around here & oatmeal is good for filling you up fast.

there was a nice, short article about oatmeal is the jan/feb 2009 issue of health magazine. They list just a few good uses for oatmeal, maybe you know of them, maybe you don’t.

1. as a pore refiner - make a mask using: ½ c. oatmeal, ½ c. hot water, ¼ c. honey & blend in food processor; let cool & apply. Wait 10 mins. & rinse.
2. a diet helper - use homemade oat flour (grind in a food processor) instead of all-purpose flour for baking cookies, pancakes, quick breads, etc. you get 2x the fiber for you feel fuller with fewer calories!
3. an exercise booster – foods like oatmeal up endurance when eaten about three hours before exercise. And…oats trigger the body to burn fat more quickly to fuel muscles.
4. a cancer fighter – have oatmeal for breakfast & help prevent breast cancer. Premenopausal women on diets rich in fiber from whole grains (ie:oats) reduce the risk by up to 41%.
*points 1-4 paraphrased from health magazine jan/feb 2009


both of my favorite cookie recipes include oatmeal, so in light of this happy, healthy information, I’d like to share one of them with you today:

Banana chocolate chip cookies
1 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ stick butter
½ c. white sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 large banana
1 c. old fashioned oats
8 oz. chocolate chips
½ c. walnuts

cream butter & sugars. add egg & vanilla. mix in banana. add flours, salt & soda till just combined. stir in oats, chocolate chips & walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 mins. on middle oven rack on ungreased baking sheets. Makes approx. 24-30 cookies.

*if i have whole wheat flour, i use it, but if not, i substitute all-purpose in the same amount. i also don’t use walnuts. normally i double the recipe & for that i use 2 sticks of butter & 3 bananas (I’d rather have less butter, more banana & it evens out the moisture content, plus it’s healthier that way). i use about 12 oz. of choc. chips when i double it, otherwise it’s too much.