Oatmeal Valencia Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a favorite complement with Milk, Coffee or Tea for any sweet tooth . It's a sophisticated twist on a classic comfort cookie. A couple of years ago, after researching a variety of Oatmeal Cookie Recipes, I took bits and pieces from a few and came up with this yummy delight and have been enjoying them ever since.

Oatmeal Valencia Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 eggs beaten

1 cup golden raisins

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup dark chocolate chips

zest of 1 large Orange

Combine eggs, vanilla and raisins in a small bowl. Cover and let soak for 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F (175 C)

In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, stir into creamed mixture.

*Some of the whole wheat flour will not pass through the sift. Incorporate it back into the dry mix and give it a stir.

Then stir in the raisin mixture, rolled oats, chocolate chips and orange zest .

Drop by the teaspoonful onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yields approx 3 1/2 -4 doz depending on how large you make your cookies.

*If you are not keen on raisins you can add nuts instead . Do not soak the nuts add them as you are mixing your wet and dry ingredients together.

Enjoy!!!,

Michele Brown

Kids - Picky Eater

If you have trouble with getting your children to eat try involving them in the process. Having them help make Pizza is a great place to start.

This weekend I was able to get a 5 year old who normally will only have Pizza with sauce and cheese to end up making his own Pizza with Tomato Sauce, Mushrooms, Red Peppers, Onions, we bit of Garlic , Oregano and of coarse Cheese.

Sitting down together when you are preparing all the topping really helps to have conversation about each of the ingredients as you are prepping them. Tasting the ingredient in it's raw (for the most part)Most Vegatables, Sweet Onion tiny piece, Oregeno,but not the garlic too strong for little taste buds. Having then taste in very small peices really helps a child to find out what it is they like and don't like rather then when it is all mixed together and what ever it is they don't like makes them not like the whole dish.

Much to my surprise I ended up having to limit the tasting of toppings as we started to run low. The Child's realization of red peppers tasting like juice opened a whole new world of veggie platter likes. ( Next Event )

In the end He was so proud of his very own pizza that he ate most of it (not to mention lots of veggies while we were prepping) And his sister who is also a pick pizza eater (cheese and sauce)

even ended up having a peice of his Pizza.