Almond-Oat After School Cookies

I have a love-hate relationship with prepackaged snacks. When ever I see parents who travel with great little bags of snacks I always admire their organization. And our kids love all of those snacks, especially those one-serving protein bars. They are very convenient and were especially great for the kids to take to camp because they don't need refrigeration and are fairly healthy.

But my effort to get the kids to eat them only when on the go and not at home was a losing battle. By the end of the summer, the kids were chewing through protein bars like mice munching through Swiss cheese. And those things are pricey, which is not at all in line with our belt tightening! So basta.

Now I am trying to make something home made for the kids to have when they come home from school. My goal is to prepare something on the weekend in a large enough quantity that it will last through the week. Ideally, my criteria are:

1. Nutritious - the snacks need to stick with them for more than a few minutes and to offer some nutritional benefit. Whole grains, nuts, some protein, there has got to be something of substance.

2. Tasty - the kids have to like the snacks as much as those protein bars or they'll never eat them.

3. Reasonably portable - something that can be eaten in hand, so that it can still be a snack on the go.

I see that third one slipping away quickly. One of our regular snacks has been homemade applesauce and, since that satisfies numbers 1 and 2, I've been going with it. And, at least for now, I'm not too worried about them having some sugar and fat. All of us parents have our own ideas about what kids should and shouldn't have, but my theory is that, in moderation, treats are okay. I am fine with a cookie or two alongside a piece of fruit.

I also worry that if I make the after-school snacks too obviously healthy, the kids won't like the end result and we'll have wasted food languishing on the counter while the kids beg for more goodies from the snack aisle. Maybe I can wratchet down some of the less healthy stuff over time, but for now, I'm sticking with my mantra, "everything in moderation."

I realize that getting nutritious and tasty into the same snack might be a bit tricky. Generally, I'm not a fan of sneaking helathy foods by my kids because I'd rather that they learned that they like healthy foods. But I'm not above a few tricks.

Chloe refuses to eat anything with nuts in it. She's not allergic and she will eat them raw, but she just doesn't want them in her baked goods. Fair enough. For these cookies, I used almonds and oats, but ground them so that they would not be detectable. I also used whole wheat flour and mostly brown sugar.

The cookies are chewy and moist, and the little bits of almond and oats add something to chew on so they seem to last a bit longer. They made a great snack, along with some sliced honeycrisp apples.

And from Miss Chloe?

"Momma, these cookies are so delicious!"

Whew.

2009: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip After School Cookies
2010: Chocolate-Hazelnut Macarons
2011: Classic Apple Pie

Almond-Oat After School Cookies

I tried making these cookies with less butter to see how a lower fat version would taste. The shape and texture of the cookies was different. They were more cakey but still tasty. In the end, I decided to stick with the version with more butter because they just tasted more. . . well. . . more buttery. If you decide to go the lighter route, use 1 1/2 sticks of butter instead.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies
30 minutes preparation time, plus at least an hour for chilling the dough
1 hour baking time

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (8 tablespoons or, for a lighter version, as little as 12 tablespoons)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg

Measure the oats and almonds into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until they are chopped into tiny bits. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and pulse once or twice to combine.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Add the sugars and almond extract, and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and mix again until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough is evenly moist.

Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour and up to several days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out the dough with a table spoon and arrange about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10, just until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.

The cookies may be stored in an airtight container for about a week.

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Comments

[Neha]

Stupid question: Is there a difference between Whole Wheat flour & whole wheat pastry flour? Second question: can you freeze them?

[Margy]

Yes, there is a difference between whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is more finely ground than regular whole wheat flour and it has less protein and gluten. The result is that yields lighter results than regular whole wheat flour. And, yes, you could freeze the cookies. Or, if you want to have them right out of the oven down the road, shape the cookies and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once they harden, put them in a freezer bag to store. Then, when you want cookies, remove them from the bag, arrange them on a cookie sheet, and bake them. They may take a bit longer.

[Madge]

Your method of telling all in this post is actually pleasant, every one be able to easily understand it, Thanks a lot.