Recipe share!

I have a "no refined sugar" policy when it comes to feeding my kids.  We also avoid as much factory processed food as possible, choosing instead to buy whole, raw and fresh.  Not always possible, but a good goal.

So I'm usually on the look out for a simple, quick drop cookie recipe which meets my criteria and can be thrown into lunch, or munch in the van on the way to school.  A cookie, in my house, usually has to be eligible as breakfast food or the recipe doesn't get used.  Exceptions are made when I use the technique my Leanne showed me, round about 1995/6 and make cookies using a cake mix...which, when cooled are stuffed with ice cream :D

Here is a basic cookie recipe which is very versatile!  I'll include my own notes about substitutions or variations I've used, successfully.




1 cup flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
2tsp baking powder
4 tablespoons ground flax (or chia seeds, quinoa,  whole flax or oat bran)
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp ginger (if using fresh, grate it fairly finely...if you're not adding any fruit or nuts, I recommend adding more ginger to boost flavour)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar (more or less according to your taste, keep in mind, adding fruit at the end boosts sweetness quite a bit....if you want to use sugar, replace both maple syrup and agave nectar with 1 cup of brown sugar or 3/4 cup refined white sugar.)
1 and 1/2 cups oats *I like using half steel cut and half old fashioned*
1/4 cup oil *I usually replace this with 1/2 cup of fruit sauce (homemade or unsweetened store boughten)
2 tablespoons milk    (Almond, rice, or cow are ones I've used)
1 egg
3/4 cup add in examples: peanuts, chocochips dried blueberries, cranberries, chopped dried apricots, pecans **I don't recommend walnuts in this recipe.**
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder Optional, for a lovely, chocolatey flavour!


Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix dry ingred in a medium bowl.  Set aside
Mix wet ingred in separate bowl
Pour wet ingred into a well in the dry ingred, dump in your chosen 'add in'
Mix until uniformly blended.
Drop by spoonfuls on greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheets...about 2 inches apart to allow for spread.
 Bake for 10 mins.

Recipe is EASILY doubled and tripled. My personal favourite is to use whole wheat flour, flax, fresh ginger, agave and maple syrup, strawberry sauce, powdered cocao and dried blueberries.
Try it!