Honey Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe comes from one of my favorite baking books, Country Baking by Ken Haedrich. The book does not market itself as particularly healthy, but it should. It's loaded with whole grain recipes and alternative sweeteners (this one uses honey and molasses instead of refined sugar). Many recipes use carob as a replacement for chocolate (a lower fat, no caffeine, naturally sweet alternative). Haedrich utilizes vegetables in many savory and sweet baked goods. It also helps that many of the recipes are kid-approved, having been taste-tested in his family's own kitchen. I find that I need to do very little, if any, alteration to these recipes to make them meet my standards. Needless to say, I highly recommend the book!

We brought these cookies to a 3-year-old's birthday party. I was nervous that they might taste a little too much like health food cookies, but I was complimented on them by many people (and my daughter ate four of them ... eek!). My daughter and I made these together ... yes, it's a very easy recipe.

Honey Wheat Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 c. (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. honey
1/4 c. unsulphured molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. rolled oats (not instant)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. (4-5 oz.) coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 c. dark raisins

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, honey, molasses, and vanilla with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, and blend them into the creamed mixture. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes and, in the meantime, lightly butter 1 or 2 large baking sheets, preferably not dark ones.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the buttered sheets, leaving about 3 inches between them. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 14 minutes. When done, tops will be a little soft and squishy to the touch and the edges will be a shade darker than the rest of the cookie. In general, however, the entire cookie will be on the dark side. Let them cool briefly on the sheet, then transfer them to a rack to cool. Store in a covered container.

Makes about 24 cookies.