That's How It Crumbles!

No one wants a raisin cookie if chocolate chip is available. Well, almost no one. I take a special delight in watching people reach for the latter, only to find it’s the former. But then, finding amusement in small things is just one of my small joys.

It’s not just me who likes the oatmeal cookie, and according to one blog, CEZ’L, the “chocolate chip cookies aint healthy. They are just good.” But didn’t we all know that? Tosca Reno, a best selling Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, went further. “A cookie, no matter how clean the ingredients, is still a cookie. It is meant to be a treat…” I’d agree, but I suppose I’m lucky because I like the healthier one more!

One thing I do with recipes, no matter for what dish, is tweak it to be my own. Sometimes just a little, and others quite a bit. In my case, I added nuts. I like them, and I did my best to always select healthy nuts. Some people like making all macadamia cookies, so I kind of shied away from that. There were three or so choices, and I went with walnut. I can make it taste like anything, and the texture is great!

They're high in antioxidants and they contain the omega-3 fatty acids. They’re also high in manganese, which can reduce PMS symptoms. If you’re going to offer her cookies, you might as well do it right. Of course, sometimes you get this at the bake sale...

“Oh, well, we can’t have nuts… allergies.”
“Well, damn shame, all these have nuts. No cookie for you!” I laughed.
“It’s not funny, sir.” The mom responded.
“Well, if there weren’t dozens of other offerings without nuts, perhaps,” I tried to stifle myself, “Look around!”

She left in a huff to another table. I understand there are real nut allergies, but every other kid in some rich school? Well, that’s just a little too far out of scale. But, back to my cookie! I believe one of my most enjoyable culinary outcomes was with the oatmeal-raisin-nut recipe. I made a couple dozen and took them to a local meeting of planners. They do tend to be granola types… and I watched my two plates gobbled up before one of the others was gone.

The truth is, that while my personal favorite has more fiber and can be made to be even more healthy with a beefed up recipe, they’re still close. Homemade is always better than anything store-bought, and I like cooking, so I pretend they’re healthy. And remember… it’s always chef’s choice if you’re the one doing the baking!


(WC:441)