Cranberry-Raisin Whole Grain Breakfast Cookies

My mother has several quirky, endearing habits. For one, she uses a toothbrush as book marker. Second, she always asks people what they had for dinner last night, almost as often as regular folk ask "How are you?" But third and best of all, when she comes for a visit, she will want a cookie. Don't bother offering her anything else; I've tried and nothing but a cookie will do. Not a cracker, certainly not a piece of fruit, and not even a scoop of ice cream will do the trick. And this particular quirk, I'm afraid, is multi generational. I've got it and the two little charges do too. Come to think of it, maybe it's actually contagious, since the Quiet Man seems to be a cookie junkie now too. For our family, nuclear and extended, the cookie craving cannot be kept at bay. I've been fiddling around, seeing how much good stuff I can pack into a cookie and I think I've really got something here. Make yourself a batch of my less-guilty, whole grain cookie that's healthful enough to qualify for breakfast, but tasty enough to please my mother, my Quiet Man, my little charges, and me. So pop on by anytime, Mom. The cookie jar will always be full for you. Money Saving Tips: A box of breakfast cookies can cost you $5 for a dozen, plus they are filled with preservatives. These are easy enough to make at home, and much cheaper. Pop any extra cookies into zip top baggies and freeze. (Leave some on the counter top to defrost before you go to bed.) Any dried fruit will work well in this cookie, as long as it is finely chopped. If you don't have quick cooking oats, give your old fashioned oats a whir in the blender to make oat flour. (Reduce the amount of oats in the recipe to 1 and 1/4 cup.) If you don't have wheat germ, just use the same amount of wheat flour.Whole Grain Breakfast Cookies

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for about 30

5 tablespoons softened butter

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark, but light works well also)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 and 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 cup combination of cranberries and raisins, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugars in medium bowl, creaming until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir in salt, cinnamon, powder, and soda. Stir in wheat flour, then oats, and then wheat germ. Stir in cranberries and raisins. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheets with at least two inches of space between them. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Don't let them get too brown, unless you like them crunchy. I under bake mine a bit and take them out as they are just barely showing signs of browning. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring cookies to the rack.

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