Jumbo Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are cookies that I keep in the freezer ready to pop in the oven in case someone comes over. The last time we had some kids come over from church and served these, they were totally devoured.

I have (literally) hundreds of pounds of different kinds of grain in the house ready to mill. Except for the chocolate chips, I always have these ingredients on hand. When I make this recipe I make several batches at a time. I often omit the chocolate chips (the most expensive ingredient) - they are still delicious!

2-1/2 C soft white wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2-1/2 C rolled oats (tastes best if you roll your own oats!)
2 C chocolate chips
1 C unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C sucanat
3/4 C honey
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°, In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just comibined. If final dough mixture is a bit sticky, add a small amount of flour.

Drop level 1/4 C measures of dough, 1-1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake until cookies have spread and are golden brown and soft to the touch, 18-20 minutes. Cook five minutes on baking sheets and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough and bake them later. Place unbaked cookies on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to re-sealable plastic bags, label and date; keep up to 6 months.Bake as many as you need, without thawing, 20 - 25 minutes.

From the BreadBeckers Holiday Recipes 2007 cookbook, Page 56

Kitchen Pantry Cookies

Just made some cookies last night that turned out great!

2 bananas, ripe
2 eggs
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1/2 C pumpkin puree
1 T molasses
1/2 C dry milk
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C milled oat groats
1/2 C milled kamut or spelt
1 C milled hard wheat (either white or red)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C raisins
3/4 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the eggs, peanut butter, honey, pumpkin and molasses. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until fully moistened. Add the nuts, raisins and chocolate chips.

Drop on greased stone or cookie sheet. Cook for 12 minutes or until slightly browned. If you make larger cookies make sure to flatten them so the inside gets properly cooked.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Note: Substitutions are easily made for this recipe:

• You can substitute another kind of seeds or chopped nuts for the sunflower seeds.
• Use dried cranberries or cherries instead of the raisins.
• Use all wheat if you don't have the other grains.
• If you don't have oat groats, grind rolled oats in the blender to make the oat flour (oat flour helps to make a light cookie and I am convinced that oat flour helps improve the shelf life in my baked goods).
• Substitute agave nectar for the honey.
• If you have peanuts but not peanut butter, grind some up in your blender or food processor. If it isn't blended totally smooth, the final product would appear to have chopped peanuts added - which you can also do.
  
  Please share your substitutions and results!

Cinnamon Muffins

2 C Fresh milled Soft White Wheat Flour
1 C powdered milk
1 T baking powder
3 T cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly whisked in bowl
1 t vanilla
1-1/2 C water
1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C honey

Spray muffin stone with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 400° F oven.

Add dry ingredients and mix together well. Add liquid ingredients and stir until fully moistened.

Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 12 large muffins.

Optional: sprinkle a little dehydrated cane juice over the top before baking.

Ezekiel Bread

Note: This is NOT a sprouted bread like the type you see in the freezer section of some stores (although I'm still working on a recipe for one- just haven't found the right combination. . .yet).

This recipe makes for a hearty and moist (but not crusty) bread. The flavor is wonderful - especially great when fresh from the oven - and is good as is, with a little butter or honey and/or toasted.

Preparation requires either a grain mill or a VitaMix with a dry container.

Grease 3 standard-size loaf pans or a standard-size loaf pan and a rectangular casserole dish.

Combine the following fresh milled whole grains and beans:

2-1/2 cups hard red or hard white wheat
1-1/2 cups spelt
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup lentils
2 Tbs. great northern beans
2 Tbs. kidney beans
2 Tbs. pinto beans

Place flour in large mixer bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the following until the butter is liquid:

4 cups very warm (not hot) water
1-1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup softened butter

Add liquids to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and add the following:

2 t sea salt
2 T yeast

Stir until well mixed, about 10 minutes. This is a batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball. I use an Electrolux DLX (Assistent) mixer with the roller and set it at 10 minutes on medium-low speed.

Pour dough into greased pans. Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until the dough is almost to the top of the pan. If it rises too much it will overflow the pan while baking.

Bake at 350° F pre-heated oven for 45 minutes if loaf pans and 35 minutes for casserole dish.

You can substitute rye instead of spelt, but Biblically spelt was used (see Ezekiel 4:9)

Pumpkin Roll

The fall is the perfect time to take advantage of the easy availability of pumpkins - they are both nutritious and tasty. I am experimenting with recipes using pumpkin pureé and grated pumpkin. Each year I try to cook up about 5 pumpkins (I use the regular large ones) and freeze some pureé to use over the next several months. Based on what I have done so far, I would estimate that I will probably do around 10 this year.

3 eggs
2/3 C honey
1 C pumpkin pureé
1 t lemon juice
1-1/2 C soft white wheat flour (or 1/2 hard wheat and 1/2 oat)
1 T baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
1/2 t salt
1/4 C Sucanat® w/ honey (to sprinkle on towel before rolling), buzz briefly in VitaMix for fine crystals (making powdered Sucanat)

Filling

1/2 C honey
4 T butter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F. Gently scramble eggs; gradually add the honey. Add pumpkin and lemon juice. Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Turn mixer to the slowest setting. Add the dry ingredients slowly. Spread evenly on a stone sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 15 minutes. Do not overcook! Turn out on a towel sprinkled with the powdered Sucanat. Roll the towel up from short end. Cool.

Cream together the filling ingredients. Caution: don't overdo it! Chill the filling while the rolled cake is setting.

Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll again without the towel. Cover in plastic and chill.

When completely chilled, serve by cutting in pinwheel slices.

Makes about 10 slices.

If you pureé your own pumpkin and cook it by steaming instead of baking the pumpkin, you may need to add a little bit more flour. If you are using frozen pumpkin pureé you also may need to add a bit more flour.

Note: Above reflects modified recipe - 10/22/2008

Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

I use dehydrated cane juice w/honey and "fluff" it in my VitaMix instead of buying powdered sugar. It isn't as white (but it isn't chemically processed or bleached).

1 cup softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder
1 egg white
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or you can toss regular sea salt in the VitaMix for a few seconds)
1-1/2 cups hard white wheat flour (or combo of hard white wheat and oat flour)

Cream filling

2+ cups powdered sugar, sifted for silkiness
10 - 15 drops peppermint extract
1/4 cup water

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue to cream, scraping the sides of the bowl a time or two. Stir in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, egg white, and salt and mix until the batter is smooth and creamy and the consistency of a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking (it still might be somewhat crumbly).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, form it into a ball, and knead it slightly - until smooth. Separate into two 1" thick patties and place, covered, in the freezer to chill.

Remove one patty at a time from the freezer. On a well-floured surface roll it out very thin - about 1/8" thick. Stamp out cookies in whatever shape you like. Place on pre-heated baking sheets, sprayed with non-stick spray, and bake for 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Filling: Using a mixer, whisk together the sugar and water until nice and fluffy. The filling should be thick, but not runny. Add small amounts of powdered sugar at a time to thicken and add a few drops of water at a time to thin. Whisk in the peppermint extract a bit at a time, until you are satisfied with the taste (don't make too strong).

Take the cooled cookies, put on some filling and cover with a second cookie.

Makes about 3 dozen 1-1/2" sandwich cookies.

Basic Homemade Crackers

Be creative - top with freshly grated cheese, artisan salts, cornmeal, dusting of fav spice blend, seeds, or a wash of your favorite flavored or infused oil.

Note: I'm working on a living foods variation that is "cooked" in a food dehydrator.


1-1/2 C hard white wheat flour
1 C Spelt or Kamut® Flour (or additional wheat flour)
* ½ C Flax Seed
* 1 t sea salt
1 C warm water
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the flours, flax seed, and salt. Add the water and olive oil. Using the roller attachment on the Electrolux DLX (or a mixer with a dough hook), mix the dough at medium speed for about 5 - 7 minutes. In the alternative, mix and knead by hand on a floured countertop. The dough should be just a bit tacky - not too dry, not too sticky to work with. Add a bit more flour or water until it is the right consistency.

Shape the dough into a large ball then break into twelve equal-sized pieces. Gentry rub each piece with a bit of olive oil, shape into a small ball and place on a plate. Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450° F. If using a stone, place in oven to heat.

When dough is done resting, flatten one dough ball. Using a rolling pin, shape into a flat strip of dough. Cut into sizes that you would like using a pizza cutter - or for even more fun, use cookie cutters.

Set dough on a floured or cornmeal dusted parchment-lined baking sheet, poke each cracker with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing, add any extra toppings, and slide parchment into the oven (onto the stone). Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls, baking in small batches. Bake until deeply golden, and let cool before eating.

Makes a dozen extra large crackers, or any number of smaller ones.

* Toss in the VitaMix for a few seconds, finely grind in coffee grinder, or crush with mortar and pestle