Yes – you heard it right!  Remember the cookies you used to eat as a child, I called them spider cookies.  You didn’t have to bake them you just whipped them up and devoured them.  Well, on the weekend Zesty Jr. and I played a little spin on and created a similar cookie with a slightly different ingredient – OATMEAL.

Now don’t kid yourself or get me wrong here, I didn’t invent this cookie by any stretch however I have never made this cookie before Sunday.  Oh and I do have a huge tip to share with you regarding this later on down the post that I hope you follow.

So I guess we should talk cookie here for a second!  These literally take longer to eat than they do to make.  I am not kidding – you will see when I roll out the instructions.  These have great potential as a weight gain product if anyone is looking to go that route.  They also can become extremely addictive.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups White sugar
• 1/2 Cup cocoa
• 1/4 Cup butter
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 3 Cups Quick-cooking oatmeal

Method

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan.



2. On medium heat, bring to a boil for one minute.



3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and oatmeal.







4. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper.



5. Let cool for at least 30 minutes ( I was a bit premature on the timing )



6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I strongly suggest using parchment paper on the baking sheet.  I opted for wax paper… not sure why but it was not a pretty scene when I went to remove the cookies (perhaps a little to early)

I guess one piece of advice I can give you with this cookie is too chill it before eating but that is just personal preference.  The consistency is superb while chilled and they do come off the parchment paper even easier.  For storage I just put them in a plastic container for maybe 2 hours until they were gone   I may have dropped too large of dollop for some but really, can you ever have a cookie that is too big?  And these are healthy – they have oatmeal in them!

Alright, just because I am all about speed as of late – do you remember when I made the 90 second Macaroon.  It was a pretty big success but I think these bad boys today may even top em.  Later on in the week, I may have some pretty exciting news to share with you but until then – I will keep it zipped.

Take care

zesty

Ok, so I have to confess a little bit here. I totally forgot to post yesterday being Monday and all do to the holiday. My apologies for that. To make it up to you I think I have a pretty tasty recipe that you can try at home and I think you even may be impressed at the fact it is “HEALTHY“. Whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies with a couple of unique ingredients that I have been dying to try for a while now.  Agave nectar and apple juice in cookies really keeps them on the healthy and lighter side by avoiding the heaviness of the oil and the sugar.

Let me know what you think of the recipe but I think they turned out quite good. They are chewy in texture as well as being soft. They are nice right out of the oven or slightly warmed in the microwave.  I like 18 seconds of warming time depending on your microwave of course.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 Cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 Cup organic unbleached white flour
• 2 Tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 Tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 Cup raisins
• 1/4 Cup flax seeds
• 1/2 Cup low Fat Plain Yogurt
• 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/4 Cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
• 1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, raisins and nuts.
3. In another bowl or blender combine remaining liquid ingredients.
4. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons, about two inches apart, on to the baking sheets.
6. Press each cookie with moisten fingers or a spoon to flatten.
7. Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
8. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.



9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For an even softer cookie, I like to slightly under cook the cookie as it will continue to cook internally after you take them out.  The apple juice and yogurt will also aide in the moisture department.

So there you have it, a fun healthy recipe you can try at home.  I had to test the cookies out of course as I watched the Olympics.  They turned out just as I hoped.  Is anybody else following the Olympics closely?

Stay tuned for a post that you will not want to miss tomorrow.  It is all about Zesty and Opensky giving back to all of you.  Have a fantastic Monday Tuesday and I will talk to you bright and early in the morning.

Take care

zesty