Mary's (Chocolate Chip) Cookies

These cookies are loved by everyone and are an easy, tasty, nourishing snack. 

A few cookie tips: 

1. Make the cookies small to help keep you from overeating.  Then when you eat three (or six), you are really only eating about one (or two) standard size cookie.  My brain is tricked into thinking I have had plenty by the numbers more than by the actual quantity I eat.

2.  Adding raisins when using chocolate makes you think there is more chocolate - it is an amazing effect.  I don't like just raisins but half raisins/half chocolate chips is excellent.

3.  This is a great base recipe.  Vary the optional ingredients and try adding your own.  For instance, with the options I have given you, you can make chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or oat & nut cookies.  Sometimes I press a walnut half into the top of the cookie (yes, it is almost as big as the cookie) before baking.  Jon, my youngest, prefers no nuts and I love the nuts, so it is a good way to please us both.

Ingredients (I always use all organic ingredients):

Cream together (I mashed them together with a wood spoon):
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup 100% pure honey

Beat in:
2 range-free large eggs, fork beaten
1 tsp. 'real' vanilla extract (not imitation)

Combine:
7/8 cup soft white wheat berries, ground fine
   (or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture. 

Stir in any of the following:

1/2 cup organic raisins (optional)
1/2 organic chocolate chips, or Energy Chunks* which are chopped into small bits (optional)
1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving about 1 - 2 inches between each cookie, depending upon size.  Bake at 350 °F for 10 to 12 minutes, until slightly golden. Cool and enjoy.

Yields: about 3 to 4 dozen

* Chocolate Energy chunks are available at Natural Grocer, Whole Foods and on-line.  I used the 'Cacao with Goji Berries' in the cookies at the January class.  I also enjoy the Carob Supergreen variety.  Read labels - some of their chunk's, such as the Chocolate Paradise, contain sugar and other ingredients like soy lecithin, that are on my avoid list.