Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Immune Boosting Cookies


I like to think my family is pretty healthy. Colds and other illnesses seem to be few and far between. Well, that is not so much the case for this school year. I am currently at home with our youngest as she's been running a fever off and on for the last day. I, myself have had a total of three colds since September. I thought our immune systems were well built up but evidently not.

In my attempt to do some searching for additional flu fighting foods that I could be adding to our diet I came across this recipe for cookies. Cookies, seriously? But as I read the recipe I was intrigued to replicate them for my own family. Of course I made some changes and I know they are not going to cure any illness. But they do have some-good-for-you components and are a healthier alternative to most other cookies.


It may seem like there are lots of flavors going on and there really are, but somehow it just works. The lemon compliments the cinnamon spice and the dark chocolate, nut and cranberry mixture all blend well together. All in all, it's a relatively healthy dessert you can feel good about eating.




Immune Boosting Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1-1/4 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
In a bowl, combine both flours and spices and set aside. In another bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in lemon zest. Mix in molasses, yogurt and eggs until well incorporated.

Next, gradually add in flour mixture and then mix in the oats. Fold in cranberries,  chocolate and both nuts. Dough will be thick.

Drop dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan. Makes about 30 cookies.

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Speaking of good flu fighting foods, I'd love to hear how you're keeping your own family healthy this winter? There sure are some nasty viruses out there right now making their rounds through our schools and community.

I stress a lot of hand washing in our house and especially in the classroom. I've been feeding the kids lots of citrus fruits lately, pomegranates, and as many veggies as I can get in their little bodies. Also lots of yogurt and I have been trying to cook with fresh garlic often as well. But as hard as we try it's virtually impossible to avoid all illnesses completely. It just happens, it's all apart of life.

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