Snack Time!

We love to snack in my house, so it's important to have something available to nibble on as we go about our day. In an effort to be a tad more healthy, I'm trying to make those snacks, instead of purchasing pre-packaged ones from the supermarket.

We had a great first effort with the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars I made with my son last month. They were perfect for nibbling during the day or a quick "cut-and-go," and I was looking for something similar to make for this week.

So I pulled out my folder, the one filled with recipes torn from magazines or printed from the Internet, and I found this recipe from the January/February 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine: Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Score!

My son and I made these yesterday afternoon, and despite lots of nagging to lick the spoon, we had a good time. Again, this was another recipe that was easy to make with him. Like with the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, he measured and stirred the dry ingredients, feeling like he really was "making" the cookies. They filled the house with a wonderful scent as they baked, and we tasted them warm, while the chocolate chips were still gooey. Heaven!

Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from the Food Network Magazine
Active: 35 minutes | Total: 1 hour
Makes: about 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed, finely ground in a spice grinder, or pre-ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, oats, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop heating tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes from the Chef:

• I used a 1" ice cream scoop and this recipe made closer to 4 dozen cookies than the 32 stated above. The dough does spread, though, so leaving 2 inches between cookies is important.
• I used my mini cuisinart to grind the flaxseeds, since I don't have a spice grinder.
• Don't be afraid to add the flaxseeds. They added a nutty flavor to the cookies. The whole family loved them.