NICE & HEALTHY OATMEAL WALNUT COOKIES…& a nice award too!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE-CHIP WALNUT COOKIES

While I was making these cookies the other day, the son was very intrigued by the ‘new ingredient’ on the counter. Told him it was oatmeal, a wonder grain with the power to give sustained release of energy the day through, healthy & full of fibre etc. He gobbled a couple & then later on, that night, told me that he ran well that day & felt great…‘Must be the oat cookies Mama!’ . These cookies are crisp, delicious & healthy.

Rolled oats are made from the oat groats that are extracted from the oat grain & are often considered to be an excellent choice when it comes to a healthy diet. In general, oatmeal made from rolled oats is understood to help reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream. As an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron, and thiamine, rolled oats can be a significant part of a healthy diet, requiring only a small amount to reap the benefits. Rolled oats also have the advantage of possessing an antioxidant known as avenanthramides, which is very helpful in ridding the body of toxins that have built up over time.

Healthy & delicious…these cookies are NICE too!

Ingredients:

Butter – 1/2 cup

Brown sugar – 1/2 cup

White sugar – 1/4 cup

Eggs – 1 large

Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp

Flour – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Baking powder – 3/4 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Quick Cooking Oats – 1 1/2 cups (I use Quaker Oats)

Walnuts – 1/2 cup / chopped

Chocolate chips – 1/2 cup

Raisins – 1/4 cup (optional)

• Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. Keep 2-3 ungreased cookie sheets ready.
• Sift the flour + baking powder + salt 3 times. Keep aside.
• Cream butter + both sugars.
• Add egg + vanilla essence & beat for a minute.
• Stir in the sifted flour mix + oats +walnuts + chocolate chips + raisins.
• Drop 12 spoonfuls onto each sheet, leaving room in between for spreading. Flatten with a fork if you like.
• Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until light brown.
• Rest for a minute on the baking sheet & then cool completely on racks.
• Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Store in an airtight tin in a cool place.

I got a really pleasant surprise early this morning. Hurried by to check my mail before leaving for the son’s soccer league finals & found this lovely award from Doris (Meeso) at The Humble Kitchen.THANK YOU Doris…you really made my day & all the way from Michigan!! It means a LOT to me & I’m completely over the moon. We went on to win the league finals & it must have been your good thoughts that helped too! Doris is a lovely girl & whenever I post a lamb dish, I have ‘Meeso on my mind’ coz she loves lamb dishes, especially Indian curries!!

• Suganya @ Tasty Pallettes (thanks for being ever so patient & walking me through fixing my header)
• Cynthia @ Tastes Like Home who always gives me handy advice & replies to my mails despite being ever so busy.
• Arundati @ Escapades who shared her love for Star Anise with me & drove me mad between her 2 blogs. In the end I was convinced I was leaving messages for someone else!!
• Susan @ Food Blogga who’s always had nice words to say & has an ‘infectious‘ level of enthusiasm!
• Ben @ What’s Cooking who, among other things, loved my biryani recipe even though he couldn’t make sense of it!!!
• Manggy @ No Special Effects…one of the nicest bloggers I know. Thanks for being there always Doc!!

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Roger Federer

And while the Oscars are about to be announced today, it’s raining awards in blogosphere already. Went to Susan’s to deliver her award, & picked up one in return. Woo hoo…thanks a ton Susan. Means the world to me!!