When I look back at some of the older recipes on this blog, I cringe a little. Originally I was making notes more for myself, rather than writing for a theoretical internet audience, so quality control wasn't really an issue. I was still at the beginning of a pretty steep learning curve, and often I was just happy to put something edible on the table.
Since then this blog has become a very personal creative outlet, not just a recipe file. I've gradually improved the design, and started to learn some photography basics. (For those kind enough to offer suggestions, I am already painfully aware of my lighting issues!) My standards for a recipe I'm willing to share have also improved from "not bad for restricted diet food" to "only dishes that are as least as good as, if not better than, the traditional version."
At the beginning of the year I promised updates and remakes of some those early posts. My original recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies is a good example of one of my early experiments that desperately needed improvement. This new version is incredibly good and chewy and could be served without any embarrassment, if there were any left to share after the cookies vultures left the kitchen.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Click here for printable recipe.)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 C dairy free margarine, softened (I used Earth Balance)
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C plain or vanilla soy milk
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients:
3 C oats (regular or quick cooking)
1 C chocolate chips (I used Divvies)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together and set aside. Cream margarine and sugars together until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low and add soy milk, vinegar and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, then add oats and chocolate chips, and stir in by hand.
Place large rounded spoonfuls of dough (up to a quarter cup) on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 5 to 10 minutes before moving, to allow cookies to firm up.
Store cooled cookies in a tightly closed, well hidden container.
These cookies are a great way to start Food Allergy Awareness Week. Tomorrow (Tuesday May 10th) I'll be co-hosting a Live Chat at 1pm ET at The Motherhood: Recipe Swap and Tips for Cooking and Baking Delicious Allergen-Free Food. It's being led by Lori Sandler of Divvies, and some of the other amazing co-hosts are Alisa Fleming of Go Dairy Free, Sloane Miller, author of Allergic Girl, and Cybele Pascal.
If you aren't able to make the chat, there will be a summary posted afterward. Also feel free to check out the summary from last week's chat, Navigating Food Allergies: Advocating for Your Child at School, also led by Lori Sandler, and co-hosted Gina Clowes of Allergy Moms, representatives from both FAAN and FAI, and me. (I had posted last weeks information on the Allergic Kid Facebook page, but not here on the blog, in case you missed it.) So bake up a batch of cookies, make yourself a cuppa and be sure to join us tomorrow!
I'm sharing my cookie remake with:
- Allergy Friendly Friday hosted by Cybele Pascal.
9 comments:
They do, indeed, look as good as, or better than, conventional oatmeal-choc chip cookies! Just wondering which all-purpose flour you use--?
Hi Ricki!
I'm a big fan of King Arthur flour. I used all purpose in this recipe, but if you're trying to go healthier while keeping a finer texture in your baked goods, the K.A. "white whole wheat" is a great choice.
The cookies look delicious. Enjoy co-hosting at The Motherhood today!
Hi there I'm sorry to leave a comment that does not have anything to do with your yummy looking cookies.....but my peanut and pecan allergic daughter came home today to inform me (somewhat reluctantly) that her teacher brought in peanut shells for one student to use for an experiment. My daughter always worries that I'll be mad at her but I try to tell her that it is the situation that makes me upset. This is a classroom and teacher that I felt did a good job of communicating with me during the year about possible issues and knowing that she decided to do this when it was not necessary at all for the education of the entire class had me angry and on top of that I don't feel confident in bringing it up with the school and my daughter is all sorts of insecure and worried that people (her teacher) will be mad if she asserts herself in such situations in the future (she is a third grader). When there haven't been any issues I guess I can become comfortable.... not to say that I'm not constantly checking labels and reminding people of her allergy......sorry, this was a bit upsetting. thanks
Anonymous...went through the same thing with my son's preschool teacher. Some teachers just really don't get it at all. That one year was a total nightmare and I was ready to home-school him.
You should bring it up to the teacher as non-confrontationally as possible. (You might not know this, but my daughter could react to peanut shells) Your daughter has a right to feel safe at school, and the teacher has a duty to protect her.
Anon #1: I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's tough getting to the point where you feel like all the precautions are in place & the person you are trusting with your child's life understands the responsibility, and then there's just a ridiculous mistake like that, that takes you all the way back to square one.
Anon #2 made a good suggestion, and I would definitely take that tack. It sounds like you could use some support, too. There's two groups I'm involved with. One is local to Tampa Bay, but we have members all over Florida and some from other parts of the country.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/FASGofTampa/
The other started on Facebook to support Tracey Bailey, whose daughter was being picketed b/c of her peanut allergy, but it's grown into an amazing support group for everyone.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_147133302017093
(((Hugs))) to you and your daughter, and I hope some of this helps.
Just made these cookies for my dairy/egg/soy/nut allergic twin boys and hubby. YUMMY!!! We did half the batch with chocolate chips and half the batch with raisins. Both versions are delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
I'm sooo glad I'm not the only one who looks at my old posts with some sheepishness. I'm not sure what the protocol is though. I tend to edit the actual recipes, if through time I've learned some better proportions or tricks. But what to do about the photos...we all get better with time. On one hand, my blog is my version of scrapbooking so I don't want to edit too much...but on the other hand, some things need to be scrapped!
just wanted to leave you a note to say how much I have enjoyed your blog and information about having a child with food allergies.
Thank you for all you work! And please keep it up :)
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