Even though Veteran’s Day has passed a few days ago, I want to thank you, all men and women who have served in our armed forces,and for all you have given for our country. We appreciate you, and we thank you for defending and protecting freedom all around the world. May God bless you for your sacrifice and service for us all.
Once a month the Water Lilies at the Fulda Pool take a few minutes to share with each other after swimming exercise with a little “brunch” and a lot of talking and laughter. This past week as the ladies in charge were trying to get the coffee started, disappointment set in. First, the large coffee pot refused to heat up at all. It didn’t matter which plug-in we tried, it just remained cold. Suddenly one of the gals remembered a Bunn that had been left at the pool for just such a time as this.
We transferred the water and the coffee carefully, plugged it in, and presto…a light appeared! Great. We would have coffee for the gals after all. In about thirty seconds we realized differently as the old Bunn just “blew up”! There were coffee grounds everywhere, with the water leaking out in all directions. What a mess! Now what? I am not a coffee drinker, so it didn’t bother me too much, but I know that coffee is really important to several others.
Our final decision was to skip the coffee and put all of our dollar bills together to retrieve cold water bottles from the pool’s pop machine. We rationed the water into the coffee cups, and along with serving a bottle of peach juice that had been provided, everyone was able to enjoy the fruit, cheese, and baked treats. Katie Bushard, from Heron Lake, brought the cookies below. They were a great hit, and several wanted the recipe. I am helping that cause out by putting it here for all of you to try. Katie says that her daughter calls them “oatmeal cookies on steroids”!! They really are soft, chewy and delicious….and GOOD for you! (I’ll try very hard not to “screw up” as I type the ingredients!!)
Fruity Breakfast Cookies
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup dried berries ( cranberries, cherries or mixed berries)
1 cup dried apricots, CHOPPED
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, vanilla, sugars, salt and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat again.
Stir in oats, flaxseed meal, flour, baking powder and soda. (ADD ADDITIONAL FLOUR IF DOUGH IS STILL STICKY.)
Stir in the fruit until well blended.
Scoop dough onto baking sheet with about 2 Tbsp. sized mound of dough. Bake 10-15 minutes, but be careful not to overbake. Centers will be a bit doughy and dense.
This makes about 2 dozen cookies.
With this snow on the ground, baking these would warm up the kitchen pretty quickly, and the smell is great too! Have a great week ahead and STAY WARM!
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