These cookies are something I have been making for years. It was inspired by a Cooking Light recipe that I have adapted, using less sugar and substituting healthier ingredients. Each cookie is filled with goodness like cholesterol lowering oats, whole wheat pastry flour, dried cranberries,baby food prunes, coconut butter and just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice.
They are soft moist and not overly sweet. The baby food prunes add moistness and flavor. Use them as a flavorful substitute for oil or butter in baked goods. When Katy was in high school I would bake up a big batch of these and wrap them individually and pop them in the freezer. She would take one daily in her lunch along with home made soup in a thermos. She was the envy of her lunch buddies!
Now she is student teaching and still taking one of these cookies with her daily! I’m not sure if she is eating it as part of her dashboard breakfast (that would be while she is driving) or if it is saved for lunch. I am thinking about making a batch with some protein powder and nuts to boost the nutritional value even more. If you don’t have baby food prunes you might try some applesauce or canned pumpkin.
Oatmeal Spice Breakfast Cookie
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter — melted (or butter or vegetable oil)
- 5 ounces baby food prunes — 2- 2 1/2 ounce containers
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups oats, rolled (raw)
- 1 cup Craisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl, stir well with a wire whisk. Combine flour, bakaing soda and salt, add to sugar mixture, stir until blended. Stir in oats and cranberries.
Spray baking sheets with non stick spray, spray a 1/4 cup measure cup with non stick spray. For each cookie measure a scant 1/4 cup (not quite full), drop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 16 -18 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be soft.
Yield: 24 cookies Serving Size: 1 cookie
Per Serving: 154 Calories; 1g Fat (6.9% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 155mg Sodium. WWPP 4
Make 48 smaller cookies using 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, reduce baking time to 10-12 minutes.
Yield: 48 cookies Serving Size: 1 cookie
Per Serving: 77 Calories; 1g Fat (6.9% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 78mg Sodium. WWPP 2
This recipe was shared on Tastetastic Thursday @ A little Nosh
Nutmeg Notes
Giving up the guilt!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment yesterday. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about leaving comments on blogs. I’m going to join those of you who have decided not to feel guilty if you read a post and don’t always leave a comment. It takes a lot of time to read blog posts, leave a comment and on top of that also write your own post and reply to the comments on your blog! I have noticed that some bloggers have stopped blogging and it makes me sad. I miss them!
I read an article recently that on average only 1% of blog readers leave a comment. Only 9% contribute on rare occasions so 9 out o10 blog readers don’t participate at all! This information makes me sad and comforted all at the same time. Photographing food, experimenting with recipes, figuring out the nutritional information, doing internet research on ingredients, recipes, cooking techniques and writing the blog posts is time consuming. There is no pay check at the end of the week so I have always felt like my reward is getting comments.
A new perspective
I use to judge the success of each post, recipe, product review and so on by how many comments were left instead of how many people read the post. Armed with this new knowledge about how many readers on average leave a comment I have a new perspective. If I get any comments at all I should be happy!
I had been judging my success by looking at a certain number. Kind of like how we judge our weight loss success by the number on the scale. I have come to realize that there are many different ways to measure my success as a blogger just as there are many different ways to measure success in weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle.
From your comments and emails I have learned that through this blog some of you have added variety to your weekly menus with the recipes I have posted, you have tried new foods and even a few people have been inspired to keep moving forward on their weight loss journey. 
I feel like I have made new friends with those of you who comment here. This makes me very happy!
Happy Friday Friends!
Tami
Add Your Thoughts
If you are a blogger how do you judge your success as a blogger or do you even think about it?
Do you include baked treats as a part of your regular meal plan?
I don’t have baked goods daily but I do have them occasionally. I have found that if I eat them after a balanced meal they are less likely to send me into a carb craving frenzy!
29 comments
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Kiri W. says:
October 21, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC -7)
Wow, 9 out of 10? Ouch!
I have just started blogging, so I really can’t measure success (hopefully I will ever have some!), but I already feel the crave for comments, even though I know I get minimal readership and may not appeal at all. I think it’s both a wonderful and a terrible set-up to get yourself in as a blogger.
I don’t eat baked items too often just because I am a horrible baker. Cooking? Check. Baking? Nooot so much. But I do love bakery items and gladly savor these treats when I get a chance.
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:19 am (UTC -7)
Kiri welcome to the world of blogging! I will have to stop by and visit your block. I think the blog sphere is a very supportive group of people. It seems like it’s mostly bloggers supporting other bloggers when it comes to leaving comments. Lots of folks just don’t feel comfortable putting something in print in a public forum.
Wishing you much success in the months ahead!
Kiri W. says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:49 am (UTC -7)
Thank you so much! And you actually have been by and commented already, so yes, bloggers clearly are a great bunch!
I’ll need the luck, thank you again! And keep up the wonderful posts, I’m on WWPP as well, so it’s quite interesting for me to see your recipes!
Jody - Fit at 53 says:
October 21, 2011 at 2:32 pm (UTC -7)
You know I love me some cookies!!!!!
You know, it is hard for me not to feel bad about “the numbers” & less comments but I try to just move on. The hard part is all the time one puts in to the blog & it feels like it is not paying off BUT I know it helps a few so…..
I make my homemade protein bars, muffins & cookies with all healthy ingredients so yes, I include them every day!
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:22 am (UTC -7)
Jody when you add in some protein powder to a recipe do you then reduce the amount of flour or add more liquid?
I want to boost the protein in some baked goods and I thought I would experiment with adding some protein powder or perhaps try some of the recipes that include beans!
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
Ellen says:
October 21, 2011 at 2:43 pm (UTC -7)
Tami, so grateful for some healthified version of a cookie recipe. I’m in that ‘mood’ – the one I get into whenever Fall rolls around, and cookies/breads are always on my mind.
As far as comments go, I never knew that few people commented. I think as bloggers, we just want to know that there are others out there – that we aren’t speaking to an empty room. Any kind of validation is a good thing because it helps us to keep going and realizing that what we’re doing isn’t in vain.
I have had to cut back on comments for the same reason you have mentioned – blogging is hard work! For me on average, a post takes around 2 to 3 hours to finalize. I’m sure for you it’s much longer due to the fact that you have photos and baking involved!
I’ve vowed to make a point to comment at least once a week on the blogs that I read, just so the blogger knows that I am still here, appreciating everything he/she (YOU) puts forth
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:25 am (UTC -7)
Hi Ellen. Remember that the stats are for the average so some blogs will have a higher rate of comments and some lower!
Like you, I want to know that I am not writing to an empty space! You are right blogging is a lot of work. I spend a minimum of 3 hours on a post not counting the cooking and photography part.
I like your idea of leaving a comment once a week on the blogs you read. That is doable! I know I have to cut back on reading other blogs and leaving comments, as much as I enjoy blogs, it just takes up too much time.
Roz@weightingfor50 says:
October 21, 2011 at 2:47 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Tami. Wow…those stats are amazing. Like you, I LOVE having comments left on my blog. I’d love it if more people came forward and said “hi”, but I also understand some people feel a bit strange doing that as they don’t know me personally. Bottom line for me, I blog for me, I love the folks I’ve “met” through it, and if it grows great, if not, that’s great too. I love being part of the blogging community! Have a wonderful Friday. BTW, fab looking recipe! Thanks!!
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:28 am (UTC -7)
Roz I have to agree with you, I love the folks I have “met” through my blog. It’s nice to be a part of this community and I am grateful for all of the people who comment here. I know I have a lot of lurkers and thats okay too!
Cammy@TippyToeDiet says:
October 21, 2011 at 3:28 pm (UTC -7)
Thanks for the recipe! I may try it with applesauce. Or baby food carrots.
It took me 20+ years to learn to not use numbers as measurements, and I’ve decided to take the same road with blog readership. I do keep tabs on my feed subscribers (part of my monthly back-up procedure), and when/if it ever drops to 0, I’ll know there’s no point anymore.
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 7:29 am (UTC -7)
Cammy I don’t think you ever have to worry about having 0 readers! You have a great attitude about numbers. It’s taking me a long time to reach the same point!
Jenn @ Cooking Aweigh the Pounds says:
October 21, 2011 at 3:45 pm (UTC -7)
Success used to mean how many comments I’d get. Now it is being part of this awesome blogging community and making connections with people I’d never otherwise meet in real life. Comments are nice, but I love seeing friends coming by to check up in with me.
Have a great weekend, Tami!
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 8:30 am (UTC -7)
Making connections with people whom we would otherwise never meet is the best part of blogging!
Enjoy your weekend!
Sharon says:
October 22, 2011 at 4:00 am (UTC -7)
These cookies look great. I put a baked good of some sort in hubby’s lunch every day, so may try these. Usually a muffin or something else I’ve made that is healthy. He’d love these.
The blogs I read are all in a reader so I never miss a post. Whether or not I comment depends on the amount of time I have when I sit down to catch up. I’m usually able to do that once a day, but not always with enough time to leave a comment on every blog I follow. So no, I don’t always leave a comment, but I must definitely ALWAYS read. I also work hard to find and support new blogs because I know how important that was to me.
I would rather have a meaningful comment from a reader who obviously took time to read and think about what I wrote than those which feel as if the commenter went straight to the comment line without ever reading the post.
What I love about your blog is coming back to it time after time looking for a recipe you posted a long time ago that I remember and want to try. I did that one day earlier this week!
Hope you have a good weekend!
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 8:33 am (UTC -7)
Sharon I think it’s wonderful that you take the time to find new blogs to support. I did that in the beginning but I no longer seem to have time to look for new blogs!
You said, “I would rather have a meaningful comment from a reader who obviously took time to read and think about what I wrote than those which feel as if the commenter went straight to the comment line without ever reading the post.” Well said and I have to agree with you.
I am so glad you enjoy the recipes! Be sure and use the recipe navigation page to locate the past recipes I have posted. I am a little behind right now and have about a half dozen recipes to post there! So many recipes – so little time.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Andrea@WellnessNotes says:
October 22, 2011 at 6:26 am (UTC -7)
The cookies sound good! I don’t eat sweats every day, but there is definitely room for them in my meal plan. At one point, I had told myself there wasn’t any room for treats, and that’s just no fun!
It’s hard not to look at numbers! Last year I was in the 99.9% at my gym for attendance, and I “had” to go every day to keep it up. I even worked out when I was quite sick. Looking back now, I realize how crazy that was (and can’t believe I got to that place at my age! Haven’t I learned anything!!!). Now my schedule has completely changed, and I can’t make it to the gym very much anymore. My percentage is terrible, but I still work out every day in one way or another. And I’m happy with my workouts and not obsessive anymore.
And, yes, blog stats and comments can “mess with” your head, too. I used to blog a lot more and got more comments and visitors. But the hours I put into my blog weren’t sustainable. I had to take numerous little breaks over the years, and I’m glad I did and didn’t stop completely. I do what works for me and my life at this point.
I always love coming here, and I don’t always leave a comment as it sometimes just doesn’t work at the time. I’m off to look for a crockpot recipe now. Love your recipe section!
Tami says:
October 22, 2011 at 8:37 am (UTC -7)
Wow Andrea you really were hard on yourself about keeping your gym attendance at that number! It just goes to show how easy it is to get caught up in the numbers game.
I have found that every once in a while I have to take a blogging break and walk away from it for a few days.
I’m glad you like the recipe section. I just tried a new slow cooker recipe last night and it was delicious! I will be posting it soon.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend! “)
Karen@WaistingTime says:
October 22, 2011 at 10:48 am (UTC -7)
I’m torn about blog stats. I check, periodically. Having my readership grow feels good, no denying. Getting comments makes my day… but I agree with the person above who said that thoughtful ones are the best:) I am often touched by the time and thought taken by some of my commenters. I have learned a lot from the things readers have shared. But mostly I love the dialogue that comes with comments. It never ceases to surprise me when a certain blog does or doesn’t get a lot of hits or comments. Can’t predict.
Tami says:
October 23, 2011 at 1:17 pm (UTC -7)
You never know what topic Or in my case recipe is going to cause a reaction and make people feel like leaving a comment. It’s all a mystery.
I have learned so much from the readers here and of course from reading interesting blogs like yours Karen.
Amy @ A Little Nosh says:
October 23, 2011 at 3:48 am (UTC -7)
I don’t measure my blogging success by comments, but it does make me feel warm and fuzzy when certain posts get a lot of comments. We don’t blog to be ignored; we blog to be noticed and liked and appreciated.
I’ll be featuring these cookies this weekend. They sound fantastic!
Tami says:
October 23, 2011 at 1:18 pm (UTC -7)
I love what you said Amy, ” We don’t blog to be ignored; we blog to be noticed and liked and appreciated.” That is so true!
Thank you for choosing one of my recipes for your weekend features. I am so excited about that!
Autumn@Good Eats Girl says:
October 23, 2011 at 12:25 pm (UTC -7)
These breakfast cookies look awesome! I need to make them!
At the beginning I used to get caught up in the numbers and that made me obsess about my blog too much! I decided that I needed to just blog when it worked with my schedule and that worrying about the numbers, etc. needed to be secondary!
Tami says:
October 23, 2011 at 1:22 pm (UTC -7)
That is a good attitude Autumn. I use to try to blog 5 times a week but it was crazy trying to make a new post that often. Three times a week works well for me. Sometimes I throw in an extra one if I have a lot of new recipes I want to share. Sometimes I cut back and only post once or twice a week if things are really busy.
I enjoy having my favorite recipes documented, photographed and saved for my family and friends.
Ally's Sweet & Savory Eats says:
October 23, 2011 at 2:48 pm (UTC -7)
First off – these cookies look like the ideal snack for our household!
I am sadded to hear that only 1% of blog readers comment, but I know it is true. I can’t even count how many times people say they read my blog, but I would have never have known it, as I’ve never seen a comment from them! In my opinion, comments fuel my fire and just want to make my blog better. I wish people would realize that!
Tami says:
October 23, 2011 at 3:53 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Ally and welcome to Nutmeg Notebook!
I think that a lot of people don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment for all of the world to read. I have some folks who read the blog weekly but never leave a comment but they will email me about a recipe or a post. I also have family and friends who visit the blog for the recipes and when I see them in person they will tell me what recipes they have tried or make comments about something they read on the blog. That’s okay too!
I guess we all have different comfort levels and for bloggers it’s no big deal to leave a comment but for others it takes them way out of their comfort zone.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and I hope you are having a lovely day!
Sue says:
October 23, 2011 at 3:52 pm (UTC -7)
I always look forward to your posts. I also enjoy trying new recipes. That is a great tip about freezing the cookies individually for school lunches. My two high school girls bring their lunch everyday. If you could do a post with suggestions on packing lunches, it would be appreciated.
Tami says:
October 23, 2011 at 4:45 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Sue! Packing lunches everyday gets old quick! Maybe I should do a brown bag it post!
My daughter never cared too much for sandwiches but I did get her to like what we called “pickle delight” it was a turkey, cheese, lettuce and dill pickle sandwich! Buy really good buns or bread to make the sandwiches taste better.
I found that it was much easier to send things in the winter using a thermos. I would make up a huge batch of soup, check out the recipe navigation page and click on soups/stews. They reheat in a couple of minutes in the microwave, preheat the thermos by filling it with hot or boiling water, dump out the water, put in the soup, screw on the lid and it’s good to go.
We bought a thermos that came with a spoon that was hinged and it fit in the lid! Really nifty. A thermos is also good for any kind of left over pasta, chicken fried rice, macaroni and cheese or casserole. You can heat up leftover mashed potatoes, put them on the bottom of the thermos and add reheated chicken on top of it.
I use to send hot dogs to school with my kids. My son liked this lunch. Heat up the hot dogs, fill the thermos with hot, hot water (not quite boiling, don’t want to burn the kids) place two hot dogs (uncured, all natural) in the thermos, screw on lid. Send along whole wheat hot dog buns and condiments in little tupperware containers. It works like a charm!
In a short large mouth thermos that you put in the freezer for a couple of hours or the night before, add their favorite type of cheese cut into squares along with some light salami, ham or turkey. In a baggie take along some whole wheat crackers like Akmak and you have a healthier take on a lunchable. Add a variety of fresh fruit, a carton of yogurt and healthy muffin or cookie.
That same short wide mouth thermos is great for cottage cheese and fruit too. Hummus dip with veggie dippers and pita bread. Edamame and a little soy sauce to dip them in. A South West style layered dip with refried beans, avocado, light sourcream and shreded cheese with veggie dippers and corn tortilla chips. My daughter will eat this but not my son.
For my son in college I bought the long deli style sandwich buns from the bakery department and created his favorite Subway sandwich with turkey, white cheddar, shredded Romaine lettuce, tomato slices, sliced pepperoncinis, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. The trick to keeping the sandwich from getting soggy is to press the slices of tomato and the pepperoncinis between two layers of paper towels to remove all the extra liquid. Once you have the sandwiches assembled wrap them very tightly in plastic wrap so they won’t fall apart. You can also do the same thing using the Lavash flat breads and make a roll up type sandwich.
My son also likes a good old PBJ on whole wheat bread. It fills him up and tastes good too.
For grab and go things for them to take I buy, protein bars, Larabar bars, Builders Bars, power bars, Z bars, granola bars, individually packed dried prunes, dried cranberries, raw almonds, organic apples, organic bananas, oranges, grapes, light string cheese, light babybel cheese, Akmak crackers, preztels, Chex Mix (not that healthy), turkey jerky, beef jerky and bottled water.
It all depends on what your kind of foods your daughters like and if they are trying to eat healthy then trying to include plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, protein and fiber is really important.
I hope these ideas are helpful. I just might do a whole post on this topic!
renee@mykitchenadventures says:
October 23, 2011 at 4:18 pm (UTC -7)
Interesting statistics Tami…and yes, I too have fallen into the trap of deciding if a post is worthy by how many comments it gets…but I do know about how time consuming all of this can be, and I have read but not had time to comment on occasion. I do try to comment though, because I know how much work goes into putting a post up and always appreciate any feedback I get myself…but I no longer base the success of my blog on how many comments I get….I do enjoy getting them though.
And these bfast cookies look amazing. I love using baby food prunes in baked goods…so easy and it makes things so moist. I actually think I like using prunes better than applesauce to replace fat. But then again, I like prunes!
Weight Watcher Wannabe says:
October 23, 2011 at 7:16 pm (UTC -7)
Hey there…
I love your blog ever so. Each time I see that you have added a new post I can’t wait to have a look see. As you know, my hubby loves your recipes as do I. I totally understand what your saying, were like two peas in a blogger pod..