Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Good Cookie

That name is terrible. Also in the running:
-"Granookies"
-"Cookies you'd give your kids for a snack and not feel guilty about it"
"A cookie to eat before you run"
"Cookies but not really"

They're not really officially granola bars.....and I wouldn't dare call them a cookie.....I know good cookies. But they lie somewhere in between, and they lie there without a name. 

This cooler weather is screaming at me to bake. Bake. Bake. Bake. But right now I'm  in  training (and Robby too!!) for this, and with all the running around we are doing I don't want a belly full of cookies bouncing up and down with each step. 

I've been working on a "granola bar" type recipe for a while now--the perfect balance of decent nutrition, but also giving me that chocolate fix I need every day at 3:00. 

I  finally found it. 

They really need a name. Just calling them "those one bars" is pretty bad. But without further ado,

bars

The Good Cookie (laaaaame)

3/4c  peanut butter
1/4c agave nectar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 can chickpeas, pureed in food processor
1 1/4 c rolled oats
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4c ground flax seed
1/8c wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2oz good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

In a seperate bowl combine oats, flour, flax, wheat germ, baking powder and salt.

Combine pb, agave, and egg in mixer, and beat until well combined--about a minute.
Add vanilla.
Stir in chickpea puree until well mixed.
Slowly stir in dry mixture until well combined. Mixture will be thick.

Shape into a rectangle on a lined cookie sheet, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle chocolate over the top.

Bake at 350° in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until cookie is set. 

Spread out chocolate, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, and cut into bars. Let them cool completely before you eat them. Store in refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and crisp.

The size (above) was perfect for me! It was a great afternoon snack, and I even ate one about an hour before an 8 mile run and had no troubles at all (I have a super picky tummy when it comes to pre-running food)

I cut them in half for the kids....they devoured them.

These are mildly sweet, and are a great mix of whole grains, with the chickpeas and peanut butter offer a good amount of protein, but they are still cookie enough to get me through my afternoon. 

enjoy!

20 comments:

Small Burst said...

Oh wow! Whatever you call them, they sure look scrumdidlyumptious!! I'm printing the recipe as I type. Thanks!!

Unknown said...

oh my, these look heavenly. i am so jealous you are doing another ragnar, i just got to get a bunch of my gfs together to get started in one. if you ever need a replacement i am happy to run.

Hayley said...

i liked granookie until i realized that it reminded me of limp biscuit. wait...bizkit? ew. i'm sorry i even mentioned it.

and i'm no runner but these are definitely in the works.

sheena said...

hayley! ha! I know....I couldn't use anything with the word nookie in it. And now that song is officially in my head.

Tara said...

Thank you!! I can't wait to make these. I just need to go get some flax seed and wheat germ. I'm finally willing to welcome flax back into my home. :)

MEAGHAN COOK PHOTOGRAPHY BOUTIQUE said...

Excuse me while I lick my screen.

Kasey said...

I think you should call it the SMART Cookie!

Emily R said...

Oh my goodness...I too need a chocolate fix at 3:00. I'm making these for sure...thanks for sharing!

Zoe said...

Interesting way of making cookie being "good" :D

Dawn said...

They look great. Here in the midwest, a pan of "cookies" like that is called "BARS," so you could name them "smart bars" or something similar.

Kel said...

Use chick in the name somewhere...Like Chick bars. I am excited that I have all of these ingredients!

Jeana Bird said...

I have a list of recipes to try and this one is at the top. They look delicious!

Unknown said...

hi! i got here from tastespotting. i want to make these but do have a question - do you drain and rinse the chick peas or puree the whole can - juice & all? thanks!

sheena said...

Dianne! yes--drain and rinse!

marla {Family Fresh Cooking} said...

These are "good" cookies, heck I would go with "great" cookies! They look awesome - my kids would love them too. Great, high quality ingredients in them :)

Egle said...

hands down these look good. But what if I substitute an agave nectar with honey? Will they be as good as they should be?

sheena said...

Honey will work great! I would add a little bit more than it calls for--agave is pretty sweet.

Egle said...

Many many thanks! I'm definetely gonna try these this weekend. I even can feel how they they taste and melt in my mouth. Oh goodness, i'm so looking forward.

tummies said...

uhh.. hello dreams in real life-- this recipe is exactly what i have been searching for!!! I have been working from several granola bar recipes, trying to alter them to be what I want... adding flax & wheat germ where there was none, sweetening with agave instead of sugar, trying to find something to hold it all together..
I CANNOT WAIT TO GET HOME AND MAKE THESE!!! so excited.
also, btw, my husband has greek yogurt chilling out in the oven right now (with the light on, duh.. because who would wake up early, be really confused about the white crust on the digital food thermometer, and turn off the oven light?? not me. no sir.) Anyways, super excited to eat that in about 9 hours, too!

Raegan said...

After eyeing these for a while, I finally made them to take on a family vacation. From the description and the pictures, they reminded me vaguely of a hobnob (!) and I couldn't wait to take such delicious looking snacks with us. Sadly, they were quite the disappointment. The crunchy, oat-y munches of my expectations turned out to be dry and crumbly with a cake-ish texture and no flavor. I'm constantly in the kitchen baking and cooking, so it's not like these were the first thing I've made before! Not one in my family of 7 would eat them, and it almost made me cry as I scraped off the chocolate and fed the rest to the chickens! What a waste.

If anyone is looking for a divine granola bar recipe, Heidi Swanson's power bar will surely not disappoint: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/video-big-sur-power-bars-recipe.html