Oat Raisin Cookies

These cookies are some I've been wanting to experiment with for some time. As with most South Indian homes our typical breakfast will be idlis, dosais and such. My husband puts in long working hours and feels cereals for breakfast will never suffice. While the Bahrain project was being set up, the office used to stock up some energy bars and soft drinks and juices along with coffee and tea making facilities. He had the energy bars there and found the pack on supermarket racks, which he encouraged me to buy. I loved the chewy texture and that is when on I wanted to try them at home.

My Betty Saw book has few chewy cookies but the ingredients invariably use eggs. Though I have cakes from bakers or friends, I can not relish if something smells of the eggs. Cakes don't seem to develop this but cookies with eggs will give off the whiff if stored over two days. I don't like buns that are given one eggwash to bring out the shine. This is totally my personal taste which neither my husband nor Niki seem to share :( My distaste for eggs developped after being force fed bull's eye while at boarding school, many years ago.

Going thro' recipes that feature in Madhuram's space with so many others presenting countless egg-free recipes, I ventured to modify one of Betty Saw's cookies. She had used mashed banana, which I was forced to replace by apple that was available that day in my kitchen. She had used one small egg which also was taken care of by the apple. Rest of the ingredients were from the recipe given.

These cookies were chewy and crisp on the first day, but softened by the next. I should be giving slight improvements, I guess. However, I give you the recipe and leave the rest to you. If anyone of you find a suggestion, I would love it.

Betty says "Pack these chewy cookies filled with bananas (apples, apply here) and raisins in your children's snack boxes...."

Ingredients:

(Drop cookies/ 15 minutes preparation/ 12-15 minutes baking/ yield 24 cookies)

60 grams butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 medium ripe apple (I weighed 100grams of cut pieces) (peel, core and microwave for 3 minutes and mash coarsely)

125 grams quick cooking oats ( Betty used rolled oats; I've used the only oats is available here)

75 grams self -raising flour, sifted

2 tablespoons castor sugar

75 grams raisins

Method:

Line baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Melt the butter and golden syrup in a sauce pan over low heat. Cool slightly and mix the rest of the ingredients to it.

Drop the batter in rounded teaspoonfuls, spaced apart on the prepared trays. Flatten slightly using a fork.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, just until golden.

Cool on wire racks before storing in airtight containers.

I'm sending these cookies to Madhuram's Whole -grain Baking Event which features Oats this October.