A RAISIN TO SMILE.

Devouring these power cookies on my 10 km warm summer’s day hike was more than enough raisin to smile. While it’s important to stay well hydrated when hiking, eating a balanced amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein is essential to fuel your body. Enter homemade power cookies: loaded with carbohydrates, protein, fibre, healthy fats and flavour, these convenient snacks deliver energy with each bite. Don’t worry – while these cookies will satisfy your hunger, they won’t leave you feeling overly full or upset your digestive system (ahem, sudden bowel movements). Let me know what you think!

Oatmeal Power Cookies

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

1c oats, quick

1c oat flour**

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp Becel Buttery margarine (non-hydrogenated)

1/4c maple syrup

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Power Mix

3 tbsp pepita seeds

3 tbsp sliced almonds

3 tbsp raisins

2 tsp sunflower seeds

30g dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 325F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.

In another large bowl cream together, the margarine and maple syrup. Beat in the egg, add the vanilla and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the power mix and combine thoroughly. Using your hands, form one cookie ball and place on the tray. Repeat to form 10 cookie balls.

Flatten the tops of each ball, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool prior to consuming.

Note: Don’t have oat flour? No problem. Use a food processor to grind oats to make the flour. To reduce the sugar content, you can omit/use less raisins. You can also reduce the maple syrup to 3 tbsp, but this will change the texture of the cookie. These cookies are meant to be crumbly, but if you find that the cookie dough is too dry/hard to form the balls, add 1 tbsp of water. If still too crumbly, add 1tsp of water at a time. Too much water will ruin the texture and final product.

Nutritional Content (per 1 serving):

Energy: 180kcal Protein: 5g Fat:7g (1.5g saturated fat) Carbohydrates:22g Fibre:3g Sugar: 9g