raisin

Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal

By in Breakfast, Fall, GF Mains, Gluten Free 1 Comment Tags: , , , ,

Hello friends! I kind of disappeared off the face of the earth for a little bit there didn”t I? The wonderful thing about fall and your son being in preschool is that you get all sorts of wonderful bugs brought back to your home. Let”s just say that food has been the last thing on my mind and health has been at the foremost. Probiotics are being consumed daily and I have a newly spurned desire to make sure, even more, that what we”re eating is not only tasty but nourishing for our bodies too. And a healthy day starts with breakfast!

This oatmeal was actually Max”s idea. I was going to make our usual Banana Walnut Oatmeal when he protested that today he wanted Apple Oatmeal! So I decided to take my go-to and give it an apple-cinnamon spin. It was a hit and it will now be going into our morning oatmeal rotation.

Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal

Use gluten-free certified oats to make this gluten-free.

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup milk (or almond/coconut milk)

  • 1 small apple (or 1/2 large), peeled and diced

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch nutmeg

  • pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/3 cup raisins

Place water, milk, apple, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and maple syrup in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oats and raisins. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes or until desired thickness. Top with additional milk, cinnamon and apple slices before serving, if desired.

Makes: 2-3 servings

Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies

By in Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Fall, Sweets 14 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

It has been a dreary, rainy week. I have actually quite enjoyed it. It gave me the perfect excuse to drag out the Christmas music. Max spun around in circles and did his little hoppy dance, while I baked, with a little shimmy and shake once in a while to receive some giggles from my fan club. I used to start listening to Christmas music at this time every year, but stopped after learning that I had ruined Christmas music forever for one of my brothers. Last year I made myself wait until November 25th and realized that now that I am getting “older”, time flies by way too fast and Christmas is here before you know it. So, I figure if I am in the mood and it feels like Christmas, I am not going to limit myself.

That is where these cookies came in. A Christmassy feeling spreading through the house. A need to get something baking in the oven to bring some warmth back in our bones. And, a want for that spicy cinnamon and clove scent that is so often associated with this time of year. These cookies helped to fulfill them all.

This recipe came from my mother. It has been a favourite of my Dad”s for years. Mine too. You can easily scarf them down for breakfast as they are not overly sweet and have a wholesome quality to them. The texture is actually similar to muffins, just in bite size form. A perfect grab and go snack that you don”t have to feel quite so bad about eating. :)

You are probably wondering why this Raisin Cookie has no raisins. Let me tell you. It”s because I wasn”t thinking and picked the cookie with the least amount of visible raisins to photograph and didn”t realize it until I was editing. There are raisins in these cookies I promise!

Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 3 cups brown sugar, packed

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 tsp. vanilla

  • 3 cups oatmeal

  • 3/4 cup milk

  • 1 cup raisins

  • 3.5 cups flour

  • 4 tsp. baking powder

  • 1 tsp. baking soda

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 4 tsp. cinnamon

  • 1 tsp. ground cloves

  1. Place raisins in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and let sit for 10 min.

  2. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

  3. Stir in oatmeal, milk, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

  4. Strain raisins and fold in.

  5. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.

  6. Bake at 350ºF for 10-15 min. until lightly browned. Cool on wire wrack or paper towel.

Makes approx: 5 dozen

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