Müsli Cookies

When it comes to cookies I am always looking for healthier recipes to try. Sometimes they come out tasty, sometimes the super-healthy ones do not come very right. You know, sometimes it is a little hard to go from your favorite chocolate chip cookie (although my favorite recipe is a healthy one) to a “healthier” cookie without thinking of it as tasting “light”.
One of my trials involved this Müsli Cookies, which I first saw in a magazine when I was in Brazil. The cookies not only looked good in the magazine’s picture, but were also very healthy when compared to most cookies out there, I could not wait to try. And I did wait, because I only ended up making them here in the US, today.
We were making cookies to take to Matheus’ summer camp “cookie exchange” tomorrow, so I decided to make use of the already hot oven (we made chocolate chip cookies to take there, they are Matheus’ favorites!) and tried this ones out.
They may not be the prettiest looking cookies around, but are indeed very healthy, and tasty too!
I used a müsli I bought in Brazil (the one actually specified in the recipe), however I am pretty sure it would work with any müsli you might like. It is a very basic recipe that makes use of an industrial product, nothing really special about this one. In fact, I believe the cookies would be even better with the sort of müsli I usually buy here in the US, which are more natural than this one I used today. So, I am definitely going to try this recipe again.
All that said, my cookies came out crispy on the outside and sort of cakey in the inside, but in a good way. I liked the fact that it was not overly sweet and that I could taste the crispy bits of oats on the edges and tops. Oh, and I sprinkled mine with brown sugar, which I believe made them even better!
I followed the recipe, except I used some whole-wheat flour (as I always do) for part of the flour asked in the recipe, and I upped the sugar a bit on mine, so feel free to do that in case you try it, because different müslis do have different levels of sweetness – sometimes even being unsweetened (which I actually prefer).
If you, like me, also like to try healthier options, then give this a try, it is not bad if you see it as an occasional treat that can also be good for you!
Ana

Müsli Cookies
1 ¾ cups müsli
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter or margarine (the recipe says “light butter”, but I used regular)

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until well blended and a nice cookie dough has formed. Drop dough by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet, leaving some space between them. Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly brown.
My note: the dough seemed a little dry to me, and I believe that was because my eggs were on the small side (or maybe even due to the whole-wheat flour, who knows…), so I added 1 tablespoon milk to help it blend together.
(recipe adapted from Boa Forma magazine)