"Totally Terrific" Granola Cookies, according to Spiderman

These Granola Cookies are a great sweet treat for your little ones. While they do have some natural sugar in them, their sweetness is balanced by protein from nuts, seeds and eggs; and by complex carbohydrates from whole grains. My kids love them because they taste good. I love them because they aren't a waste of a snack... they contain real nourishment.


This ingredient photo wouldn't make the cut for any magazine spread. I included it because you'll see that all my nuts, seeds and dried fruits have been purchased in bulk and divided into ziplocs. If you know that you will frequently use an item, such as almonds or sunflower seeds, it is a big money saver to buy in bulk. In this photo, Witzy is tearing apple rings into bits.

So, here's the recipe:

• 1 c. softened butter (or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup applesauce)
• 1 1/2 c. natural sweetener (I used sucanat)
• 2 eggs, preferably from hens that roam free
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt (if your nuts are salted, you may consider omitting this extra salt)
• 1/2 c. unsweetened dried coconut
• 2 1/2 c. oats
• 1 1/2 c. dried fruit bits (we had dates and apples today; you could use cranberries, apricots, raisins, and the list goes on...)
• 1 1/2 c. nuts and seeds (we used almonds, cashew bits, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds today)

Cream the butter/applesauce with the sweetener. Beat in the eggs, one by one. Add in the vanilla. Then add in the flour, baking soda and salt. Up to this point, this is a fairly straightforward cookie recipe, but you'll have a pastier dough. This keeps the cookies from getting too dry when you add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir in the coconut and oats. Then mix in the fruit, nuts and seeds.

Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 12 or so minutes. You'll notice all the help I have in this photo. Some say "many hands make light work." Some say "too many cooks spoil the soup." I say "the more the merrier!"


First note: I highly recommend doubling this recipe. Cookies freeze well and this will save you some time when your kids hanker for cookies in the future.

Second note: You could add in chocolate chips. Of course, that adds in some more sugar. But, they do nicely in the recipe... I know because we've tried it that way too!

Coming soon: How to Choose a B Complex Supplement and Natural Sweeteners 101... so stay tuned!