By Ben |

People keep asking for this recipe, so I'm going to post it here...

I used to really love "monster cookies" -- that is, oatmeal-M&M-peanut butter cookies -- but then peanuts stopped agreeing with me, and I learned that most chocolate is made by child slaves, and I was living around a bunch of health-food enthusiasts, so I needed a wholesome substitute.  I started from this basic oatmeal cookie recipe, which I found online somewhere:

Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats)
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins or 1 cup white or dark chocolate chips (optional)
drop golf-ball-size on parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 min

... and here's what I do differently:

* 1/2 c sorghum syrup instead of sugar
* whole wheat flour instead of white
* 3/4 c raisins and 1/4 c candied ginger (finely chopped) instead of 1 c raisins
* add 1/2 c warm water or almond butter

Sometimes I also add 1/2 c organic cocoa powder... if I use chocolate chips, those are also organic (and hence slavery free, since there are no organic farms in the countries where child slavery occurs). The extra liquid is necessary because the whole wheat flour and extra ingredients absorb more moisture than the basic recipe so that the dough won't stick together.  Using almond butter instead makes the cookies almost too rich; it definitely cuts down on the number people will be able to eat.  Either way the cookies are so wholesome that they make a great breakfast or a filling snack.  These are not empty calories -- you can feel good about eating these cookies!