Wheat Germ Cookies

No pictures of these ones. They were so good they disappeared before I could pull out the camera. So instead you get these sweet pictures I took of my on the Boise River this summer.

For a while I worked at Specialty's Bakery, where you can get an Oatmeal Wheat Germ Bran Chocolate Chip Cookie, which somehow people think is healthier than the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie. Not really true. I mean, you might get more vitamin E and fiber, but you're still getting a 1/4 pound of butter and sugar (or rather margarine and sugar if you get the Wheat Germs, so no cholesterol either). A friend of mine went through several batches trying to get the perfect recipe and finally gave up because it was getting expensive and she was gaining wheat germ weight. She never followed my advice though, and this is the only thing I know about Specialty's cookies: The dough weighs 1/4 pound per cookie. It is refrigerated at least 24 hours before they are baked. They are always baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

So sorry to disappoint you, but this is by no means a recreation of the Specialty's Oatmeal Wheat Germ Bran Chocolate Chip Cookie. It is a combination of King Arthur's Wheat Germ Cookies and the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe (which, by the way, is WAY better with fresh cranberries than with raisins, especially if you add walnuts) I got from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes (Thanks Aunt Debbie), but mostly just my own creation. Have at it.

Wheat Germ Cookies

3 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil (or any other cooking oil)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs all purpose flour

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

1/2 cup walnuts (not chopped. leave them big and chunky)

1/4 cup raisins

Heat butter, oil, and brown sugar in a large saucepan, on low stirring until the butter melts. Let it cool for a minute, and then add the egg (so you don't get scrambled eggs in your cookies) and vanilla.

Stir in oats, flour, wheat germ, soda, salt, and nutmeg. Then add the sesame seeds, walnuts, and raisins.

Roll into golf-ball size balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 7 minutes. Cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes about 15 cookies.