Hearty Granola Cookies

Now that I am in my third trimester and almost full term, I am trying to incorporate as much protein in my diet as possible since baby's brain is developing rapidly. I recently took tally of how many grams of protein I eat in a day and compared it to the 80-100 grams recommended daily for pregnant women and found my numbers seriously lacking.

Since I am a grazer - hungry every couple of hours but can only eat small amounts at a time - I've been trying to up my protein intake in little ways throughout the day: a few tablespoons of peanut butter to go with my apple, a cup of yogurt to go with my strawberries, etc.

Being the afternoon tea drinker that I am, I found a recipe for oatcakes in my William Sonoma Cooking for Baby Cookbook and tweaked it a little into these protein rich granola cookies. I understand it's a bit of a stretch to call them cookies since they contain just a little honey and no sugar, (my husband was not impressed by them ;), but the cinnamon and dried cranberries add enough flavor to leave them surprisingly satisfying for even a sweet tooth like me! Of course, my son can't get enough of them but then, he'll eat anything so that's not saying much.

I used a my Baby Bullet milling blade to make the almond meal. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies, depending on how big you make them. They will be very crumbly so store them in the freezer to maintain their shape.

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{Hearty Granola Cookies}

adapted from William Sonoma's Cooking for Baby Cookbook

1 T. wheat germ

1 c. oats

1 c. almond meal

1/2 t. baking soda

1/8 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

2 T. butter, melted

1 T. honey

1/4 c. dried cranberries, chopped into small pieces

1/4 c. shredded coconut

1/8 c. sunflower seeds

1/4 c. hot, not boiling water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine first six ingredients. Make a well in the center and add butter and honey. Use a fork to mix until well combined. Stir in dried cranberries, coconut, and sunflower seeds. Add hot water, one tablespoon at a time until mixture is moist. Spoon by the tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until lightly toasted on the top. Cool completely before transferring gently.

{enjoy!}