Nutrition Nuggets Full Of Fruits, Grains

Most cookies are simply empty calories, but moist, chewy Nutrition Nuggets are bursting with dried fruits, whole grains and other nutritious ingredients.

These bite-sized cookies are so packed with power, you can munch on them for a wholesome snack or a fast breakfast on the go. Pack them along this winter for a quick dose of ready carbohydrates when you go hiking or skiing.

Dried apricots, dates, raisins, ring-shaped oat cereal and shredded carrots give the cookies plenty of flavor and texture. They’re so lumpy with sweet ingredients, you will forget you are eating something that is quite good for you. Each cookie has more than one gram of dietary fiber and fewer than two grams of fat.

Nutrition Nuggets are easy to make because they require just two bowls and a rubber spatula or wooden spoon; you don’t have to break out the electric mixer or other kitchen equipment. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ones to make the batter, and in less than 15 minutes you will have a batch of old-fashioned nutrition.

Nutrition Nuggets

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1-1/2 cups shredded fresh carrots (about 3 carrots)

2 cups ring-shaped toasted oat cereal

1 cup dried apricots

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup raisins

1 cup fat-free egg substitutes

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup canola oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, oldfashioned oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, shredded carrots and cereal. Stir to combine.

Using a sharp knife, cut the apricots into pieces. Add them to the mixing bowl. Add the dates and raisins and stir to combine. Break up any lumps of fruit that stick together.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg substitutes, honey and oil. Stir to combine. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to moisten.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Drop teaspoons of the cookie mixture on to the prepared sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are set and do not feel sticky to the touch.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin or in plastic bags in the freezer.

Yield: 52 (1-1/2-inch) cookies.

Nutrition information per cookie: 66 calories, 1.5 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrate, 1.4 grams fat (19 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 34 milligrams sodium.

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