FRUIT AND NUT OATMEAL COOKIES

FRUIT AND NUT OATMEAL COOKIES

Made with banana, strawberry preserves, raisins, pecans, oats and spice! If you like a soft, chewy spice cookie, you’ll like this one!

Makes approx. 5 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 sm. ripe banana (if you have a lg. banana, then use about 2/3 of it)

1/4 c. strawberry preserves (or another preserve of your choosing)

1-1/2 c. light brown sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

1 T. powdered ginger (it’s not too much)

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 c. raisins

1/2 c. pecan halves, crushed

1/4 c. finely ground flax seed

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 c. quick cooking oats

In large bowl, place banana and mash with fork till pulpy and as smooth as you can get it.

Add strawberry preserves, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Stir well.

Add baking soda and salt. Stir well till mixture foams up and doubles or triples in volume.

Add raisins, pecans and flax seed, stirring well after each addition.

Add oats and flour all at once, then stir to evenly coat and disperse all ingredients. Dough should be thick, so this will take a few minutes.

Oil a baking sheet, then drop dough by rounded teaspoonful 2 inches apart onto sheet.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let set a couple of minutes before moving to wire rack with metal spatula to cool.

Notes: Whatever container you use to store the cookies, put a piece of wax paper between layers to keep them from sticking together. When the cookies first cool on the wire rack, they’ll be crisper on the outside, than after they’ve been stored in covered container.