I usually stick with tried and true recipes for my holiday baking regime (I’m partial to the festive appearance of Mini Linzer Cookies), but for one couple, I had to cater the recipe to their dietary needs. Thankfully, a trip to the library wasn’t in vain, and I found two recipes that would work well – Toasted Party Nuts and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
The first recipe was quick to execute, and made my kitchen smell absolutely divine – I heated oil and a spice mixture containing cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger powder, cinnamon and onion salt over the stove, then tossed it with a cup each of pecans and almonds. After fifteen minutes in the oven, topped with some kosher salt, they were done. While the spices aren’t immediately discernable, they kick in as an aftertaste. More than anything, I’d be likely to pop these in the oven before guests arrive just for the aroma; “essential oil” air fresheners don’t hold a candle to the real thing, heh.
Toasted Party Nuts
As for the cookies, I didn’t have raisins on hand, but the cranberry substitution I used worked nicely with the applesauce added to decrease the overall amount of sugar needed. The recipe asked for the oats to be toasted (and cooled) prior to incorporation with the batter, which was an extra step that I wasn’t sure I could taste in the final product. Overall, they were a lighter, less saccharine cookie than I am used to – the only downside was that the reduced fat and sugar content meant the cookies keep for a very short period of time.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
The preliminary comments from the gift receivers were positive ones, so I may end up making up more batches of both recipes.
Only Here for the Food 
These special Christmas Treats are delicious, thoughtful and totally geared to our dietary needs. I love these cookies; they are very tasty, soft and chewy, the cranberries are a nice change from the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie! I am not much of a “chocolate sweet cookie” person and oatmeal raisin cookies have always been a true favorite of mine so this cookie recipe was the perfect gift! And even though this recipe is reduced in fat content and sugar you can’t tell by the taste, they are truly a cookie that when eat one, you want another! So yummy…Thank You Sharon! I haven’t tried the nut mixture yet but it smells spicy and good! Merry Christmas to everyone who enjoys baking for friends and family…remember the gift of baking is something extra special from your personal kitchen and your kind heart! Happy Holidays!
The spice mixture for the nuts sounds fantastic!