Crispy Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I've yet to find a kid that would pass up cookies, chocolate or cereal. None of them need to be fancy, exotic or gourmet... in fact, it's been my experience that the simpler something is the better (at least for the first half of childhood or so). But when did "simple" ever mean it had to be one-note in flavour or texture? A lot of the foods marketed to kids these days is either bland, sickly sweet or refined to within an inch of its life (if not all three). And we wonder why we have a junk food epidemic?

But there are options that are still sweet, are still treats, and yet have a depth of flavour and texture that allows kids and their parents to enjoy a bit more oomph. Oatmeal cookies are a tried and true hit with the parents, and some kids, but as yummy and kid friendly as my Jammin' Oatmeal Cookies are, they are closer to the "crunchy granola" end of the spectrum and really appealed more to the older set I served them to. However, by turning the classic oatmeal cookie chewy and chocolatey, and studding it with chocolate chips, it became an all-ages event! Now, my mom's classic recipe (which I bastardized modified for this version) has a hefty dose of walnuts and/or pecans for a crunch in all the chew, but every school and summer camp I can think of has a "nut free" policy, and really, they can be pricey when making cookies for a crowd of hungry young'uns.

The solution? The same philosophy as my Banana Brownies, only this time brown Brown Rice Krispies in the mix. I originally thought they'd just dissolve away to nothing (after all, they're basically air), but instead there was a delicate crispness that perfectly accented the double hit of chocolate. The hefty dose of oatmeal not only makes them filling and toothsome, but a great addition to Eating the Alphabet Challenge (M, N and O) on Meal Planning Magic. 


Crispy Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 40
½ cup butter or non-hydrogenated margarine         
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup Brown Rice Krispies or your favourite  crisp brown rice cereal

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, brown sugars, egg, honey, milk and vanilla.
3. Stir in the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips and cereal.
5. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 82.7
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 11.0 mg
Sodium: 35.2 mg
Total Carbs: 13.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.7 g
Protein: 1.4 g