Baking Therapy

I need a little baking therapy today.  I haven't had time to make bread or really do much of anything but clean the kitchen recently.  With hubby gone for about 24 hours (which is about 24 hours too long) Martin & I decided to make cookies.  After dropping daddy off and stopping at the store we tried a new recipe out of my Christmas gift cook book "Betty Crocker Cookie Book".  Now, I'm not one that usually tries the recipes without pictures, but applesauce-granola sounded interesting enough to give it a go.  Martin wanted nothing to do with baking today. He seemed scared of the mixer and so the only time he was in my way was when I let him put the applesauce in the cookies.  Other than that, he ran around the kitchen like a mad man and colored on his chalkboard.  The cookies turned out great.

Applesauce- Granola Cookies
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granola
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Heat over to 375.  Beat brown sugar, shortening, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.  Stir in applesauce.  Stir in remaining ingredients.


Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center.  Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.


Use either sweetened or unsweetened applesauce in these cookies  Sweetened applesauce will give you a sweeter cookie.


I used sweetened applesauce to make sure Martin would eat them.  I also added a few chocolate chips (who doesn't have a half eaten bag of chocolate chips laying around?).  Next time I  might try granola with some fruit in it instead of the chocolate chips.

Anyway it was good therapy and I now need to stop eating the cookies and make sure to freeze a few!