Honey-Butter Cookies

Ingredients

[pic] • 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Note) • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup honey, divided • 1/3 cup canola oil • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided • 1 large egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) for garnish

Preparation

1. Add whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt; stir until just combined. Beat 2/3 cup honey, oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir to combine. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. 2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. 3. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press the tip of your index finger in the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Bake the cookies, in batches, until set and barely golden on the bottom, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 30 minutes. 4. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup honey and 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl until creamy. Use about 1/4 teaspoon to fill each cookie and top with 2 sliced almonds, if desired.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days. • Tip: To toast whole almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. • Ingredient note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores.

Nutrition

Per cookie: 94 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 8 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 43 mg sodium; 9 mg potassium.
This thumbprint cookie originally uses honey as the only sweetener in the cookie. Just a touch of butter mixed with honey in the filling gives it a rich flavor without too much saturated fat.

MODIFIED Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole almonds, toasted (see Tip) • 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Note) • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup SUGAR, divided • 1/3 cup canola oil • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided • 1 large egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) for garnish • ¼ cup of oatmeal
Reasons why our modified recipe is better : 1) We add almonds as almonds are the most nutritional of all nuts.
Almonds can help to protect our body from getting cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain many other protective nutrients - calcium and magnesium - for strong bones, vitamin E and compounds called phytochemicals.
Reduce Heart Attack Risk - A Loma Linda School of Public Health study showed those who consumed nuts five times a week had a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack.

We also add oatmeal. Oat meals has its own nutritional values. For example : 1) Oatmeal helps you lose weight. 2) Oatmeal nutrition leads to a healthier heart 3) Oatmeal nutrition actually gets rid of cholesterol

Did you know?

A daily serving of whole oats rich in soluble fibre can reduce hypertension, or high blood pressure, and so reduce the need for anti-hypertensive medication. Nearly 1 in 3 American adults has high blood pressure. It usually has no symptoms, but can cause serious problems with the heart and blood vessels, leading to other complications.

As the soluble fiber of oats is digested, it forms a gel, which causes the viscosity of the contents of the stomach and small intestine to be increased. The gel delays stomach emptying making you feel full longer which helps with weight loss. New research suggests that children between ages 2-18 years old who have a constant intake of oatmeal lowered their risk of obesity. The research found that the children who ate oatmeal were 50% less likely to become overweight, when compared to those children that did not eat it.