Dec. 1, Week 8

Working with whole grains has become a specialty of mine.  Growing up, my parents always had whole grain foods around (whole wheat or multigrain bread, and, when it became available, whole wheat pasta), so I have never been a stranger to the healthier stuff.  When my son was born, almost 8 years ago, I remember walking down the bread aisle at a local grocery store, reading the ingredients and trying to determine which brand would be best, both flavor-wise and health-wise (I have always paid attention to ingredients, but even more so once my kids came along).  So many options were becoming available, touting whole grains, 100% whole wheat, etc, but the preservatives, fillers, and (in some brands) high fructose corn syrup were discouraging.  I decided to figure out how to bake my own 100% whole wheat loaf instead of buying bread.

Once I nailed the from-scratch, 100% whole wheat bread, I started experimenting with other whole grains, even incorporating them into sweets and desserts!  Most people seem to shy away when they're told a cookie is whole grain (especially if it's made with barley flour), that I get a kick out of being able to share such oddities with my CSB members.  While members don't have a choice in the desserts they receive, that is definitely a bonus in the case of whole grains!

I am pleased to create four different whole grain lunch-box style goodies today.  Each CSB member gets to take home a sample box filled with:

~Golden Pumpkin Bars:  These cakey bars are made with 100% whole wheat flour!  No refined grains are present, and each bite is enhanced with fabulous spices, Oregon dried cranberries, and a hint of Lille Belle organic dark chocolate that has been drizzled over the tops.

~Salted Cashew Crunch Cookies:  These crispy cookies are stuffed with organic cashews and have a sprinkling of local, Oregon sea salt over the tops.  They are made entirely with 100% old-fashioned rolled oats!

~Soft Barley Sugar Cookies:  Barley flour often needs a bit of refined all purpose flour for stabilization.  Still, the flour in these cookies is 3/4 whole grain barley flour!  They are certainly an acceptable after school snack, filling up tummies until dinner time.  I made these extra big so they'd be soft, slightly cakey, and yet crisp around the edges.  You'll find just a hint of nutmeg in each bite.

~Lemon-Oat Squares:  Not to be confused with tart and tangy Lemon Bars, these squares start with a 100% whole grain crust, made with rolled oats and whole wheat flour.  An organic lemon creamy filling is smoothed over the top, followed by a sprinkle of more oats.  100% whole grain!

Store cookies and bars at room temperature, in air tight containers, up to three days.  The cashew cookies may be stored even longer, if you have them around that long!  All varieties can be frozen and defrosted well.