Oatmeal Raisin cookies with spices

This summer me and my kids have decided to do lot of baking. Its been just 2 weeks since my kids summer vacation started and we already made Banana bread a couple of times, made cupcakes and 2-3 kinds of cookies :)

Baking with kids is the most enjoyable way to spend summer afternoons.

We recently tried Beth's Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe. These cookies came out wonderful and my kids loved them.

In my previous post, I mentioned the importance of cloves. This Oatmeal cookie recipe calls for 2 spices (clove & cinnamon) and is an excellent way to introduce kids to spices.

Here is the recipe with my slight variations.

• 1 cup butter, softened ( I know, its lot of butter. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening. )
  
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3-4 drops of cinnamon extract
  
• 3-4 drops clove extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon extract, clove extract, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not over bake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
   

This is a good change from the Chocolate chip cookies. These cookies came out chewy and were ready to eat in less that an hour.

Ginger Extract

Does your favorite recipe call for ginger but your kids hate it when they bite into a ginger piece ??

Use Ginger Extract to solve this problem. This way you don't have to compromise on your favorite recipe and your kids will enjoy it too.

Kids and Health

I recently read a very informative article on Wall Street Journal about Cold and Cough medicines for children. When my daughter was a toddler, she used to get a runny nose every time the weather changed. Like any other new mom, I used to run to the store , read the labels thoroughly and buy the one cold medicine that I thought was best suited for my daughters cold symptoms. Some times the medicine worked and sometimes it didn't. But the most difficult part was to make her swallow that medicine.
It was the same thing with my son. But with more kicking and screaming. One might think that the different flavors for the cold-cough medicines should make it easier. Nope. Not one bit.

I then started thinking about other ways to cure my kids cold where I won't have to make them drink any medicine. That is when I found Garlic oil. Now a days whenever my kids come home with a runny nose, I fry about 9 -10 cloves of garlic in oil (I use vegetable oil) till the garlic cloves turn black. Once cool, I apply this garlic oil on my kids back and chest. It works like a miracle.
I also add a couple of drops of garlic extract in their meal (soup, curry, etc) . This Garlic remedy works like a magic. And it has no side effects. Plus, as a bonus, kids immune system improves which leads to less bouts of cold and cough. A rare win-win situation :)