You might be more likely to think of chocolate chips than of cereal when you’re going to do some baking, but cereal actually works well in many different types of recipes. For instance, it adds a nice crunch in Cornflake Cookies, some extra flavor in Honey Graham Chocolate Chip Cookies and a cereal treat flavor in Rice Krispy Treat Scones. In this case, I used some Raisin Bran cereal to add fiber and flavor to a batch of Raisin Bran Spice Cookies. Think of them as oatmeal raisin cookies, with a twist.
The cookies are easy to make and have cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in the dough to give them a little bit of a flavor boost. Although you might not think of bran as having a strong flavor, the fact that the bran in these cookies comes from flaked cereal means that it has a rich toasted flavor that actually gives the cookies a lot of depth. There are already some raisins in the cereal (feel free to use another bran cereal and add in raisins, though), but more raisins add additional sweetness and texture to the finished cookies. I definitely felt good about eating these and will admit to having one or two with breakfast – it was cereal, after all!
While these cookies are good when they first come out of the oven, they actually seem to improve with age. The flavors meld more and the cookies stay nice and tender, so they’re a great cookie to make a big batch of over the weekend and store in an airtight container for snacking during the week.
Raisin Bran Spice Cookies
2 cups white whole wheat flour*
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups raisin bran cereal (lightly crushed to 1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at at time, followed by vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the flour mixture. Mix in crushed raisin bran cereal and raisins until well incorporated.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet, allowing about 1 1/2 inches between each ball to allow for spread.
Bake for 10-13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies
*Note: All purpose flour is fine to use in this recipe and will result in a slightly more tender cookie.
Amy @ whatjewwannaeat
April 4, 2011YUM! Raisin Bran makes them healthy right??
Emma
April 4, 2012A delicious way to get fiber, Skinner’s Raisin Bran was introduced in 1926 and we’re still making it the natural way. It’s 100% whole grain, low fat, low sodium, and mixed with sun-ripened California raisins.
http://www.attunefoods.com/products/Skinners-Raisin-Bran