Soft Apple Hermits
Contributed by: News Canada
Holiday Cookie Swap
(NC) - The holidays are all about sharing and what better way to add a little variety to your holiday cookie platter than by organizing a "cookie swap" with friends. Start by having everyone bake and pre-package a dozen cookies for each guest and make sure they bring copies of their recipes to share so you can all enjoy an equally sweet holiday season next year. These Soft Apple Hermit cookies are perfect for cookie swap parties - they can be made in advance and frozen for up to two months.
More cookie recipes are available online at www.splenda.ca.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (125 mL)
- 1 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granular (250 mL)
- 1/2 cup fancy molasses (125 mL)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple (250 mL)
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (625 mL)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (1 mL)
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice (1 mL)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1 mL)
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces (125 mL)
- 1/2 cup raisins (125 mL)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Beat butter, Splenda and molasses until smooth. Beat in eggs and stir in grated apple.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until blended. Stir in walnut pieces and raisins and spoon by generous tablespoonfuls (or with a small ice cream scoop) onto prepared baking tray, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) between cookies.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until bottom just begins to brown and top of cookie springs back when gently pressed.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 months.
Serving Size: Makes 24 Cookies
Nutritional Information: Per Cookie; Total Calories: 140; Calories from Fat: 50; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 2.5 g; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Sodium 85 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 20 g; Fibre: 1 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 2 g
