Giveaway! Holiday Baking with @HODGSONMILLINC Flour

Hodgson Mill Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies


Enter our Hodgson Mill Giveaway for a $25 gift certificate at their online store.  To enter simply leave your comment below with your email address or a way to reach you.  We will select a random winner on Friday December 16th and announce them no  later than Saturday December 17th.  U.S. residents only may enter.


The holiday season is upon us and that means there are sweet temptations all around.  At work people are bringing in goodies or there are holiday parties with  lots of sweet and savory treats.  


Now is the best time to try out Hodgson Mill Flour.  If nutrition is important for yourself or your family, eating a diet rich in healthy, low fat food is the first step.  What could be better than 100% whole grain natural foods like those from Hodgson Mill. Whole grains are rich in fiber and nutrition, and their naturally low fat foods are often enriched even more with health-boosting ingredients like flax seed and soy. For those living with diabetes, eating healthy foods like whole grain bread and pastas is even more important, and if wheat or gluten intolerance is a health issue for you or a family member, Hodgson Mill can help with our growing number of gluten free foods and specialty products. 


My daughter loves to bake.  We were provided with a bag of Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour and a bag of  Bread Flour to try out.  Below is our original recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies  using Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour rather than the traditional white flour.  What was our family's taste test!?  Two thumbs up from our panel of cookie afficionados.  But you'll have to check this out yourself.  Here's our recipe:


Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour


These are wholesome and crispy, and oh-so ooey-chewy-gooey. Mmmmm...!


Here's what you need:
3/4 of a cup of rolled oats (ground)
1 cup of whole wheat flour (I used Hodgson, and it worked wonderfully!)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 of a cup of softened butter
1/3 of a cup of canola oil (healthy oil!)
1/4 cup white sugar
2/3 of a cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1 large egg (or substitute 1 tablespoon flaxseed if you do not want to use an egg)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of chocolate chips

And today, we have a special guest star! Hodgson Mills Whole Wheat Flour!

 Start by ignoring the mess of the kitchen...

And put the oats in a food processor or blender or coffee grinder or whatever can beat them to a pulp.

Grind/blend/pulse the suckers until they are coarse but fairly fine. You can grind them to a pulp if you so choose, but I thought if they were more textural (?), no one would notice the whole wheat flour (and it worked!).

 Combine the ground oats, flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl... and set that to the side.

                 
  Now take your 1/8 cup of butter, and mix it until it is light and fluffy.    
               

Add in the brown, vanilla and egg.

Mmm...Decadence...

Err.. Healthy...

Combine the decadent and the healthy...

...Add a little more decadence...

Mmmmm...

 Now drop the magic mixture by rounded tablespoons on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

I like living on the edge :)

 Yum.

Now send your babies off in a toasty 350ºF oven. See you in 10-15 minutes, little ones!

And wait... I know. It's hard.

 Oh, look at how much they have grown.
Introduce them to the cold, hard world for a few moments...

 ...Then transfer them to a wire cookie rack with your gingerbread man cookie spatula.
Let them cool "completely". Look at they crispy edges, and they dark golden color from the flour, and they brown drops of chocolate chips.

Crispy, crunchy, chewy, and oh-so-good (for you too!).

What did I tell you? Next time I think I will add some cinnamon and flax seed. These can take on more healthiness, and maybe some more chocolate :)

Remember to enter our giveaway - hopefully YOU'LL be our winner and love these flours as  much as we do!