"Fruitcake" oatmeal cookies

Amazeballs. Best after completely cooled with a nice cup of tea (or milk tea!). And yes, you can eat them for breakfast because they are oats and fruit!

1 C butter, softened (preferably Kerry Gold)
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 T dark rum
2 C flour
2 C rolled oats
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt (increase to 1 t if using unsalted butter)
3/4 C golden raisins
3/4 C diced candied fruit, including citrus peel (i.e. https://nuts.com/driedfruit/glazedfruit/mixed-peel.html)
1 C chopped toasted pecans (optional but delicious)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream the butter and sugars together, then the add eggs one at a time, mixing well to incorporate. Mix in the vanilla and the rum. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In three batches, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, then fold in the fruit and nuts.

Drop by generous tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 dozen.

Ch ch ch ch changes (and granola!)

This blog is turning over a new leaf. The recipes contained hereafter in this blog will be delicious and also healthy. Let me clarify that by healthy, I mean good for the body and good for the soul... I mean real food for real people. I don't mean "this week eggs are bad," or "fat-free cream cheese," or "gluten-free," or "paleo/primal/caveman/throwawayyourflourAAAAH!"

Let me start with something simple. I've been making my own granola, loosely based on Alton Brown's recipe. Store-bought granola is expensive and can be full of sugar and calories (and cinnamon GROSS). My coconut & black sesame granola is none of those things.

Coconut & Black Sesame Granola
3 C (240 g) old fashioned rolled oats 
50 g black sesame seeds* 
45 g unsweetened coconut shreds 
1/2 C date puree** 
1/4 C coconut milk*** 
big pinch of salt 

Mix everything together in a big bowl (use your hands to make sure everything is well-incorporated), then spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake at 250°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning occasionally. It's not very sweet, but it's delicious, especially with some Greek yogurt and fruit (banana, pineapple, and/or mango in particular!).

Makes 10 servings. 

* You can find black sesame seeds for a great price at international markets!
** Date puree from http://healthykitchenguide.com/using-medjool-dates-instead-of-sugar-in-recipes/ (I made about 2 cups and keep what's left in the fridge). 
*** I used light coconut milk this time because it's what I happened to have on hand... because for some reason, Trader Joe's only carries light. /grumblegrumble