What’s up?

I don’t even know if people say that anymore! Haha. Well, I’m running short on different ways to say hi, everyone. Well, I’ll figure it out. Anyways, happy Monday! I’ve gone back to my old ways, this week I’ve done cookies again. *hides behind hands.* 

Nutmeg

I don’t know why I’ve been doing so many autumn-inspired recipes recently. I suppose I’m making up for the lost time, since we didn’t have this column, or the newspaper, back in the fall. That said, today’s Spice of the Week is nutmeg, the key ingredient in all your favorite pies! Myristica fragrans, commonly known as nutmeg, is an interesting spice. Most people think that nutmeg comes from a nut, but that’s actually not the case. Nutmeg comes from a seed, that of an evergreen tree. That means that most people with nut allergies can actually eat nutmeg! Nutmeg goes wonderfully with apples, pumpkin, all those fancy lattes… the list goes on. In my opinion, it tastes a bit like an old house. But not in a gross way. Obviously. 

Apple Pie Cookies

This cookie recipe was adapted from the Allrecipes recipe for Soft Oatmeal Cookies. This recipe idea came from my quandaries about making a healthy snack. I thought maybe granola bars would be good, and I thought that apple pie granola bars were a wonderful idea. Well, I made granola bars, plain, and I thought they were good, but not the kind of flavor I was envisioning for the flavor palette. So, I made cookies. Turns out this already exists, but for good reason! In my experience, cookies are a good option nine out of ten times. With a few exceptions, of course. Weddings, birthdays? Those are cake days.

See the recipe below!

*waves goodbye*

Spice Girl

Recipe

Makes: 26-28 cookies

Prep Time: 40 minutes plus 1 hour chill time

Cook Time: 13 minutes total for each batch

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

Filling:

-3 apples, minced

-1 tsp lemon zest

-1 lemon’s juice (or adjust to preferred acidity)

-¼ cup sugar

-¼ cup water

-½ teaspoon nutmeg

-¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Cookies:

-½ cup butter, softened

-1 cup raw sugar or light brown sugar

-1 egg

-½ teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 cup flour

-½ teaspoon baking soda

-½ teaspoon salt

-1 ½ cups oats

1. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Make sure you get a sufficiently large bowl… It could get messy! I made the mistake of using a too-small bowl, being the amateur that I am. Had some spraying problems.
2. Add in the egg and vanilla. Continue to cream.
3. In a separate bowl, mock-sift the flour, and mix in the baking soda and salt.
4. Slowly add this into your “wets.” Tip: When recipes say “wets” and “dries,” they mean the mixtures you combine separately, one for wet and one for dry. This is to make sure there are fewer lumps!
5. Lastly, add your oats. 
6. Chill for an hour, and then you can work on the filling!

1. For the filling, put half of the minced apples in a pot. Apple size and shape to the right. They should be pretty small.
2. Cook at medium-high heat for 5 minutes. 
3. Add in your lemon zest and half of the juice. Then the remaining apples. This is so that there’s more variation in texture, some of the apples are softer and some are chewier!
4. After another 5 minutes, add the remaining half of the juice. Be sure to taste first, though! Some people don’t like too much acidity, and ½ is probably plenty for some!
5. After 5 minutes (again) add in the sugar and water. This is to thicken the mixture.
6. Cook for another 5 minutes, and mash the apples using a potato masher (yes, they exist!) or use a fork.
7. Add in the spices and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Assembly time! Take your mixture out of the refrigerator.
2. Make ½ tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet,we could fit 12 each round.
3. Put them in the oven for 8 minutes. Pull them out. They shouldn’t be completely cooked yet.
4. Use a spoon to create a “thumbprint” in the middle of each cookie. Or, if you have a really big thumb that works too! 
5. Put a spoon of jam in the middle of each, and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes.
6. Repeat until you are out of cookie mix. We had some extra jam.
7. Let cool, and enjoy!