Whole-wheat Flax, Fruit, and Spice Cookies

I'm not especially into sweets but I have gotten really addicted to these little cookies off the side of a box of Uncle Sam cereal. (I'm assuming it's only available in the US, but it's a low-glycemic index cereal made of little whole-grain wheat crisps..bigger than a rice krispy, small than a flake..and flax seeds. You might be able to substitute a combo of wheat/bran flakes and flax seeds if it isn't in stores near you.) This is NOT an especially sweet cookie, with only 1/5 c. sugar per dozen cookies. It's more like a chewy little health food treat - a cake like cookie with crunchy bits of flax and wheat grains in it. But my kids love them and don't seem to notice they aren't sugar-laden. If you want, you could add 1/2 c brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit, or some honey or maple syrup. You can also add a bit of nutmeg or ginger to perk up the spices. I vary the kinds of dried fruit I add (dates and dried cranberries are great; my kids also like a combo of regular raisins and golden raisins), and sometimes throw in a little wheat germ, sunflower seeds, etc. I have also subbed half of the oil with applesauce to reduce the fat content. I sometimes grab a few for breakfast on the run. If you're looking for a chewy, non-sugary snack that personalizes well to your own taste, this may be the one!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Yields: 5 dozen

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup canola oil
• 1  cup sugar
• 2  eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2  tablespoons  orange juice
• 1  teaspoon  grated  orange rind
• 2  cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 2  cups  uncle sam  cereal
• 1 -2  cup currants or 1 -2  cup raisins

Directions

1. Cream together oil and sugar until well-blended.
2. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes.
3. Beat in vanilla, orange juice,& orange rind.
4. Sift together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon.
5. Beat flour mixture into orange-egg mixture.
6. Fold in Uncle Sam cereal and fruit; mix well.
7. Dough will be sticky.
8. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets.
9. (A heaping spoonful of dough will spread to approx a 3" cookie).
10. Flatten slightly with moistened fork if desired.
11. Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes (in my oven it works better to do 7-8 min at 375; adjust depending upon how your oven cooks).
12. Cool briefly on cookie sheet then remove to cooling rack.
13. Store in airtight container.