How Epic

This is one of those posts that may sabotage your waistline while making you feel healthy doing it. Don't get me wrong, these things are nutritious almost to a fault - a gluttony of whole grains, flaxseed, molasses, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, nuts and dried fruit - but there's also the little "devil" indugence of sugar, chocolate and candied ginger tucked away. When I started making these big beauties (because there is no way you'll fit everything into a dainty two-biter), it was because I had some soymilk to use up. That little experiment I based off of these from Food.com quickly morphed into a case of "ooh, I have this, and this, and... I forgot I had this!" filling up every available bit and blob of dough they could latch onto.

The delicious, not-too-sweet result of all those bits and bobs was epic, in every sense of the world. There is no denying that one (or half of one, according to some testers!) will fill you up and fuel your system for hours. Like one of those sports supplements designed for meal replacement, these are a great source of carbs, protein and healthy fats and is easy to grab and go. But unlike most of those (which have their place in elite athletics, but are not for most people!), these are also an excellent source of fibre, vitamins, iron and trace minerals needed for energy and detoxification! Another bonus is that the amount of sodium that is in these cookies is outshined by the opposite electrolyte, potassium - translation: it won't mess with your blood pressure! You could definitely use a whole one as a meal replacement, or half as an afternoon pick-me-up or pre-gym nosh.

And if you're still feeling guilty about making and eating a cookie for breakfast, you can always leave out the chocolate chips... as if! Just think of it this way: there's no preservatives or weird fake additives in the mix, and you were going to work out anyways... right?

Extremely Epic Cookies

Makes 20 meal-worthy cookies

1 ¼ cups quick oats

1 cup spelt flakes

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup oat flour

¼ cup ground flax seed

1/3 cup soy protein isolate

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp stevia extract powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp sea salt

¼ cup molasses

1/3 cup canola oil

1 ¼ cups soymilk

1 tbsp vanilla

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar

Add ins:

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup coconut

1 cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup cacao nibs

½ cup raisins

½ cup Craisins

¼ cup dark chocolate M&Ms (or vegan equivalent)

2 tbsp diced candied ginger

1. In a medium bowl, mix together oats, spelt flakes, flours, flax seed, soy isolate, baking soda, stevia extract, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.


2. In a large bowl, beat together molasses, oil, soymilk, vanilla and sugars.


3. Add the dry mixture and stir until combined, then fold in the seeds, almonds, coconut, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, raisins, Craisins, M&Ms and ginger.


4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 1-2 hours, or overnight.


5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.


6. Scoop out large balls of dough onto the sheets and gently flatten.


7. Bake one sheet at a time for 24 minutes. Cool on the sheets 10 minutes then move to a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 324.3

Total Fat: 16.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.2 mg
Sodium: 320.4 mg
Total Carbs: 42.4 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g

Protein: 8.0 g

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