A Stevia Solution That has No Bad Aftertaste for Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 Thank you to all those who have enjoyed cooking with Mom's Island Bakens and have written to me about your experiences.

A couple of months ago, I had a reader ask how he could bake my recipes using Stevia instead of agave or honey. He also revealed that he, like so many of us, does not like the aftertaste of Stevia. His idea was that maybe there is a way to hide the aftertaste and at least cut down on the other sweeteners. We know that Stevia is a natural plant (provided you buy an organic product that has not been artificially processed) and that your body does not recognize it as a sugar. So for a diabetic or anyone trying to cut down on sugar in the body, this may be a good option for sweets. I started working on using my recipes and trying to come up with a Stevia solution.

Here is what I came up with and have tested on a number of my recipes. I think this Stevia-Honey/Agave combination would work for any recipe you have:
If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup agave/sugar/honey, then only add 1/4 cup raw organic honey (or agave) and 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of Organic Stevia powder (about 4 or 5 packs of Sweetleaf).
Easy! This cuts down the sugar content by 1/2 and your "bakens" are just as delicious because you can not taste the Stevia aftertaste. The honey does so well at covering the Stevia aftertaste, but I also tried it with Raw Organic Agave and that also worked. Any more Stevia began to not work as well. Although if you double the recipe, you can just double the amounts of both Honey and Stevia.

So, here is the recipe for Favorite Oatmeal Raison Cookies from Mom's Island Bakens and I have modified it to include this Stevia option:

Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats (Red Mill brand or organic)

1 cup organic whole wheat flour * or

    gluten-free flour mix (see page 22)

1 cup almond or quinoa flour

1 organic omega-3 egg

1/2 cup organic raw agave or try a Stevia-Honey option to cut down on the sugar (use 1/4 cup Organic Raw Honey or Agave and 1 & 1/2 tablespoons pf Organic Stevia in powder form)

4 tablespoons black strap molasses

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (organic or

      Red Mill Brand non-aluminum)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 or 3 tablespoons organic vanilla **

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 cup organic olive oil (or a little less since

     you are also using flax meal)

     pinch of Himalayan salt

4 tablespoons of organic flax meal or Red

     Mill Brand ***

1/2 cup organic raisins (add a little more if

     you like, I do sometimes.)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Mix all dry ingredients and then in a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients. Add them together in one bowl.

2. On lightly oiled cookie sheet, drop one-inch balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons per cookie or a little less). Press each cookie with large spoon and flatten on pan.

3. Cook on highest rack (so bottoms do not burn) for about 12 to 15 minutes.

Mommie’s Notes and Tips: For Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

* Here is a tip for all your flours and grains like rice, corn meal, etc: When you first buy it, put it in the freezer for 48 hours, then you can move it to your regular grain storage area. This amount of freezing will kill any microscopic maggot eggs, meal worms and other larval forms, etc. I always do this and even store flours in the freezer for longer periods if there is room, just to fill the space. (remember, a full refrigerator cuts down on electricity and this is true of your freezer as well). Of course, it goes without saying that if you see any wiggly or dormant worms in your grains, toss it all out!

** If you can find fresh vanilla beans, split them down lengthwise and scrape out the inner substance. This makes the best vanilla flavoring!

*** If you can only find flax seeds, grind them finely in your coffee bean grinder. You can use your coffee bean grinder to grind nuts and seeds like Chia to add in recipes for flavor and nutrition.