"Berkleyer Than Thou" Cookies

One day when Johanna was in preschool, we were hanging out at our neighborhood "tot lot" in Berkeley with her friend Faith, Faith's little sister Grace, and their Dad, Patrick. In the custom of such play-dates, Patrick and I sat on the park bench, holding an adult conversation interspersed with conflict resolution breaks, and Patrick told me a memorable story about a similar afternoon he had spent in a local park with the girls. As is common, he and another mother struck up a conversation on the park bench. As is also common - in Berkeley - it rapidly became a game of P.C. one-upsmanship. This is how it went:

He got out organic store-bought snacks for his girls, the Other Mother's (hereinafter known as "OM") were homemade. He mentioned that they were Vegetarians, "OM" said her family was Vegan. He said that his family had only one car, "OM" said her's went everywhere by bicycle. He bought his family's produce at the Farmers' Market, "OM" grew their own. He bought local, organic, whole grain bread, "OM" made her own. He used natural disposable diapers, "OM" used cloth. And so it went, on and on, until Patrick finally laughed and said "You win!"

As I laughingly reflected on the story, an expression formed itself in my mind: "Berkeleyer Than Thou." And when I was looking for a good name for the super healthy, nutritious cookies I had devised, that seemed like just the perfect one.

At that time, Johanna weighed about 30 pounds, was a fussy eater, and I was trying to figure out how to cram maximum nutrition into every bite she ate. I looked for a cookie recipe that would work with my new food strategy, but still be tasty enough that she would want to eat them. At last, I found one that I thought would accommodate my "master plan." Then I tinkered with it, altering and cramming until I reached its limits of structural integrity. The results are an excellent alternative to energy bars and their disposable packaging.

Now, I'll be frank: this cookie could be "Berkeleyer;" it's not Vegan (there are eggs in it) it's not gluten-free, it contains chocolate, and it uses cane sugar. If you wish to be even Berkeleyer than me, please feel free to break out your spelt flour, agave or yacon nectar and carob chips, and figure out how to replace the egg with silken tofu. There's always a way to be "Berkeleyer Than Thou!"


"Berkeleyer Than Thou" Cookies
Makes 4 Baker's Dozen cookies

Use as many organic ingredients as you can, otherwise your playground bragging rights decline.

½ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
½ cup shortening (trans-fat free, of course) or butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 TB warm water
1 TB dry milk powder or plain whey protein powder
1 TB soy protein concentrate
1 tsp wheat germ
1 cup plus 2 TB whole wheat flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 cup sweetened coconut
12 oz chocolate chips
2/3 cups nuts or seeds of your choice (pumpkin seeds are a good source of iron and vitamin E)
1 cup raisins

Cream the shortening and nut butter together. Add the sugar, molasses and eggs and beat until well-mixed. Mix in the baking soda solution and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, wheat germ, milk powder, soy protein, and salt to combine, and then add to the liquids. Mix well. Now, mixing in one ingredient at a time, add the oats, coconut, chocolate chips, nuts and raisins until well combined.

Drop rounded teaspoons on a baking sheet and flatten and spread with a fork. Bake at 375 F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they are firm. Cool on racks.

These cookies are tastiest when fresh, so I like to make “freezer cookies;” divide the dough into 4 equal portions, placing it on parchment paper or wax paper. Use the paper to roll it into a firm log. Wrap well in the parchment and a plastic bag (the wrapper from your newspaper is just the right shape) and freeze until needed. Then cut into disks and flatten with a fork. I bake them for 15 minutes at 375 F when the dough is cold or frozen.