Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies (Low Sugar)

I realize I haven't given a lot of lip to the cheapskate side of The Tasty Cheapskate. Forgive me. Clearly, I am under a holiday spell and have been compelled to focus overmuch on the tasty side of things. Additionally, I know that come January 1st with our Cheap Eat Challenge we won't be able to indulge in as much of this sweetness. However, today let me send a bit of love to the cheaper side of things.

Today we will compare Great Value Strawberry Awake (the generic version of Kellogg's Special K with Strawberries) to my Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies.

The Strawberry Awake cost $2.64 from Walmart here in southern Indiana. It serves 11. It has 110 calories and 10g (2 tsp) of sugar per serving. The ingredient lineup: Rice, sugar, whole grain wheat, wheat gluten, freeze dried strawberries, defatted wheat germ (yummy), high fructose corn syrup, salt, wheat flour, malt flavoring, and the list of added vitamins. In short, it's not 100% whole grain and it contains high fructose corn syrup, and 2 tsp sugar per serving and a serving with enough empty calories to get you to, oh, 8am before you're hungry again.

Below is the recipe for my oatmeal raisin breakfast cookies with prices beside. The total for 12-15 servings comes out to $1.66. They are whole grain, have no high fructose corn syrup and only 5 g (1tsp) sugar per serving. They contain 126 calories/serving (for 15 cookies) and are more filling as they contain whole grains and more fat. I know I just said the f-a-t word, but I swear it deserves a place in the American diet--like in getting us from breakfast to lunch without a jillion expensive and caloric snacks in between.

In short:
For less servings, less calories, less whole grain, more sugar, and certainly more weirdo ingredients, the Strawberry Awake costs nearly $1 (or 40%) more. Also (humble opinion alert), it tastes a lot worse.

$.11 ( made 15)

$.24

I would, however, recommend a tall glass of milk with both.

Whew I haven't done that much math for many years. Thank goodness I took AP Calculus in high school. (Hi, Ms. Anderson)

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
(adapted--again--from smittenkitchen and--again--if you want an awesome regular cookie recipe, check hers out)
Serves 12-15 (um, or 6 in our family)

1/3 C butter, soft     ($.65)

1/3 C brown sugar, packed     ($.20)

1 egg     ($.10)

½ t vanilla     ($.01)

¾ C whole wheat flour     ($.15)

½ t baking soda     ($.01)

½ t cinnamon     ($.01)

1 1/4 C oats (I use quick)     ($.13)

¾ C raisins (I do part raisins, part coconut. You can also add or sub chocolate chips, but shockingly I prefer it with the dried fruit. It makes it softer, chewier, and better. The chocolate chips yield a crunchier cookie.)     ($.40--raisings)
1/4 C chopped walnuts (Optional. We don't do as my kids don't like nuts and I don't want to consume entire pan of breakfast cookies.)

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add dry to wet. Stir in oats and dried fruit. Add a few walnuts if you want a little protien.

It will be stiff (very stiff). Plop it onto a cookie sheet and press them down because they won't spread on their own.

If you don't want to eat it all for breakfast, you can freeze it in little balls and bake it up whenever the whim hits.

Bake 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

PRINTABLE RECIPE