Altering A Food Network Cookie Recipe

Like you, I've amassed stacks of recipes from sites on the web, including the Food Network. The recipe below is one I've had at the front of my to-try book for nearly three-quarters of a year. It came in an e-newsletter, "12 Days of Cookies" that I had subscribed to when I was baking cookies as gifts during the winter holiday season.

It's a whole grain recipe, using oatmeal and whole wheat flour. On the other hand, the cookies comprise 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Oh well. They're very tasty, though. Crisp, rich, pecan-y, and buttery. Right off the pan, they're soft, but as soon as they cool, they develop a carmelized crispness that can't be beat.

Big caveat: the original recipe says to place them an inch apart. Don't believe it. Using agave nectar might have something to do with this, but these little guys spread a lot more than that (as you'll see in the photos below).

Please go see the original recipe for the exact details. Here's what I altered:

1. 1 cup of agave nectar for the sugars
2. Placed the cookies much further apart (after a near disaster).
3. Baked at 325 degrees F.
4. Baked for 7 minutes, turned the pans, then baked 4 minutes before they were golden brown.

Here are some photos of how it went:



First, I processed the nuts and the oats for about 2 minutes until they were well ground.



Then, I whisked the dry ingredients together.



Next, I beat the butter with the agave nectar, vanilla and egg.



Then, I added the dry ingredients to the wet to get the final mixture.



Next, in a plastic-lined loaf pan, I spread the mixture and covered it with a flap of plastic.



Then, I chilled it for about two hours until it hardened.



I removed it from the fridge, peeled of the plastic, and began slicing the loaf into smaller, more manageable blocks. From the blocks, I sliced off 1/4 in. thick slices and placed them onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.



Don't place yours as close together as these. That was a big mistake.

However, they baked up well after I'd separated them.



They taste even better than they look!