Oatmeal Sunflower Seed Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was born out of a need to give my kids a healthy after school snack that was budget friendly and healthy but also something that they would actually eat.  Let's face it - for those of us who try to feed our kids ultra healthy real food, we often get the food returned uneaten and/or accompanied by some remark about how gross it was.  If they don't eat it, it doesn't count.  This cookie recipe has passed the test of the picky eater and the concerned parent alike.  While it does have sugar (you can play around with this with honey or maple syrup perhaps), it also has sunflower seeds, oats and dark chocolate.  All of which are extremely good for your little ones, yes even the chocolate.

3/4 cup     unsalted, unroasted sunflower seeds - crushed (I use a hand mixer)
3/4 cup     sugar
1 cup        butter
1 tsp         vanilla extract
1               large egg

2 cups      flour
3 tsp         baking powder
1/2 tsp      salt

1 cup        rolled oats
1 cup        dark chocolate crushed or finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl use a hand mixer to blend the butter, sunflower seeds, sugar, egg and vanilla.  I make the mixture as smooth as possible so that the sunflower seeds are barely detectable (you don't want them to be too aware of the nutrition).

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the first mixture.  You can continue to use the hand mixer for this step.

Once it is as well mixed as possible add the oats and chocolate pieces.  Use a wooden spoon for this step.

You can either grease the cookie sheet with butter or use parchment paper.  I highly recommend the latter.  It makes things much easier.

Use a tablespoon to shape them out onto the cookie sheet.  These cookies are heartier than their not-so-healthy chocolate chip cookie cousins and are therefore less gooey and do not spread out during the baking process.  Their consistency is between a traditional cookie and that of a scone.

Bake for around 10 minutes.  I look for a little bit of a darkening of colour all around and slightly darker around the edges.