Granola Grabbers (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Michelle of Bad Girl Baking: Granola Grabbers. I originally planned on sitting this one out. First, I didn't have any wheat germ and the smallest container I could find at the store was 16 ounces, more than I could ever use. I didn't even know what wheat germ was until now! According to Wikipedia, wheat germ is the "heart," or embryo, of the cereal kernel seed. Then there was the matter of nuts. I don't like nuts (except for peanuts - and I usually prefer peanut butter over whole peanuts). This recipe calls for peanuts and almonds. I wasn't sure how it would turn out if I omitted the almonds (and I didn't want to add double the amount of peanuts to make up for the volume).


Then I saw on the TWD P&Q (Problems & Questions) that Hannah of DeL Sisters Kitchen had made them without the wheat germ, just substituting wheat flour for all purpose flour. It was then that I decided to forge ahead with the recipe and give it a try.


Several others commented that the cookies were too sweet, but I guess that's pretty subjective because neither my husband nor myself thought that. They were nice and crunchy around the edges, chewy in the middle, with a little bit of a sweet and a little bit of salty. We honestly couldn't stop going back for more! I wasn't a huge fan of the peanuts in these cookies, but that still didn't stop me from going back for more ;) They're like a cross between oatmeal cookies and granola bars.


Aside from omitting the wheat germ and using whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour, I omitted the almonds. Dorie recommends using granuloa without fruit in it, so I picked up some Orange Pecan Zest Granola made by Jake's Natural Fine Foods. I figured the small bits of pecans in the granola would make up for the almonds I was omitting.


Thanks again to Michelle for choosing the Granola Grabbers. I'm glad I didn't sit this one out. This was a really simple recipe that will certainly satisfy any craving for granola or trail mix. It's probably not something I will make often, but I'm much more likely to make these than I am homemade granola. If you would like the recipe for these cookies, you can find it here (with recipe tips here). Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed these wholesome cookies.