Filled Oatmeal Cookies

I had to try these after I saw them on the Paratus Familia Blog. Enola calls them "Survival Bars" but I was afraid if I used a title like that none of you would click the link to see what I'd been baking. Basically, these cookies are a filled oatmeal cookie. You choose the filling, I used raspberry jam, and then they are baked to perfection. They are chalk full of oats and whole wheat flour, so they keep you full for a long time. This recipe makes 32 double crust cookies, so I feel like the 1.5 cups of sugar gets divided out quite thin.

I made these for fast breakfasts for my early morning risers. While I try to make my family a hot breakfast everyday, I am only human and I fail every so often in that goal. Also, the teen who lives here has a tendency to run late and not have time for breakfast. These cookies should fit the portable, fast and filling categories making them a perfect on-the-go breakfast.

Or snack.

Or lunch box treat.

Or just because.

I think "just because" is my favorite reason of all!!

Getting back to the recipe at hand....The 30 minutes TOTAL I spent making these was well worth the time. Oh, and an added bonus? These cookies use no eggs so you can make them out of 100% food storage or pantry staples. That is an excellent bonus for me! Breakfast has been saved and I have these cookies to thank.

I think they taste quite a bit like the Franz Filled Oatmeal cookies we can buy here in my neck of the woods, but better because they are free of all of the nasty preservatives and artificial flavors. No Beaver Gland Extract in these cookies!! I'm sorry in advance if you read that and didn't know where raspberry flavoring comes from, I know it's gross.

Filled Oatmeal Survival Cookies
recipe found on the Paratus Familia Blog

• 1 1/2 cups shortening or lard (I used rendered beef tallow)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 6 Tablespoons hot water
• 3 cups oatmeal (I used Old fashioned Oats)
• 3 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Desired filling (any flavor of jam, jelly or pie filling will work)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the oats, and stir well. Stir in oats and add more water or flour to make a stiff dough, You need to be able to roll it out, so be doubly sure that it isn't too soft and sticky. Roll the dough thin (I rolled mine about 1/4 inch thick) and cut out circles. Place one circle on the cookies sheet, add a teaspoon of filling to the center and add another round to the top to make a sandwich. Press down the edges, sealing them well. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 32 cookies. 

You will get a few more or a few less cookies depending on the size cutter you use. I always use a regular mouth mason jar to cut cookies and biscuits. These don't spread out very much, so you can crowd them a bit on your cookie sheets if you need to. 

I was really impressed that these turned out as well as they did. For a cookie with so few ingredients, and the flour being whole wheat, you wold NEVER guess it. Make some to take hiking, camping, biking, afternoon pick me ups, or for your breakfast and kiss preservative and artificial color laden granola bars good-bye forever!