She Made Autumn Olive Oatmeal Cookies October 17, 2010

Yesterday I foraged for more Autumn Olives. I love them and now that I've figured out a new way to use them, I am even more excited about them. I love the flavor, and having it in a jam is nice, but I have always thought that baked goods would be a really nice way to enjoy the flavor, without it being overpowering. The problem is the seed. It's just too large, that when you throw them in a baked good, it really detracts from the enjoyment of the berry. My solution, making fruit leather, then cutting it into squares with my pizza cutter and throwing the squares in the batter. Today I made Autumn Olive Oatmeal Cookies to share with the local Permaculture Group. They came out great and the oatmeal cookie was the prefect compliment to the sweet/tart flavor of the autumn olive. Here is my recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies:

3/4 Cup Butter, room temperature
1 cup Rapadura
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 Cup Spelt Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups (260 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup Autumn Olive fruit leather squares

Beat the butter and Rapadura u ntil creamy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in the oats, and Autumn Olive Squares

Place rounded Tablespoons on cookie sheet and bake the cookies for about 12 - 15 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges but still soft and a little wet in the centers. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. You could add nuts or chocolate chips if you wanted. I didn't because I wanted to let the Autumn Olives have center stage.

The permaculture meetup was on the topic of root cellars. We met at the home of members who have built and then used for 3 years, their own root cellar. It was very intriguing, and I'm thinking that it's something I want to try here. Since I just brought home 50 pounds of potatoes, 50 pounds of onions, along with all the carrots in my garden and various other items that I could buy in bulk now, instead of at Farmer's Market prices later, it seems like it would be worth the effort. We'll see if 'time permits', but it is a great idea!

This post is all out of order, because the cookies and root cellar came after breakfast, and breakfast was certainly noteworthy. This morning was the first meeting of the Underground Breakfast Club for the 2010-2011 season. Husband and I joined 7 great folks at the table for an amazing meal of great food, and company! The Underground Breakfast Club meets once a month in the Common Good Kitchen, where a local fella whips up some of the best offerings, made, almost entirely, of locally raised food! Meatball Benedict, Earl Cristo, Pesto Panini with Salad and French Onion Soup, were just 3 of the options on a menu that made it nearly impossibly to choose just one. Husband got the Meatballs Benedict and I the Earl Cristo, and we shared them both, along with the home fries and cheese eggs. Throw in the home made breads that started us and the Elderberry Sorbet as the finisher, and oh, mercy! What a meal.

That wine glass contains some wonderful homemade cranberry juice! A last good buy to fresh

tomatoes. I doubt there will be any in November! On the left is a jar of the homemade jam!

I photographed Jessica's Pesto Panini, Salad and Soup, because it was declared, by the chef, the prettiest plate he'd artfully arranged so far this morning! The Red and Green were so vibrant on the plate! It was a great time and I'm already looking forward to next Month!

Tonight was the 17th Soiree. A group of fabulous knitting ladies get together for food and fiber the 17th of each Month. I happily wore my most recently completed knitting project, the Peasy Sweater in Felted Tweed, and accented with handmade glass buttons! I'm having a heap load of fun in my glass studio lately. I need to share more of the button creations, but for now, you can see the set I made for my sweater.