When I got this recipe via e-mail from one of my mom’s friends, I absolutely knew I had to make these cookies. Maybe it was the appeal of a challenge - in this case, making wheat germ seem appetizing - or maybe just the tantalizing thought of a peanut butter cookie more unique than the traditional criss-cross kind. Actually, it might’ve been the prospect of a cookie so chock full of healthy things that I wouldn’t have to feel guilty eating two or three… or ten.

In any case, whatever it was that convinced me that I needed to make these cookies today, despite the fact that it was 86 degrees outside and the last thing I wanted to do was to turn on the oven in my parents’ A/C-free house, I’m so glad I tried them. They stayed really puffy and moist, weren’t overwhelmingly sweet, and there’s just enough peanut butter in them that I really, really wanted to eat another, and another, and maybe another… Oh, and I had help from a really beautiful little assistant, who also put her stamp of approval on the cookies and ate several to prove it. 

For those of you who share my skepticism where wheat germ is concerned, I would encourage you to set aside your reservations about purchasing it just for this recipe. Wheat germ is an excellent source of fiber and can be added, nearly imperceptibly thank goodness, to many recipes to add dietary value. I sprinkle it on my cereal sometimes, but my parents have been known to mix it into smoothies and all sorts of things. Experiment and let me know what works for you. 

Peanut Butter Oat Cookies (adapted from Great American Recipes)

• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix canola oil, molasses, sugar, vanilla, peanut butter and eggs until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, oatmeal and baking soda.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

4. Using your hands (this will be greasy!), form 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops of cookies spring back a bit when you gently press a finger into them.