As much as this pains me, I have to admit it; I'm not very organized. My mother could plan a club meeting, chat on the phone, bake a cake, all while helping me with homework. I'm doing good if I can remember where I placed my keys shortly after arriving home. So through the years I've come to the conclusion that either Mama was an orginizational genius, or I have the attention span of a fruit fly.
So, is it any wonder that every time I venture to the store I leave my well-intentioned shopping list on the kitchen table? On most grocery store days I do well to remember to change out of my pajama bottoms, especially if the boys are at home. My kids are sweethearts, and love each other dearly, but when it's errand day and a trip to the store is included, it's every kid for themselves. As a result, I have honed negotiating skills that'd make a S.W.A.T. team leader envious.
After this last trip, I discovered a forgotten box of Apple Jacks cereal from the previous journey. At the time, my younger son Joseph was convinced his life wouldn't be the same if he couldn't get the breakfast food. I'm not fond of kids' cereals, but yes, occasionally I do indulge, like my mother did for me. But Joseph's and Apple Jack's relationship was short-lived when we arrived home and he saw that gasp, my Honey Bunches of Oats cereal had dehydrated strawberries, something he loved. So, poor Apple Jacks sat alone and forgotten on the top shelf for two weeks, unopened.
True, my organizational skills are lacking, but I detest waste. I made it my goal to find a use for this food. After a bit of searching, I found a recipe on Hidden Ponies blog.
I tweaked it a bit. Because I'm using a sugar cereal, I cut back on the sugar in the recipe drastically. I used margarine unstead of butter, and that gave me a denser, but a little more moist result. Gotta say that I'm pleased with the result. See the recipe below,
Apple Jack Cookies
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups mixed cereal
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- ½ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Mix sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop 2” apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball to approx. 2” in diameter. Bake 6 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake approximately 6 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.