Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Mix together the margarine and peanut butter in a large bow with a big spoon or whisk. When they are blended together and creamy, add the white sugar and brown sugar. Mix it all up until it is light and fluff. Add the vanilla and salt, and mix again. Finally measure in the baking soda, baking powder and flour. Stir it all up, it will be very thick. At this point a spoon works better than a whisk. When you have a nice smooth dough, you can stop mixing. Shape the dough into balls about an inch in diameter. Arrange them on a cookie sheet. Dip a fork in a small amount of flour, and smash each dough ball twice with the tines of the fork, making the traditional cross-hatch pattern. You could also just smash the balls with your palm to flatten them out, if the cross-hatch pattern isn’t very important to you. I find that children are more than willing to help out with the fork flattening of the cookies. Bake the cookies at 375° for about 10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from the pan. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
- 2 small bananas, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
This recipe is another super way to use up ageing bananas. Begin by mashing the bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg and milk. Beat the mixture until the banana is as smooth as you can reasonably get it. Measure in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk again until the batter is smooth. Drop by 1/4-cupfuls onto an oiled skillet or griddle. Cook until brown underneath and dry on top with tiny bubbles. Flip to brown the second side. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with syrup or applesauce. Very good.
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
- 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a large bowl mash together the margarine and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until everything is creamy. Add the baking powder, salt and whole wheat flour. Stir it up until you have a nice thick dough. Some folks chill the dough, but I am usually in too much of a hurry to do that, so I never bother. In a cereal bowl, combine the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Now comes the fun part, let the kids help. Shape the dough into balls the size of a walnut, or an egg yolk. Roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place the coated balls on an oiled cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a smooth cup or glass, press the dough down to flatten the cookies slightly. Bake them at 400° for 10 minutes. If your oven runs hot, turn it down to 375°. These cookies make a great, healthy snack.
Whole Wheat Pancakes
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium egg
- 1 cups buttermilk
- Oil for frying
Get out a medium sized bowl. In it combine the dry ingredients. Mix the dry stuff together with a fork or whisk to distribute everything evenly. Add the oil, egg and milk. Stir again, mixing until the batter is relatively smooth.
Cook on a hot, well-oiled griddle or skillet. Use about 1/4-cup of batter per pancake. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a spoonful of oil. When the oil is almost smoking drop in about 1/4-cup of batter. If your pan is large, you can probably fit in 2 or 3 at a time. As the pancakes cook, little bubbles will form around the edges. The top will begin to dry out too. When the top is beginning to dry out, and the surface has plenty of bubbles on it, turn the pancake and cook the other side. Brown it well, and lay it in a plate. Repeat until all of the batter is used up. This is enough to feed 4 average appetites breakfast. It also makes a quick hot bread to accompany a lunch of stew or casserole.
Peanut Butter Cookie Cereal
- 3 cups tap water
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or Wheateena or bulgur or cracked wheat
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Measure the water into a medium sized saucepan. Carefully stir in the whole wheat flour with a whisk or a fork. Stir until the flour is dissolved in the water. Add the sugar, peanut butter and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, it will need a lot of stirring. Reduce the heat and continue stirring for 3 to 5 minutes. The cereal should thicken up and smooth out. Serve in bowls with milk at the table. This recipe serves 4 or 5 people depending on appetite. Kids usually like this cereal a lot because of the peanut butter. It is a good choice for small children because it is so smooth, remember to cool it down though, so no one gets burned. Older children who are kicking the cold cereal habit are likely to enjoy this one particularly.
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup margarine, softened (2 sticks)
- 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup chocolate or carob chips
These cookies are healthier than most because of the whole wheat flour. They taste really good too. If you are going to a scout meeting, or church potluck where the parents are really uptight about food and nutrition, than bring a long a batch of these cookies, and listen to their praise.
Start off by finding your trusty big bowl. My favorite bowl is red plastic, easy to clean, and just the right size for most of my mixing needs. Place the margarine into the bowl. If need be, soften it in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the sugar, and cream it together with the margarine until it is smooth and fluffy. Stir in the salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Add the eggs. Beat the mixture until the eggs are well incorporated, and the batter is fluffy, shiny and satiny. Now stir in the whole wheat flour. When it is smooth and thick, add the chocolate chips. Stir and stir until they are evenly distributed through out the dough.
Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I usually use a pizza pan instead, but cookie sheets are traditional. Bake at 350° for about 12 minutes. Allow to cool for a minute or two before prying them up from the cookie sheet with a spatula. I lay them on a clean dish towel to cool before packing them away in the cookie jar or into a container for transport. This recipe makes about 3 dozen.
Variations:
Carob, Cranberry, Almond Cookies: Use 1 cup of carob chips, and add 1 cup of dried cranberries and 1 cup of chopped almonds. Proceed as directed. The sweetness of the carob, the piquancy of the cranberries and the crunch of the almonds makes the perfect combination. These could probably be sold for big bucks. Very good!
Crunchy Fried Wheat Nuts
- Cooked Whole Wheat Berries
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt
Cook up a batch of whole wheat berries using your preferred method. They can be boiled in water to cover for an hour, if you don’t already have some cooked. I usually cook a cup at a time. Make sure the wheat is well cleaned before you cook it. Drain the cooked wheat in a fine mesh strainer in the sink. Allow the wheat to sit in the strainer for about half an hour, to make sure it is as dry as possible.
Heat your oil up to 375F. Put in no more than 1/4-cup of cooked wheat at a time because the fat will bubble up something fierce. Fry the wheat for about 2 minutes. It won’t pop the way popcorn does, but it will puff up pleasantly. Remove the wheat from the hot oil and place it on a brown paper grocery bag or paper toweling to dry. Repeat until all the wheat is cooked. Salt the Wheat-Nuts and eat like sunflower seeds or peanuts.
If the wheat is chewy instead of crispy, it wasn’t fried long enough. Put it back into the oil (a little at a time) and fry it for another minute or two, until it is crispy. This stuff is addictive. Makes a great alternative to unhealthy snacky foods.
Crock Pot Cooked Wheat
- 1 cup whole wheat berries
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- a Crock Pot or a Slow Cooker
First you need to pick over and wash your whole wheat. I do this by putting it in a fine mesh strainer and running water over it in the sink. When the wheat is well washed, place it in your slow cooker. Add the water and salt if desired. Set the cooker on low and put the lid on. Let it sit overnight, or all day, at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours. In the morning you will have lovely well cooked wheat to use for all of your favorite wheat recipes.
If there is extra water in the slow cooker, you may drain it off. If you want to cook the wheat on High instead of Low, then let it cook for 3 hours and then check it. If it is tender then eat it, if it isn’t tender yet, then give it another hour on High to cook it through. Store the cooked wheat in the fridge, or freeze it if desired. It keeps for about 2 weeks in the fridge. This recipe may be doubled or tripled if desired. The cooking time remains the same.
You may use this wheat in recipes or eat it plain. I like it for breakfast with milk and honey, or mixed with yogurt and bananas. It is also good as a substitute for rice on the dinner plate.
Carnivores use it to extend ground beef in meatloaf or patties. It can also be added to bread or muffins or mixed half and half with TVP and used in all your old ground beef recipes like Tacos or Chili. This is a marvelously easy way to cook wheat.
Ready to learn more about crockpot cooking? Get my Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook today and find out how you can work this into your meal plan, how to choose a good crockpot and most importantly how to convert your favorite recipes to work in a slow cooker.
Thermos Wheat
- 1 thermos
- 1 cup whole wheat berries
- 2 cups boiling water
First preheat the thermos by filling it with your hottest tap water. Place the lid on it loosely and allow it to sit while you do the rest of the work. Meanwhile bring 2-cups of water to a boil. When the water boils, dump the tap water out of the thermos. Immediately pour the boiling water into the thermos. Pour the wheat berries into the thermos along with the boiling water. Try to work quickly so the water doesn’t lose too much of it’s heat. Screw the lid tightly onto the thermos. Now allow the wheat to cook in the thermos for about 8 hours, or overnight.
When you open the thermos you will have lovely freshly cooked wheat, the perfect temperature for eating. You may need to drain off a little of the water if it hasn’t all been absorbed. Serve anywhere you would rice, or stir some into a little yogurt with a bit of brown sugar. Cooked wheat is also nice for breakfast with a few dates and milk.
If desired, this recipe is easily doubled or trippled for larger thermoses.
Whole Wheat Flat-Bread
- 2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil or melted fat
- 1 cup tap water
Mixing by Hand: Get out a large bowl. In it combine the whole wheat flour and salt. Add the oil and water. Combine everything together to form a stiff dough. Mix it with your hands when it gets too stiff to mix with a spoon. If the dough seems dry, add a little more water, if it seems too wet, add a little more flour. Work and knead the dough for 10 minutes by the clock. All of this kneading is what makes a tender finished product. After kneading the dough, cover it with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out. You may allow it to rest over night if desired.
Mixing by Bread Machine: Measure all of the ingredients into the machine’s bread pan. Start the machine and allow it to mix and knead the dough for you. Set your timer for 10 minutes, or watch the clock. When the time is up, turn off the machine. You should have a nice stiff ball of dough inside of it with a clay-like consistency. Allow the dough to rest inside the machine for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. It won’t rise because it doesn’t have yeast in it.
Rolling & Shaping the Dough: After the dough has rested, divide it into 8 or 10 pieces. Roll out each piece into a large thin circle. I roll mine out on waxed paper dusted with flour, or a square piece of clean muslin cloth dusted with flour. Make the flat-bread as thin as possible. Roll out all of the flat-bread before you begin to cook them if possible. This makes the work go faster. The thinner you can roll the dough, the more tender the finished product will be.
To Make Chapatis: After rolling out the dough, heat a dry iron skillet over medium-high heat. 
When it is hot, place one of the prepared flat-bread on it. Let it cook for about 10 seconds and then flip to the other side. Cook the second side for about a minute, or until it is brown and puffy. Flip the flat-bread again and cook the first side for about another minute. It will be light brown, tender and puffed with little bubbles all over.
To Make Fry-Bread: After rolling out the dough, heat about 1/2 an inch of oil in a large skillet. Get the oil very hot, almost smoking, or about 375°. Carefully slip a prepared flat-bread into the hot oil. Press it down gently with a pair of tongs so that it is submerged in the hot oil. The bread will bubble up and puff all over. Use tongs to turn it and brown the other side. Remove it and place it on a paper towel covered plate, or a brown paper bag to drain. Continue with the rest of the flat-bread, until all are cooked.
Here is another one of my best bread recipes… a family yeast bread. This is the bread I make every week for our everyday consumption.
Sweet Wheat Muffin Mix Recipes
Half A Dozen Sweet Wheat Muffins
- 1-1/2 cups Sweet Wheat Muffin Mix
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup tap water
Measure the muffin mix into a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and water. Use a fork or whisk to mix the batter until it is evenly moistened, but still lumpy. Oil a 6 cup muffin pan. Using about 1/4 cup of batter for each muffin (I use an ice cream scoop to measure it), fill the muffin cups evenly. Bake at 400� for 20 minutes. Makes 6 muffins.
A Dozen Sweet Wheat Muffins
- 3 cups Sweet Wheat Muffin Mix
- 1 egg
- 1-1/2 cups tap water
Measure the muffin mix into a large bowl. Add the egg and water. Use a whisk to mix the batter up until it is evenly moistened, but still lumpy. Oil a 12 cup muffin tin. Using about 1/4 cup of batter for each muffin, fill the muffin cups evenly. Bake at 400� for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
Muffin Variations
1. Cereal Muffins: Prepare the batter for a dozen muffins as directed above. Stir in a cup of cooked, leftover cereal. Use oatmeal, or grits, or rice, or farina, or bulgur or whatever you have handy. Bake as directed. This makes about 18 muffins. Adding rice is my favorite variation.
2. Cinnamon Raisin Muffins: Prepare the batter for a dozen muffins as described above. Add 1/2 cup of raisins and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to the batter. Bake as directed. Makes a Baker’s Dozen or 13. Bake the extra muffin in a well oiled custard cup.
3. Blueberry Muffins: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter for a dozen muffins. If you like, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar or honey, to make the muffins sweeter. Bake as directed; serve with margarine or cream. Makes 14 or 15 muffins. I bake the extra muffins in well oiled custard cups.
If you are enjoying baking with these simple bread mixes, take a look at my biscuit mix recipes next. They are just as easy as these.
Sweet Wheat Muffin Mix
- 8 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
For this recipe you will need a very large bowl. I have a huge metal one with a few dents that the children borrow for a top spinning game. It is nearly indestructible, although, as I remember it cost over $7 brand new, so it should be.
Measure eight level cups of whole wheat flour into the bowl. Add the sugar, dry milk powder, salt and baking powder. Stir the mixture with clean hands, so that the salt and baking powder are evenly mixed in with the other ingredients.
Next get a one-cup sized measure. Pack shortening into it until it reaches the top. Use a spoon or your fingers to make sure the shortening is firmly packed into the cup without any air pockets. Now use your index finger to level off the top. Your fingers will be very greasy. That is alright, you can wash them later. When you get the top level, use your fingers to scrape the shortening out of the measuring cup, into the bowl of flour. Try to get as much of the fat out of the cup as you can without being obsessive about it.
Now you should have a bowl of dry ingredients with a big glob of white shortening on top. Mash the shortening with your hands. Yes, with your hands (don’t panic 
. Use your fingers to mush the flour mixture with the fat until it is very crumbly. This part is fun, like you’re a kid again. Mash and mix and mix and mash; contemplate the textures between your fingers. Reminisce about squeezing mud between your toes as a kid. Sigh and relax and enjoy yourself. When the mixture is evenly crumbly, with a few small chunks the size of peas, or dried beans, you are done. Phew, now you can wash your hands.
Scoop the Muffin Mix into a clean coffee can. It will make 12-1/2 cups, or enough to fill a large coffee can all the way full. If necessary, shake or tap the can gently, to pack down the mix, so there is enough room for all of it. The mix may now be stored in the fridge, if you will be slow to use it, or on the shelf in the pantry, if you will be using it within the next 6 weeks or so.
Here is a Sweet Wheat Muffin recipe that uses this mix. Feel free to browse the rest of my frugal bread recipe collection for even more delicious baked good.
Light Wheat Biscuit Mix
- 5 cups unbleached white flour
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
- 4 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 cups solid vegetable shortening
You need a very large bowl to make this mix, and also a clean container to put it in when it’s done. I usually use a large, clean coffee can.
So, measure your flours into your large bowl. Add the salt and baking powder. Mix it all up with your fingers and hands. Be sure you wash them before you dig in. After the salt and baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the flour, add the shortening. Firmly pack solid shortening into a cup-size measure. Make sure there aren’t any air pockets, as you pack it full. Level off the top with your finger so you have exactly one cupful. Scrape the shortening out of the cup into a big blob on top of the flour. Use your fingers to get out as much of the shortening as you can without being unduly obsessive about it. Now, measure another cupful of shortening and plop it on next to the first blob in the bowl of flour.
Using your hands, mash the flour and fat together until the entire mixture is light and crumbly. Try not to overmix. You will want small lumps to remain, about the size of peas or dried beans. When the mixture is evenly mashed together, and it actually resembles biscuit mix (only darker because of the whole wheat flour) you can stop. Transfer the biscuit mix to a clean coffee can, or other resealable container. Label and seal the can. You should have about 10-1/2 cups of biscuit mix.
This recipe can be used in any recipe calling for biscuit mix or Bisquick baking mix. This mix is better for you because of the whole grain flour, and reduced amounts of salt. Also, you can use trans-fatty-acid-free shortening in your own mix, to make it as healthy as possible. Spectrum is a brand name available in my neck of the woods.
I have tried a lot of whole wheat biscuit mixes to find the best one. All of the others turned out heavy and dense baked products. This one though, is perfect. Biscuits made with it are light and flaky the way biscuits are supposed to be, and impossible pies taste like they were made with store-bought biscuit mix, only they weren’t. They were made with good, hearty, whole grains instead.
If you enjoyed this biscuit recipe, you may also want to try making my sweet wheat muffin mix. It’s just as convenient and healthy as my wheat biscuit mix.