This week’s challenge was a hard one to come back to after my break!  Anyone who knows me KNOWS the kitchen is not a safe place for me to be.  And recipes?  Hmph.  But as I recovered from my initial panic then procrastination, I thought maybe it was time to make some of  Tiny’s favorite peppermint cookies.  So here goes!  Be gentle, I haven’t done this for awhile.  =)

Peppermint Horse Cookies

2 cups flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup molasses

10 crushed peppermint candies

1 tsp peppermint oil

3/4 cup water

Mix oats and flour together, then add molasses.  Add peppermint oil then add water slowly until mixture becomes a sticky dough.  Fold in peppermint crumbles and add more water if necessary to achieve doughy consistency.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

As always, Tiny loooooves her cookies.  She gently takes the first cookie…

….Then she quickly becomes the Cookie Monster!

As some of you may know, my cousin Jenn moved to Vermont a few months ago.  I was so surprised to get a package from her for Tiny a few weeks later!  Apparently she ran into this adorable 10 year old entrepreneur – Emma –  at a local feed store, and the treats she was selling looked so good that Jenn was inspired to pick some up for Tiny.  These delightful treats came bagged with a cute tag and a note describing Emma’s venture.  This little girl is a true animal lover!  Her goal is to get a lap top so she can expand Emma’s Sweet Nibblets beyond her local market.

For the record, Tiny (and I) gave these treats two thumbs up!  They were chewy, tasty, and healthy.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a photo of Tiny devouring them because they were gone in the blink of an eye.  But they were definitely well liked!  I hope that Emma succeeds in her venture and is able to get a laptop and expand her business.  I’m always appreciative (and amazed by) kids that are so talented and show so much initiative!  If you’d like to contact Emma about her treats or her business, please let me know and I can give you her email address.

Courtesy of Deusxflorida, Flickr and John Morgan

I might be a decent horsewoman, but I have more than a few scarred individuals that will bear witness to my total failure in the kitchen.  So imagine the surprise of some of those scarred individuals when I recently stated, ” I think I’m going to make some horse cookies!”  After I clarified that Yes, I would indeed be using the oven AND sharp objects in my endeavor, the first aid kit and fire extinguisher were gathered and the process commenced.  I must say that I was quite proud of my tasty results!  I still have 10 fingers and the house is still standing, so anything above and beyond that is icing on the cake!  There was actually a method to my madness.  I try to be aware of the ingredients used in products I buy.  I avoid preservatives and chemicals as much as possible and it’s satisfying to me to create something for Tiny and have complete control over the ingredients.  I created three varieties of cookies, all of which were equally well received. 

Base dough recipe:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Ginger-Apple Snaps

Base dough

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 apple, grated

2 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp corn oil

Mix ingredients well with base dough prepared above.  Place in balls on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil.  Bake at 350° F for approx 30 minutes or until finished.

Carrot Drops

Base dough

2 carrots, grated

2 tbsp applesauce

Mix ingredients well with base dough prepared above.  Place in balls on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil.  Bake at 350° F for approx 30 minutes or until finished.

Peppermint Nuggets  

Base dough

1 tsp Peppermint extract

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies (optional)

Mix ingredients well with base dough prepared above.  Place in balls on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil.  Bake at 350° F for approx 30 minutes or until finished.

Courtesy of jwannie, Flickr

If you choose to adapt any of these recipes, please comment back here and let me know how you changed them and how it worked.  I’m going to continue experimenting and will add any new recipes I create.  Also, let me know how your horses like them!  I’ve tried these cookies out on a number of horses so far and I’ve consistently gotten 4 hooves up…..Oh, wait. …..not like that!