Makes 36 servings | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 12 min
Like millions of other Americans, I’ve had trouble sleeping lately. I love my Headspace app, but I’m looking for other natural solutions to help me drift off. Magnesium is a mineral that helps lower anxiety levels and may be allow you to get to sleep faster because it regulates the hormone melatonin, which regulates the body’s internal clock and controls the sleep-wake cycle.
Foods that contain significant levels of magnesium include almonds, oats, avocado, pecans, peanut butter, milk and bananas. I wanted to create a cookie that combined a bunch of those ingredients in a tiny package (each cookie has less than 100 calories), so I took a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe and reworked it to include almonds and also dried tart cherries, which are a natural source of melatonin. I swapped regular chocolate chips for white ones, which don’t contain any caffeine. The results were absolutely delicious and while I can’t guarantee that you’ll have a better night’s sleep after eating one, it’s a delicious way to try and just might put you in a more relaxed mood before bedtime.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 11/2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter, warmed to liquid and cooled
- 1/2 cup shopped pitted dates
- 1/2 cup tart dried cherries
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Preparation:
- Combine the flours, oats, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, ghee or butter, dates, cherries, almonds, vanilla and white chocolate chips. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and combine.
- Spoon mixture by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased (or parchment paper-lined) baking sheets. If the mixture falls apart, place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Using wet hands to form cookies also helps! Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are dry to the touch. Cool completely on wire rack.
- Enjoy a cookie with a glass of milk and drift off to Sleepytown.