Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12-14 Minutes

My grandmother was a great cook. Everything was made from scratch and with very best ingredients. This time of year she would be canning concord grapes, apple butter and pickle relish. These apple butter cookies are a favorite apple recipe she used to make.

This is the time of year for harvesting apples and eating recipes made with them. Apples are a great source of vitamins a and c and their tart flavor is a delight for all ages. Apple butter has a more defining flavor than apple sauce. These tasty cookies are great fall delights for rainy afternoons, Halloween parties or just for a delicious snack.

I use the whole wheat pastry flour because it is ground very fine, contains less gluten and so it is used to bake more delicate foods. Regular whole wheat flour will make the product more dense and that is why the pastry type of flour is used. I add a little oats for flavor and to give some spunk to the dough. The apple butter is a good brand and has no added sugar but if you make it yourself it is even better.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/4 cup maple sugar

3/4 cup R. W .Knudsen's organic apple butter

1/2 very ripe banana, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 350 F.

2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

3. Using a small bowl mix together the flours and oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl cream together butter and maple sugar. Add the banana, apple butter and vanilla. With a whisk make a smooth mixture of these ingredients.

5. Add the dry ingredients alittle at a time until well combined.

6. Stir in the chopped nuts.

7. You can drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheets or make into balls and flattened for a rounder cookie.

8. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottoms are nicely browned.

Makes 2 dozen.