Prune cookies: careful how many you eat!

Fathers Day 2010! My dad is a pretty adventureous cookie eater. Whatever cookies I send to my family, my dad likes them even if the rest of the family is only lukewarm about them. He could be just trying to spare my feelings but I am not sure. When we were kids, if my mom burned the first batch of cookies, my dad would always act excited and say he preferred burnt cookies. Was it true or was he trying to make my mom feel better? We may never know the full truth....If he wasn't being honest, he deserves an Oscar because he really sold it!

He also loves cereal, oatmeal, prunes, grapefruit...most people do...but when you suggest an oatmeal prune cookie as a sweet treat, many would pass. As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was the perfect father's day cookie for him.

This is from the Sunset Magazine Best Cookies Ever December 2008.

Crisp Oatmeal-Fruit Strips
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 cups regular rolled oats
2 cups chopped pitted prunes (could use dates or raisins also)

In a bowl, with electric mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and oats. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in chopped prunes.

Divide dough into seven equal portions. Pinch each portion into a 12 inch long rope and evenly space two or three ropes across parchment lined 12x15 inch baking sheets. Flatten the ropes to make 2 inch wide strips.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees until strips are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. If baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.

Let strips cool on sheets for about 2 minutes, then cut diagonally into 1 inch wide pieces. Let cool completely on sheets.

77 calories, 3 grams of fat