A few years ago I asked my mother for the only thing I wanted to inherit from her: our family photos.
To me, photography is not only a passion, it is my memory. Along with defective genes, a lousy memory is also part of my inheritance. The box containing the yellowed photos in varied states of disrepair is the visual memory of where I come from. It’s part of what I am.
A couple of days ago, in the company of a steaming cup of coffee prepared just like grandma used to, and some Oatmeal and Almond Cookies, I slowly immersed myself in the past.
It is difficult to avoid some sadness at knowing that these pictures are the only thing that connects me with generations of cousins, friends, godchildren, grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, “comadres” and “compadres”. I never met most of them, but each image is a tiny window into their lives.
Dressed in their best attire — after all, this is before digital photography and selfies, having your photo taken was a big deal — they were caught in their moments of happiness (graduations, weddings, pageants, first communions, confirmations) and their moments of utmost sadness (many a picture of funerals).
Behind each photo, my mother wrote, as best as she could, who the person was, and what their connection to her children was, many a time alongside a dedication from the person in the photo themselves. A photo of an attractive young woman with big dark eyes and a strand of pearls reads “to my cousin Ana, with my love. P.” She was my grandmother’s cousin, the photo was taken decades before I was born.
But I don’t know anything else about her, except that I can glimpse a bit of resemblance to my grandmother and mother. Or maybe it’s my imagination.
A few important people from our history turn up in the box. A torn, faded photo depicts a group of well-dressed men from the beginning of the last century, hats in hand, paying their respects to something or somebody, behind which my mother wrote “Presidente Vasquez“.
Why is this picture in our family? What links me to these people?
Aside from defective genes, bad memory and a box full of faded pictures, I also inherited the love for coffee. And before doctors got the word out that giving coffee to small children was a terrible idea, I became addicted to it under my grandma’s skirt. Her “colador” a contraption that she found indispensable, well after her children kept trying to get her to switch to an espresso maker, is one of those indelible memories of my childhood. That and some rustic cookies of undetermined provenance.
So here’s my version: No Sugar Added Oatmeal and Almond Cookies.
These are very different from the original, and every bit as good. They’re easy to make, and I fooled kids and grownups who couldn’t guess that these were “healthy” cookies.
It’s incredible how crispy they were. Made with natural ingredients, and sweetened with Medjool dates, they are also very nutritious. Perfect for snacking too. I see me adding a new tradition to our family.
Buen provecho!
Aunt Clara
- Oil for greasing the baking tray
- 1 cup of steel-cut oatmeal [120g]
- 1 cup of blanched , slivered almonds[160g]
- 10 pitted medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (soy or canola)
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Heat oven to 350 ºF [175 ºC]. Grease a baking tray.
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Pulse the oatmeal in the food processor for two minutes over medium speed. Add the remaining ingredients, and pulse until it turns into a firm dough.
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Make into 12 balls of approx. 1 1/2" [4 cm] diameter. Place on the baking tray and press to flatten until they have an approx. thickness of 1/4" [0.75 cm], or thinner for crispier cookies.
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Bake for 20 mins, or until they turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
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Serve freshly made, or store in a tight container for two days, or a week in the fridge.
Nutritional Analysis
Very low in sodium
Low in sugar
High in manganese
I made these cookies with some natural cold pressed coconut oil instead of the canola oil and it gave the cookies a delicious coconut taste. Very good recipe!
I tried these and really enjoyed them. Am always looking for recipes with no added sugar and dates are always a great substitue for that. The texture surprised me, very crispy and held together well enough for dunking with my tea. Thanks for the recipe!
These cookies sound so good and I feel the same as you do about family photographs. I have boxes of them too. Both food and photography keep you connected to your past.
I love old photographs- I only have a few of my great grandparents and I treasure them all. When I go to antique stores I love looking at the photographs there too and wonder about the people in them, who, as you said, are dressed their best for special occasions.
Thank you for this wonderful post and delicious recipe!
Oatmeal and almond? Well those cookies even sound healthy! These might end up as breakfast cookies for me… I mean, why not? I eat oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts in it for breakfast, why not turn it into on-the-go cookie form?