When I first moved to Calgary, there was a cozy little place in the Sunnyside neighbourhood called The Heartland Country Store. On my days off, I’d go for long walks by the river and eventually make my way to this homey haven. In an old brick building block, with tall steamed up windows, the greeting upon entering was the sound of milk being foamed, dishes rattling and people huddled together reading, talking and laughing. After waiting my turn in line, and gradually peeling my hat, mitts and scarf off in the meantime, when I got to the till, I always ordered one of their Heartland Nutri Cookies because I knew it’d still be warm from the oven. Along with a piping hot latte, and the comfort of that cookie, just being in such a place made me feel like someday I’d belong in this huge new-to-me city.
I remember being in awe of the owners as they brought pots of soups and trays of sticky buns and wholesome sandwiches from the basement kitchen. They’d created such a special place for people to gather and offered real quality. Never did I dream I’d get to work with them years later once I entered the food realm. One of the crew at Heartland was Sal Howell who has been the proprietor of Calgary’s River Cafe for over 25 years now. We became friends volunteering together for Slow Food Calgary. The founders of the cafe were the Schwartz family and I got to work on a couple of fun projects with father Ron and daughter Bev after they moved their wonderful cafe to Okotoks many years later.
This recipe comes from Heartland’s best-selling cookbook. These cookies have it all – crispness, crunch, lots of chew-ability and chocolate too. Make them three to four inches wide, like they did at the cafe, and make yourself a latte too. After your done, go forth and conquer.
Heartland Nutri Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18 (3 – 4-inch wide) cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅛ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- ⅓ cup natural bran
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and place parchment on three baking sheets.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until smooth.
- Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat again until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flours, oats, bran, baking soda and powder and beat on low until well-combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, almonds, pecans and pumpkin seeds.
- Drop the cookie dough in balls (about 4 Tablespoons per ball) and flatten them until about a half inch thick space about 1½ inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Equipment: Stand mixer, bowl, cookie scoop, parchment paper, 3 baking sheets
Keywords: Heartland Nutri Cookies
Thanks for the memories Karen. In the early 90’s, I lived just a couple of blocks from Heartland. I loved those Nutri cookies! When we first met, Bernie and I would hang out at the café enjoying a latté, cookie and/or one of their delicious muffins. We always felt welcome there.
Will definitely try out the Nutri cookie recipe.
Francine
That’s magic Francine – and very romantic too! I love those cookies and they turn out just like they did at the cafe – nice and big! lol – thanks for being in touch. K
I felt the same way as you did and still do 34yrs. later. The smell of freshly baked bread and oh those big yummy muffins! I lived a couple of blocks and spent most of my time drinking lattes while doing my homework. I’m still grateful I was never asked to leave after my cup was empty. To this day I still bake using the recipes from their cookbook I had purchased. My favourite will always be the raspberry yogurt muffins. I’ve baked them for my kids when they were young and still do into their adult years.
What great memories!
I can just see the steamed up cafe windows Tamara. Thanks for your note. That place meant a lot to so many of us. Now I’m craving raspberry yogurt muffins! lol, Karen