The need for healthful sweet treats seems to be a constant challenge for us in our home especially since we always get a little peckish at tea time and I for one love a good dunking cookie or hard biscuit with my hot cuppa.
To this end, I've got my own little checklist to go on,
not fried. Check.
no preservatives. Check.
100% whole grains. Check.
dry fruits. Check low on sugar. Check.
and most importantly,
chewy & delicious. Check. Check.
Because if your home is anything like mine, healthful is great but it won't go down well at all if what we're eating tastes like cardboard baked with a dusting of sawdust.
Now I like my cookies chewy not thin and stiff because if I wanted a thin crisp cookie then for gawds sake call it 'thins' and then I know what to expect.
But don't call a 'thin' a cookie. Nope sirree.
And that's got everything to do with the dough-thickness-to-the-spread ratio. If you squish the cookie dough too thin it will end up spreading into a nearly flat cookie in the heated oven invariably resulting in a dry and hard cookie.
Chewy & delicious is what we're working towards.
That's my kind of cookie and judging from the fact that I have about 6 left in the cookie tin, no questions asked, tells me that healthful, delicious and chewy happens to be right up the alley for the boys too.
What can I say?
Great as granola bar replacements, on-the-go-breakfast treats as well as lunch-box delights as these are delicious, filling and pack a punch of energy.
We love the balance of spices with the natural sweetness from the dry fruits and coconut. And what a great alternate to the traditional raisins cookies.
So if you're like my family and are jonesing for a cookie full of whole wheat, oatmeal, apricots, cranberries and coconut and all of this in a chewy bundle sounds just too delicious for words, then it's time to pull out that apron and get baking.
warmly,
Devaki
Recipe for
Deliciously Chewy | Oatmeal, Coconut & Dried Fruit Cookies
Makes 2 batches of 12 cookies, each
Shopping list:
1-1/2 stick (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (soda-bicarbonate)
1/4 regular white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
Spices:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground dried ginger
Add-ins:
1 cup chopped dried apricots (to yield 3/4 cup chopped)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 325 deg. F.
Spray two 11" x 17" baking pans or cookie sheets with non-stick baking spray. Cut two pieces on parchment paper to fit the pans and press down to line the pans. The non-stick spray helps glue the paper to the pans.
Dry fruits - Cut the apricot into slivers and then chop into little squares. Measure the cranberries and the the coconut flakes and place all together in a small mixing bowl. Using clean, dry hands mix to combine.
Flour - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda. Stir with a spoon to combine.
Spices - Measure all the spices and salt in small bowl. Stir to combine till ready to use.
Egg - Crack an egg in a separate bowl discarding the shell. Beat with a fork and set aside till ready to use.
Method:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or a large mixing bowl if using a hand-held immersion mixer, combine the softened butter and the sugars.
Beat for a few minutes on low to medium setting until the butter and sugar are combined and soft and fluffy.
While the machine is still running, add the eggs and combine.
Add the spices and then the flour in two batches until the whole mixture is combined. Lastly add the add-ins and combine for a few more seconds until the fruit and nut mixture seems well distributed.
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