The need for healthful lunch treats seems to be a constant challenge for us mothers with school going kids.
Not to mention hubbies who get peckish at tea time at work.
Lets face it, with the no-peanut-butter rule in place in many of the US schools, P B & J sandwiches, cookies and what-nots may be well and good in fuzzy family flicks and commercials on the tele but not quite in the real world - at least in my real world.
And then I've got my own criteria to reckon with,
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 around here if it isn't just simply delicious for both kiddos and grown-ups alike.
Now I like my cookies chewy not thin and stiff because if I wanted a thin crisp cookie then for godssake 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.
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 rest of my flock too.
So if you're 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 you're part of my flock.
Check.
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
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.
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.
With clean hands pull about 1-1/2 to 2 tbs cookie dough and roll into a ball between palms. Lay one by one on the prepared pans about 2-3 inches apart, 12 balls to a pan until all cookie dough is used up.
Using a spoon, gently squish the balls down to about 3/4" thickness.
Bake for 8 minutes. Open the oven door and quickly, turn the pan around for another 10 minutes to allow for even baking throughout.
Do not overbake. The cookies should have a slight golden blush when done and the bottoms a light golden brown.
Cool for a few minutes and once cool enough to handle, cool on a baking rack. Bake the second batch in the oven repeating the process
Good to know: Since I don't want to risk uneven temperatures and general oven antics, I bake my cookies in the oven one tray at a time. However, if you are a confident cookie diva, feel free to bake both pans together, rotating pans half way through for even cooking.
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 fuits and coconut. And what a great alternate to the traditional raisins cookies.
Recipe for
Chewy Oatmeal, Coconut & Fruit Cookies
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Baking time - 20 minutes (per batch)
Makes 2 batches of 12 cookies
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 tbs 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.
With clean hands pull about 1-1/2 to 2 tbs cookie dough and roll into a ball between palms. Lay one by one on the prepared pans about 2-3 inches apart, 12 balls to a pan until all cookie dough is used up.
Using a spoon, gently squish the balls down to about 3/4" thickness.
Bake for 8 minutes. Open the oven door and quickly, turn the pan around for another 10 minutes to allow for even baking throughout.
Do not overbake. The cookies should have a slight golden blush when done and the bottoms a light golden brown.
Cool for a few minutes and once cool enough to handle, cool on a baking rack. Bake the second batch in the oven repeating the process
Good to know: Since I don't want to risk uneven temperatures and general oven antics, I bake my cookies in the oven one tray at a time. However, if you are a confident cookie diva, feel free to bake both pans together, rotating pans half way through for even cooking.
Enjoy!
