Makes 25 (5cm) cookies | 30 mins go to woe (Prep 10 mins. Baking 20mins)
Quick, easy wholesome recipe for kids lunch boxes & healthy snacks on-the-go. This is a variation of the Crispy Oat & Cranberry Cookie , it's thinner and uses apricots instead of cranberries + maple syrup replaces panela sugar.
YOU'LL LOVE IT BECAUSE....
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Maple Syrup - natural and un-refined, mineral rich sugar syrup
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Oats: regulate your appetite so you feel fuller for long and as well as help lower cholesterol.
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Nutrient dense - wholemeal flours, oats, un-refined sugar, cranberries
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Flours - A mix of organic spelt & gluten free wholemeal buckwheat - gives it shortness (a delicate bite) & nutty flavour and tho spelt contains gluten it is eaten by many on wheat free diets.
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Fruit - dried (no sulphur) apricots are an excellent source of vitamin-A, and carotenes. Both compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision.
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Melted butter - for taste & it makes it easy to use but you can use coconut oil or if nuts are permitted an almond or macadamia nut oil.
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NO nuts - so it works at school in lunch boxes
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One bowl wonder to save on washup.
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Energy content: Because there are no nuts (which have nearly dble the energy per gram of protein & carbs) & the serve size is small the KJ / Calorie content is fine for active kids.
YOU’LL NEED…..
1 Cup Wholemeal Spelt flour (organic)
3/4 cup Wholemeal Buckwheat Flour (organic)
1/3 cup oats ('quick' thin style or an oatmeal)
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/2 cup dried chopped apricots
100g butter - melted or a healthy oil
1/2 cup organic maple syrup (or honey)
Extra oats for topping
TO MAKE….
Turn oven onto 180C. Line tray with baking paper.
Into a large bowl add the first 5 ingredients. Mix together well - I use a whisk to evenly distribute them.
Stir thru apricots until well coated with flour mix and evenly distributed.
Add melted butter and maple syrup, gently mix in until dry mix comes together. It will be quite moist & sticky.
Use a spoon to make mounds of mix. Pop all on to tray.
Round off slightly in hands and push the bikkie in to a small bowl of oats.
Place on tray. Press the bikkies flat (say 8mm) on the tray as they won't spread on baking. By making them flatter you increase the surface area to allow them to dry out and become crispier too.
Bake 20(ish) mins top half of oven til golden brown.
Cool on tray.
TIPS & TRICKS
- You can let the mix sit for a while to absorb some of the liquid - that way it won't be as sticky.
- You can substitute (eg 1/4 to 1/2 cup) some of the flour with ground seeds (sunflower & or linseed), coconut flour or nuts (eg ground almonds). This gives the cookie more 'bite' or shortness too.
- If you don't like the slightly bitter flavour and aroma of buckwheat, you could use oatmeal.
- both the organic wholemeal spelt & buckwheat are now readily available in Coles & Woolworths stores.
- If you like very golden, crispy biscuits - once they have baked, turn the oven off, keep the door ajar and leave the tray in the oven til it has cooled. They colour up beautifully - but keep an eye on them.
- keep in an air tight jar or they will go soft.
KIDS
- ideal for school lunch boxes because it's a NUT free recipe
