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Friday 24 February 2012

Coconut and Raisin Oat Cookies

I hardly ever buy biscuits other than at Christmas as no one in the family is that keen on them. Everyone though loves homemade cookies, especially when they are still warm from the oven. I don't make them very often, well watching your calories consumption is something we all have to be conscious of especially if like me you have always had a weight problem. In the past two years I have lost 4 stone and I certainly do not want that going back on again. 

One of the family favourites is a recipe for Oat cookies which I found in a healthy eating book, but have  modified to include various different fruits depending on what is about.  So if you want to use this recipe and want some different fruits by all means do so it works. 

I have made Coconut and Raisin Oat Cookies, and for this I used the following ingredients:

Ingredients 

4oz (115g) unsalted butter
3oz (75g) Brown or Golden Caster sugar
1tblsp (75g) Clear Honey 
4oz Self Raising Flour
4oz Porridge Oats
2oz (50g) Raisins
1oz (25g) Dessicated Coconut
1oz (25g) Chopped Nuts 
Spot the deliberate error here. Yes, wrong flour
 
Method


Pre-heat oven to 170oC 375oF Gas Mark 3 
 
Chop up butter and place into sauce pan add clear honey and sugar. Place on heat and gradually melt butter and stir to combine with honey and sugar. Warm until all butter has melted and sugar is dissolved.

Butter sugar and honey being warmed

Place all dry ingredients (flour oats coconut and dried fruit) into a bowl.


Add melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well to form a sticky dough.

Wet and dry ingredients mixed
Using a dessert spoon divide the dough into pieces approx 10 and place directly onto a lined baking sheet.

Press into round 3/4 cm biscuit shapes.
Ready to bake. Note I do not worry too much about keeping shapes round I like the rustic look. 

Scatter chopped nuts over the biscuits  surface prior to baking 

Cook fro 15 mins until golden brown but leave biscuits slightly soft.

Fresh out of the oven

Leave for 5 mins after baking as they tend to be soft and need time to set as it were before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 


You can of course as I said use other fruits and tweak the recipe. I have used  dried apricots and nuts, cranberries and nuts, even fresh banana and walnuts. All of these options taste great. My advice though is don't make too many as they are incredibly moreish.

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