I'm a huge fan of cookies as a quick and easy treat! These are super easy and make a great base recipe too! Add any inclusions you love or have in the pantry to the make all different flavour combinations. If I'm feeling really creative I'll drizzle the cookies in melted chocolate too and squish some of the filling ingredients on top as an extra bonus!
For these fruit, oat and coconut cookies I used: RECIPE:
250 g soft unsalted butter
200 g soft brown sugar
pinch salt (optional)
2 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
2 extra large eggs (I buy the cartons marked extra large, 700g)
100 g sultanas (this could be any dried fruit you have on hand)
100 g chopped dried apricots
50 g dark choc chips
60 g shredded coconut
100 g traditional rolled oats
50 g rice flour (this gives a short, crumbly texture. t can be replaced with plain flour if you don't have it on hand)
300 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder.
METHOD
To begin, preheat the oven to 160C (fan forced or 170 no fan or if your oven runs cool) and line 2 cookie sheets with baking paper.
Using a stand mixer / hand held mixer or wooden spoon (it doesn't really matter, these cookies are meant to look chunky and rustic so just go with what you have) beat together the softened butter, soft brown sugar, salt and vanilla until you have a smooth pale paste. We're not trying to aerate the mixture, more-so just making sure the butter and sugar are well combined and there are no lumps visible. Add the eggs into the butter one at a time and beat well between each addition. If the batter looks split the eggs were probably still cold from the fridge. Adding a tablespoon of flour will help the mixture come back together at this stage. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl using a silicone spatula to bring everything back together in the bowl.
Add the filling ingredients at this stage, any dried fruits or nuts that you love or have in the pantry will work really well in this recipe. I've used sultanas, chopped apricots, shredded coconut and choc chips. Add the oats at this stage too. Fold everything together so it becomes coated in the egg, butter and sugar mixture.
Sieve the rice flour, plain flour and baking powder together and add this into the cookie mixture. Mix everything together to make a soft dough. To make the cookies nice and chunky I scoop the mixture using a small ice-cream scoop or tablespoon onto the lined baking sheet and then put the unbaked cookies into the fridge to chill for 10 or so minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will help the flour absorb moisture and allow the butter to firm up again, this means the cookies stay chunky when baked. Baking the cookies without chilling can mean the cookies spread more in the oven.
The raw, rolled cookie chunks can also be frozen at this point and baked at a later date, or just when you feel like a freshly baked cookie.
To bake the cookies, place the cookie sheet into the pre-heated oven and bake for 16 - 18 minutes depending on the size of the cookies made. Check the baking cookies for signs of doneness like browning around the edges. You may need to turn your baking tray 2/3rds of the way through the baking time for even browning.
This recipe makes about 20 cookies if weighed to 50g each. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container, in a cool dry place for 3-4 days.
I hope you love this simple and quick recipe! I would love to see if you recreate cookies with it and any variations that you make!
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