It's a date.

Oh finally. Finally, another post! I'm sorry my loyal friends but I finally got myself together to do a post and it's on a subject near and dear to me - cookies. I have, on many occasions, rambled on to friends that I have not been able to find a delicious cookie here in Australia (sorry Aussies!). Cookies, often called biscuits here, are simply not cookies. Biscuits are awfully hard and crunchy. While I too enjoy a good crunchy biscuit now and then, it's the lovely softness of a cookie which brings a smile to my face. To me, the quintessential cookie is one that is soft and chewy and perhaps a bit crumbly too.

These cookies are the real deal. A simple recipe made with dates and plenty of peanut butter (au naturel of course) - these wrinkly little balls of goodness are great to have with your next cup of tea. Not too sweet, but just a touch of sweetness added by the dates, and full of nutty flavour, these cookies are a winner. Not perfect looking but pretty darn good.

peanut butter and date cookies
makes about 12-16 cookies

2/3 cup peanut butter (use organic/natural, no additives)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1 tbsp honey 
2 whole eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup organic plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
10-15 dates, pits removed and chopped roughly

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. In large bowl mix peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, eggs and vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients - flour and baking powder and mix. At this point the batter might look a little strange and crumbly but just mix until combined.
4. Add in date pieces and mix a touch further.
5. Scoop out on lined baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until just cooked through.
6. Take out to cool and enjoy.
**note these are not very sweet cookies so if you like them sweet, eat with some fruity jam!

Coffee & cookies

You know that time around 3pm when you hit that afternoon slump, can’t keep your eyes open but still have lots more work to do? At that time I need either caffeine or sugar (or both).

Yes, I know that caffeine and sugar aren’t the healthiest options for sustenance. But my oatmeal cookies are not all that sweet, and they do a great job satisfying afternoon cravings and giving you a little boost of energy.

My oatmeal cookies use wholegrain rolled oats, coconut, walnuts and of course, smooth, rich and anti-oxidant packed dark chocolate.  Once the batter was made, I used an ice cream scoop to make small little imperfect balls, pressed them down a little and baked for 10-15 minutes. Easy to make and delicious to eat – the perfect afternoon treat (with your coffee!).

oatmeal-coconut-walnut cookies

makes about 15 fat cookies

1/4  cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp soy milk

1/4  raw sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup wholegrain oats

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a large bowl add oil, egg, vanilla, soy milk and sugar and mix until well incorporated.  In a separate bowl mix coconut, oats, flour, salt and baking powder.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir through walnuts and chocolate. Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon make little balls and place onto lined baking tray. Bake 10-15 minutes or until just golden. Enjoy with your afternoon coffee!