Healthy Crumbs: Fig-gy Oats Cookie!!

Cookies have had a notorious reputation all its life!! It’s in actuality a meal in itself, but hardly ever consumed as one. It’s taken more as a tid-bit to be had with tea or coffee; more of a snack to be had in between big meals; an accompaniment for a sumptuous creamy dessert; anything but a healthy meal to be had alone.

I don’t think cookies are that bad if they are eaten in the right way. Even if it’s a traditionally made cookie, with refined flour, white sugar and butter, it has some nutritional content. It just has to be coupled with a high fibre accompaniment like a whole fruit smoothie or a fruit salad, and it makes an amazing meal, perfect for the two hour eating plan that many of us follow these days.

But, old habits die hard, and hence it’s very difficult to not reach for a cookie when we have a steaming cup of coffee in front of us. So here is my solution to this problem, a high fibre cookie which is made with no sugar, but is sweetened with the help of dry fruits and honey, packed with the fibrous goodness of chopped mixed nuts and complete with a little cheat ingredient, chocolate chips!!

I wasn’t confident at all about this recipe of mine. I felt it was too healthy for anyone to like. So sheepishly I took a few pieces along with me to a very health conscious friend’s dinner party and was amazed at the ladies freaking out on it. In fact I dedicate this recipe to the hostess and her friend who requested me to blog about them soon. So here are the healthy little bites which is completely guilt free and can be had and digested even as a midnight snack pang!!

Ingredients:

Dry

2 cups quick cooking oats 

¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup flax seed powder

1 ½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ cup mixed nuts

½ cup chocolate chips

Wet

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup fig

1/3 cup honey

1 egg

¼ cup fresh grated coconut

Method:

This is not one of the classic cookie recipes we have grown with. This requires few different steps, though all pretty easy to follow.

After preheating your oven to a standard 180 to 200 degrees c, get to the dry ingredients and mix them all in a big bowl.

Now melt the 6 tbsp butter and incorporate it well with the dry ingredients so as to get a lumpy wet cluster of oats and nuts. Set it aside to rest while we prep our wet ingredients.

In a food processor or a mixer, add the figs and the honey. Process till its relatively pasty and hardly any big lumps of fig is visible to the eye. Add the grated coconut and egg, and process once more to mix it well.

 Now very carefully fold in the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix them well together. I find the handiest tool to do the task is good old pair of clean hands. That way, you are assured that every cookie gets equal amount chocolate chips and nuts.

Shape them in little spheres of 10 cm diameter. Lay them neatly on a baking tray, a cm apart, and bake them for 20 minutes or so in a preheated 180-220 degrees Celsius oven. Look for the top and sides to be browned. Once desired doneness is reached, lay it on a wire rack to cool completely. Store it for up to a fortnight in an airtight cookie jar.

Cheers!!