Nutty (and not too naughty) choc chip biscuits

I developed this recipe a while back and thought I'd share it this week while I have a little more free time on my hands to compose a post . . .

Do you say "biscuits" or "cookies" ? 

Well, I suppose it depends on where you are from.  Although I use both terms interchangeably (which comes with living among a community of expats from all over the world), I do tend to more frequently stick with my Australia-British heritage and use the term 'biscuit' . . . but what really matters is how they taste right?

My challenge was to make a healthier version of the everyday chocolate chip biscuit / cookie which could still hit the spot . . you know, that spot that only a good biscuit can possibly reach when you are craving that fix of carbohydrate for a mid morning or afternoon snack. Of course, you don't want to be feeling oh so guilty for eating them if you don't have to . . . would you agree? A good biscuit which has that crisp, crunchy, even chewy texture does need both fat and sugar. I have opted to use plant based fats and dehydrated cane sugar in the form of sucanat (or rapadura) in place of refined sugar. I have swapped refined white flour (the other carbohydrate ingredient) for wholemeal spelt flour and oats. You could try gluten-free flour. The addition of dried fruit to sweeten the biscuit further or used in place of the dark chocolate is an option of course, but then we would be moving away from the basic choc chip formula wouldn't we! That is for another recipe :)

My version is not over-sweet, making the dark chocolate a welcome addition. Good quality dark chocolate is great for you, as it is loaded with antioxidants. The added fats in this recipe are nutritious cold pressed plant oils from nuts and coconut rather than butter, so this recipe can be adapted to be vegan if you replace the egg with a flax-egg and use a dairy-free chocolate which you can make in your Thermomix! Owing to the nut component you couldn’t send these to school, but they would certainly be a fab high-energy and nutritious after-school snack. They are loaded with dietary fibre, and if you use walnuts, omega-3 fats too!

Nutty (not too naughty) chocolate chip biscuits

ingredients

80g whole oats

90g raw walnuts or cashew nuts

40g virgin coconut oil

50g sucanat (rapadura) sugar

50g raw caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 large egg

100g wholemeal spelt flour

20g water or milk

120g semi-sweet (dark) choc chips

method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place whole oats in TM bowl and grind at speed 9 for 30 seconds. Decant into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Add walnuts or cashew nuts to the TM bowl and grind for 5 seconds at speed 10. Add coconut oil and blend for 5 seconds more on speed 4, scrape with spatula. The mixture should similar to the consistency of peanut butter.
4. Add caster sugar, rapadura and vanilla and mix on speed 4 for 1 minute. 
5. Add egg and beat on speed 4 for 10 seconds.
6. Return the ground oats to the TM bowl and add spelt flour and 20g of water or milk. Mix for about 10-20 seconds on speed 4 or until combined.
7. Either add choc chips and mix on reverse speed 1 until evenly distributed, or use a spatula to incorporate by hand.
8. Roll heaped tablespoonfuls of cookie dough into balls and place on prepared trays. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Stand on trays for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze.

variations

add 2 tbsp of desiccated coconut
swap dark choc chips for white
use a flax-egg instead of a chicken egg

no thermomix?

• use oat flour instead of whole oats
• use a commercial nut butter instead of the nuts and coconut oil or try grinding the nuts in a food processor
• use an electric mixer for steps 4-7