I can’t be sure why, but there is something about baking that just makes me feel like everything is right with the world. A point back up by people falling madly in love with bread making over the COVID-19 lockdown period. Talk about free therapy!

When my kids were little I was at home more, working less and I took great pride in cooking everything from scratch. I just felt good when packing a home baked treat for picnics or daycare and I being thoughtful about what I fed my kids was a big priority. Well life has certainly got got the better of me now with teenagers needing to be run around all over the place, more hours at the desk or kitchen bench working on my business and almost no time to leisurely throw together a cake batter. That’s why, when I had these biscuits cooling on my windowsill yesterday afternoon, I felt like I was finally getting the better of my day rather than the other way round. The smell was food for the soul and I managed to get in a cup of tea and warm cookie without anyone catching me and ruining my only Zen moment of the afternoon.

These Nutty, Spelt, Oat and Dark Choc Cookies are so freekin good. I do tend to swap out white ingredients for brown where I can, much to the irritation of the kids, as well as cut down on the sugar component. So.. enter whole meal spelt (which is easier on the tummy and more “whole” than white flour) raw almonds added for protein, only two thirds of the sugar listed in the original recipe (you could do this with pretty much every sweet recipe you cook) and a swap to 70% cocoa solids chocolate rather than sweeter milk.

And the result? Well lets just say I won’t be stopping at one. These cookies are perfect for busy kids after school and mothers looking for a few moments of Zen with their cuppa.

Scroll down for the recipe.

Enjoy x Kate

RECIPE for Nutty Spelt, Almond, Oat and Dark Choc Cookies

Makes about 20 biscuits

INGREDIENTS
300g dark chocolate 70%, broken down into small squares

150g raw almonds

190g whole meal spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1 teaspoon salt

250g unsalted butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla powder

200g packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tbsp molasses or golden syrup

240g quick cook rolled oats

METHOD

Place chocolate and almonds into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped (almonds should be cut down to ⅓ in size at least) and mixed together. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and molasses and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.

Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in the oats and chopped chocolate and nuts.

The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.

Preheat oven to 180°C (no fan) . Line baking sheets with baking paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Use a scoop or spoon to scoop the cookie dough, about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 5cm apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.

Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cooks Notes

Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls for an extra minute, but there is no need to thaw first.

These cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.