I love the combination of crunchy nuts and seeds and the sweet, chewiness of dried fruit. Add in some whole grains and just a touch of dark chocolate and it really is a winning combination!

These are a delicious and satisfying morning tea or afternoon snack.

A note on the dried fruit –  always try to opt for the fruit that is naturally dried instead of being preserved with sulphites – it’ll be a darker colour, but it is a better option for those who are sensitive to those additives. You can usually find them in a health food shop or in a bulk buying store.

And before you get too worried about the sugar content of 1.5 cups of dried fruit – remember it is split over 24 cookies …. 1.5/24 = 0.0685 cups of dried fruit. It’s not a massive quantity and it’s still a good source of fibre that comes packaged together with the sweetness!

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup dried apples
• 8 medjool dates
• 1 heaped cup mixed nuts and seeds (roughly 160g) *
• 1/2 cup rolled oats OR shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 tsp GF baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Fine Zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 1/4 cups wholemeal spelt flour OR 1 cup GF flour mix
• 160g vegan butter,  melted
• 1 large egg OR 3 tbsp aquafaba OR 1 flax egg
• OPTIONAL 1 handful of your favourite dark choc chips

*obviously you need to use nuts and seeds that are safe for your diet.   When we make these nut free we use a mix of pumpkin, sunflower,  hemp,  chia and flax seeds. When we eat these at home we use them as an opportunity to get in the nuts that we have now passed food challenges for and need to consume weekly (macadamia,  walnut, brazil and hazelnut). Mix and match to find your favourites!

Place the apples and cranberries in your food processor or thermal cooker and pulse multiple times,  until finely chopped.

Whilst processing  (sp 4) add the pitted dates one at a time through the top chute. Now process until the dates are finely chopped (sp 6, 6 secs)

Add in the nuts and seeds and pulse multiple times until they are roughly chopped.

Add in the oats (or coconut) and process until oats are fine (speed 5, 8 secs)

Now add in your flour, baking powder, orange zest and cinnamon and process until evenly combined (speed 4, 10 secs).

Continue processing (speed 4) whilst you add in the melted butter and egg (or substitute) through the top chute. Mix until evenly combined and the mix turns to a rough dough.

Stir through your choc chips now if using.

Take heaped teaspoons of the mix, and form into balls before pressing on to a lined baking tray.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden.

Cookies will be soft when removed from the oven. Leave them in the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 24 and keeps well in an airtight container for a week.

Enjoy 🙂