It's been some time since I last posted a recipe here at bakercourt; it's something about baking regularly for other people, I think, that prevents you from putting anything in the oven for yourself other than dinner. This week, though, I made Abel & Cole's Breakfast Cookies, and I'm so glad I did.

They're not the most attractive biscuits I've ever had, but they're oh-so-delicious. They're like oat biscuits, filled with the deliciousness of dried fruit and nuts, and doubly delicious with the extra addition of a grated carrot.

And did I mention that they have no butter or eggs in them? My kind of biscuits.


Like I said - not the  most beautiful! I think if you added pumpkin seeds for green, and a sprinkling of grated carrot to the top of each biscuit, you'd end up with something akin to the photo on Abel & Cole's website. Don't let that put you off though; these are the most scrumptious breakfast biscuits ever. I made mine with walnuts, flaked almonds, roasted hazelnuts, dried dates and a spoonful of coconut. Mm.

Here's the recipe, from Abel & Cole.  By the by, you should also try their Rustic Irish Potato Bread and "anything goes" veggie fritters. Yum.

Ingredients:


125g wholemeal or spelt flour
150g jumbo porridge oats
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g dark or light brown sugar
4 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
1 large carrot or 2 medium-sized carrots, coarsely grated
100ml olive or coconut oil
100g chopped dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots, mango and/or figs)
100g chopped nuts or seeds
Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Method:


1. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

2. Add the flour, oats, baking soda and salt to a big bowl. Mix well to ensure the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together.

3. Scoop by the tablespoon and press into rounds on an oiled baking sheet. Tidy up the edges. You'll probably get about a dozen per tray. If you don't want two batches, just freeze the rest of the mix for another day.

4. Bake for 10 mins, or till just starting to set and just picking up a little colour. They'll set to be soft and chewy like this. If you'd prefer them crisper, flip the cookies over and return to the oven for 3 mins or so to crisp up the bottoms.

5. Once cooked, they store nicely for a week in an airtight container.

Enjoy!