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Coconut, almond and tahini cookies

Yesterday I decided to do some baking so I could have some treats with me at the Trade Show (eating at those things can be tricky and there's nothing like a good sugar boost!). I saw that Lauren from Needle & I had posted what appeared to be a 'healthy' cookie recipe that sounded delicious! So yesterday I headed to the supermarket in the morning and purchased a few missing ingredients. I will warn you now, these cookies are aaaaamazing! I made a couple alterations to Lauren's recipe to be just a wee bit healthier / it's what I had at home. This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, and only contains natural sugar and still takes good. If you're looking for some new items to cook or bake make sure to check out her In the Kitchen section of the blog, there are some real gems in there! Enjoy! INGREDIENTS (makes approx. 30 cookies) 150g coconut oil – at room temperature (original recipe used butter) 1/3 cup liquid honey (I used Clove Honey) 85g hulled tahini 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1.5 cups desiccated coconut 1 cup ground almonds (I used both almond meal and LSA, again it's what I had on hand) 1.5 cups gluten-free flour (I used barley rice flour as it's what I had on hand) METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two oven trays with baking paper. 2. Put the oil, honey, tahini and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until thick, creamy and pale. 3. Add the coconut, almonds and gluten-free flour and mix on a low speed until everything is just incorporated. The dough will be quite sticky. 4. Roll tablespoons of the dough between your hands into walnut-sized balls. 5. Place the balls onto the lined oven trays allowing about 5cm between each cookie. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a fork. 6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes – set a timer as they will burn quickly if left any longer. They should be a lovely golden brown. 7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 8. Store in an airtight container. These cookies will keep well for up to a week - if they last that long...

(All photographs taken by Needle & I)

Note: My cookies didn't come out quite as thick as pictured here due to using a hand electric blender and using butter but they still taste fantastic!

Homemade Muesli

This weekend I decided to raid our pantry and make muesli for the first time!  My partner has a fantastic recipe that he used to make a couple years ago - but being from California - muesli was a bit foreign to me before moving to New Zealand. Over the past few years I've learned to love and crave this filling morning treat!  So an effort to do a little Spring Clean of our pantry I decided to make my own! This recipe is low in sugar and high in fibre and will keep you full all morning long (and is particularly good with natural yogurt). Enjoy! 1 1/4 C Oats 1/4 C    Pumpkin Seeds 1/4 C    Sunflower Seeds 1/4 C    Sesame Seeds 1/4 C    Chia Seeds (I found mine at the local Farro) 1/4 C    Raisins 1/4 C    Dried Cranberries 1/3 C    chopped Dates 1/4 C    Coconut Shavings 1/4 C    Bee's Blessings Mulled Honey 1 T        Coconut Oil Dash of Salt Mix ingredients together and toast in 150C oven until brown.