Peter Gordon suggests to serve these nutty biscuits with hard cheese, with stewed fruit and mascarpone or with his sticky melon jelly. I think any kind of jelly or jam would go well too. I just ate these with my cuppa; a delish crisp little bite.

Makes around 32

250 g butter, room temperature

180 g caster sugar

150 g cornflour

50 g fine oatmeal

70 g pumpkin seeds, toasted

In a food processor mix the butter and sugar for 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and blitz in the rest of the ingredients for 10...

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A snickerdoodle is a crisp and chewy cookie originating from New England. It's basically a plain cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar but the inclusion of cream of tartar gives it a sourness that is quite endearing. 

Most recipes use butter and refined sugar and flour but this one is gluten- and dairy-free. You can also use an egg replacer if you are vegan. It makes a lot of dough so you can freeze some for later use. The dough needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours so prepare ahead!

3 1/2 c f...

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With our impending trip to the snow upon us, I wanted a sturdy, robust cookie that would provide tasty sustenance on the slopes. So I made a spicy molasses cookie and added chocolate chunks - how good?!

Makes 24-26

1 1/2 c flour (I used white and wholemeal spelt)

1/2 c oat flour (oats ground in a coffee grinder)

1 1/2 c sugar (I used a mix of coconut and cane)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

ground spices:

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger (double the ginger if you want a gingernut!)

1/2 ts...

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What's better than apple crumble? Apple crumble cake! This is a comforting recipe from Julie Le Clerc's Favourite Cakes (Penguin, 2011). It's a one-pot wonder too.

125g butter

1 c soft brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

2 apples, grated with skin on

1 c raisins

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 c rolled oats

1 1/2 c flour (I used white and wholemeal spelt)

3 tsp baking powder

icing sugar, to dust

Crumble:

100g butter, cubed

1 c flour

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a browni...

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Sarah Britton of My New Roots created the life-changing bread, using only seeds and psyllium. Here's the cracker version from Super Loaves & Simple Treats by Melissa Sharp (PK, 2017). They go so well with all kinds of sweet or savoury toppings, or just by themselves.

1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c flaxseeds
1/4 c hazelnuts
3/4 c oats
2 tsp chia seeds
3 tbsp psyllium
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp seaweed flakes
2/3 c water
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 160C. Line 2 baking sheets with bakin...
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A refined-sugar-free treat for any time of the day. I think the thinness of a florentine is the secret to its success, so use flaked or slivered almonds. Pepitas and oats add extra nutrition.

Makes about 25

1/2 c rolled oats

1/3 c almonds

1/3 c finely chopped walnuts

1/3 c pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/3 c finely chopped apple-sweetened cranberries (I didn't have any so used sulphur-free apricots. Other tangy dried fruit would work well too, such as cherries or blueberries)

1 tsp mixed spice (or a mix o...

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This batch makes so many cookies! You can freeze some of the dough for later use.

Makes about 50

185g butter, softened

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used organic golden but coconut sugar would work well)

1/2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

2 or 3 mashed bananas

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp all spice (or a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)

1 1/2 c oats

1 c mixed dried fruit, chopped

3/4 c desiccated or shredded coconut

3/4 c chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)

Prehe...

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I am officially obsessed with fika - the Swedish art of the coffee break. A time to take a break alone or with friends, to reflect and recharge with a coffee (or tea) and something delicious to eat. I'd like to share some of my favourite recipes from Fika by Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall (Ten Speed Press, 2015). The Swedish chocolate ball is a classic that all bakeries will make. Like most Swedish baked goods, it uses butter and cane sugar. These may look like one of those raw bliss balls ma...
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These are nice and cheesy without the cheese!

1 c flour (I used oat)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp black sesame seeds, optional
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter
1 tsp lemon juice
5-6 tbsp cold water, as needed

Preheat oven to 180C. 

In a medium bowl mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the oils and juice and mix with a fork. Add enough cold water to form a dough.

Roll dough in betwe...

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Cooking 1 cup of quinoa 'seeds' yields a lot of quinoa! Enough to make 2 different batches of sweet cookies. These full-o-goodness chunky breakfast cookies are adapted from Healthful Pursuit. It's a bonus bake in my list of 26 alphabetical bakes!

Makes 18 cookies
1 1/2 c cooked quinoa
1 c flour (I used oat)
1/2 c ground flaxseed
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1/2 c liquid natural sweetener (I used rice syrup and a bit of date syrup. Maple syrup is also g...

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160g butter or non-dairy spread (I used Olivani)
3/4 c coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c oats, ground in a coffee grinder to make flour
2 c buckwheat flour
2 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 c dark chocolate chips or 150g dark chocolate cut into chunks

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add in egg. Then mix in flours and dry ingredients. Lastly mix in the chocolate chips.

Wrap dough in cling film and chill in freezer for half...

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This is adapted from Eleanor Ozich's apricot and chocolate slice. I love the combination of prunes and chocolate, and have made my own chocolate in this recipe. This is another entry into #PlantBasedChallengeNZ #LittleBirdGoodness

1 c prunes, chopped
2 c ground seeds/nuts/grains - this is YOUR choice! I used 1 c rolled oats, 1/2 c sunflower seeds, 1/2 c activated buckwheat groats (you can also use pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, walnuts)
1 c desiccated coconut
1/3 c coconu...

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It's always a pleasant distraction when a blog I subscribe to posts a new recipe. In the case of Eleanor Ozich's apricot and dark chocolate bumper bars my eyes and tastebuds were duly tantalised and I decided to make them the same day. Key words: apricot, chocolate, fudgy, no bake – and I had all the ingredients in the pantry.

1 c chopped dried apricots (I used organic sulphur-apricots hence they are not bright orange like non-organic ones)
2 c rolled oats
1 c desiccated or shredded c...

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This is from Jamie Oliver's Superfood cookbook. It rather annoys me how 'superfood' has become an overused word to market brands, books and recipes. Some food is higher in particular nutrients than others; it's just common sense to eat a variety and as whole as possible. I wouldn't call this bread a superfood, it's just a simple bread made from wholesome ingredients. That said, if Jamie can get the masses to eat more seeds, berries, vegetables and whole grains and less meat, that can only be ...
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This granola has just the right mix of nuts, fruit, spices and sweetness for me - and a fantastic crunch.

3 c oats
2 c chopped nuts
1 c sunflower seeds, or do a pumpkin seed mix
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
4 tbs coconut oil
3/4 c rice syrup
2 tbs water
2 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 c chopped apricots
1/2 c goji berries
1/4 c raisins or chopped prunes

Preheat oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Melt the coconut oil and rice syrup in a saucepan or double boiler over low heat. Mix the oats, ...

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This appeared in 2013 on My New Roots and I've finally jumped onto the bandwagon! A dense, filling bread made of just nuts and seeds - genius. All mixed in the tin and you can experiment with different nuts and seeds too.
1 c sunflower seeds
1 1/2 c oats
1 c almonds (or hazelnuts)
1/2 c flaxseed
2 Tbs chia seeds
3 Tbs psyllium husk powder (or 4 Tbs psyllium husk)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs natural sweetener (maple syrup, rice malt syrup)
3 Tbs melted coconut oil
1 1/2 c water

Line a loaf tin with parchment/baking...
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Thank you Emily Rose, who wrote Have Your Cake (Five Mile Press, 2011). Her recipes have "no butter, no white flour, no added sugar". She uses wholemeal flour, rice bran oil and honey. I prefer spelt, coconut oil and rice malt syrup so have substituted with these and results were good!
Makes 16-20 cookies
1 c spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 c dessicated coconut
1/3 c rolled oats (have also used buckinis)
1/2 c coconut oil, softened (or rice bran oil)
1/2 c rice malt syrup (or honey)
1 tsp grated ...
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An easy gluten-free cookie that especially kids will love! Not too much sweetener and full of good fibre. This is by Nadia Lim from Sunday magazine.
2 eggs
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sweetener (coconut sugar or brown sugar ok, I used rice malt syrup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c ground almonds
1 c rolled oats
1 c mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)
1/2 c dark choc chips

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
In a large bowl mix eggs, milk and vanilla. Add...
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By Frances
Wow - some reaaaaaally healthy oat cookies with no sugar, dairy or wheat and very delish. I've discovered wholesome-cook.com. She has a whole bunch of stuff I want to try.

• 1¼ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup wholemeal flour (I used spelt)
  
• ¼ cup coconut sugar* (I used organic golden sugar)
  
• 1 teaspoon flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons dried organic blueberries, optional

• 175g Mayver's Super Spread* (I used tahini and peanut butter)
  
• ¼ cup rice ...

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By Frances

This is from The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife (Avery, 2005). It explains all the amazing benefits of coconut oil and includes recipes. I do a lot of raw baking with it and usually put a bit on my porridge. I made these cookies for our 21-month-old mainly, so she can have a sugar-free treat.

 

½ c melted coconut oil

¾ c sweetener (I used honey and agave syrup)

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ c flour

1 c oats

½ c dried coconut (shredded, grated, d...

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I wanted to make a sugar-free snack for my 1-year-old that's freezable too. So I adapted a couple of recipes to make this jumble of mini muffins. I used powdered stevia, which has an acquired taste - it's also green. I think stevia would work best in chocolate baking to disguise the colour. I'm entering this recipe into this month's Sweet New Zealand, hosted by Couscous & Consciousness.

Dry ingreds
1 c wholemeal spelt flour
1 c rolled oats
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4...
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