Chocolate & Raisin Oat Cookies

I love a sweet treat and when its a healthy sweet treat I love it even more. Recently I have really been loving oat based cookies and they are a great alternative to a box of custard creams (even though they are my favourite!) I like to keep my eating habits clean and healthy as possible and love playing around with different recipes to get one that is right for me and my family.

This Chocolate & Raisin Oat Cookies recipe uses cacao instead of cocoa chocolate which is a healthier alternative. The main difference between cacao and cocoa is the way it is processed. Cacao in its raw form is classed as a 'Superfood', an antioxidant which protects your cells against the damage from free radical, which causes premature ageing of the skin. Cacao is also known to make you a 'happy bunny' putting you in a good mood, lowering your blood pressure and looking after your heart. After the cacao is processed into cocoa thats when all the sugars are added and the goodness (in terms of health benefits) is diminished.

You can alternatively use dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more) or for the healthier option you can find a good quality cacao chocolate but both will work fine. The one that I used for this recipe was Valrhona, a French brand based in the small little village of Tain L'Heritage, France. We was given a box of the tasting bars for christmas from a friend which included a variety of different flavours and fell in love straight away and has become my favourite chocolate treat.

Here is my recipe for Chocolate & Raisin Oat Cookies..

INGREDIENTS

(makes around 16)

150g Porridge Oats
40g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp ground Pink Himilayan Salt
3/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
75g Coconut oil
50g Honey
50g Organic Coconut sugar
1 large Egg, whisked
180g Raisins
60g Cacao Chocolate, small chunks or pieces

METHOD

Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees and line two baking trays with baking parchment

In a bowl add the porridge oats, flour, salt and bicarbonate and mix well

In a small saucepan on a low heat, add the honey and coconut oil and heat until warm enough to melt the oil and make the honey runny (this doesn't take long) then add the coconut sugar and mix well.

Remove from the heat and mix in to the dry mixture and mix well, add the egg, raisins and chocolate pieces and mix well

Tip: This mix is very sticky so I would recommend using a round cookie cutter and using a teaspoon to fill the cutter on the baking tray so you get a nice circular cookie and no sticky hands. Use the back of the teaspoon to flatten the mixture in the cutter which make it easier to take the cutter away leaving a nice round cookie shape.

Bake in the middle of the oven for around 10-12 minutes

Remove from the oven and allow the cookie to cool on the baking tray before removing them as they will crumble if they are too hot

Eat straight away or store in an airtight container for 2 days.. enjoy!

Love & Light

♥ 

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