Chewy fig and coconut cookies

As I may have mentioned before, Mr Duckie often travels for work. He has flown with quite a few different airlines, but this week was his first time on Virgin Australia. We caught up with an old uni friend on the weekend (also a frequent flyer) who told us about his experiences flying on Virgin, including how they were now giving out a complimentary snack on the flight. Mr Duckie looked puzzled. "Don't they normally give food?" he asked. When we explained to Mr Duckie that in fact, there was no in-flight meal, he looked horrified. "But what am I going to do for food!" he cried.

Luckily I had already planned to make these cookies. I have been rather intrigued by the coconut oil phenomenon for quite some time now. We even had a small discussion in class about whether coconut oil is in fact healthy! The main concern surrounding coconut oil is that it is high in saturated fat - in fact, according to the label on my jar of coconut oil, it contains 93.5% saturated fat. According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines 2013, saturated fats are linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and as such should be limited. However, proponents of coconut oil argue that most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is in the form of lauric acid, which is a a medium-chain fatty acid. It is claimed that lauric acid can improve blood cholesterol, assist in weight loss, and has antibacterial  and antiviral properties. Coconut oil is also promoted as a useful moisturiser for skin and hair.

At the moment, it appears that more research needs to be done in order to clarify and confirm the benefits of coconut oil, especially given that there is such strong evidence on the need to limit saturated fats. Whilst I would be happy to use it as a moisturiser (in fact, I did try some on my hands and it smelt very nice!) I don't think I'd start using coconut oil as a replacement for olive oil or canola oil.

In any case, I was very curious to find out whether coconut oil did in fact smell and taste of coconut. I was not disappointed! As I opened the jar, I got a waft of fragrant coconut. I then tried tasting some of the oil on its own (as I saw a well-known celebrity chef do on TV - although I only had a tiny dab of oil, rather than a whole spoonful!), and I found that the coconut oil had a pleasant, mild coconut flavour and smooth texture.

A spoonful of coconut oil straight from the jar

These coconut cookies are doubly coconutty from the combination of the coconut oil and the shredded coconut. Luckily for me, there was a special on figs at the supermarket, so I was able to add them into my cookies. I think you could easily replace this with dried figs or any other dried fruit of your choice.

Yay fresh figs!

My kitchen was filled with a delicious coconut aroma as these cookies were baking, which helped to cheer up a dreary, rainy morning. These cookies were also very easy to make - I pretty much just mixed everything in one bowl, then dolloped the dough onto trays! The cookies were crisp on the edges and soft in the middle whilst warm (I couldn't resist trying them straight away!), and they became more chewy once they had cooled. The diced figs also provided bursts of flavour and softness throughout.

So, although I am not yet convinced of the health benefits of coconut oil, I do have to say that the coconut oil was the winning ingredient in this recipe, as it added a distinct coconut flavour to the cookies!

Just a note: don't put your coconut oil in the fridge like I did, as it will go very hard and it will be very difficult to spoon it out of the jar! If you do find your coconut oil is too hard, try putting it into a bowl of hot water and this will soften and liquefy the oil and hopefully let you spoon it out!

Chewy fig and coconut cookies

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 figs, diced

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, beat coconut oil, raw sugar and caster sugar until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until fully combined. Sift over the flour mixture, add shredded coconut and mix to combine. Stir in diced figs.

3. Drop teaspoonfus of dough onto prepared trays. Bake for 15-20 min or until golden. 

4. Leave on trays for 5 min then cool on wire racks.

Makes approx. 24 cookies

Sesame and honey biscuits

What goes better with a cup of tea than a sweet biscuit for dunking? And with Chinese New Year having just passed, what more excuse is needed than to cook up some sweet treats to share with loved ones?

I made these biscuits to take to my friends Katie and Belinda, who threw an amazing Chinese New Year dinner celebration! It had been an extremely hot couple of days in Sydney, so very ingeniously, the girls arranged a DIY rice paper roll dinner. It was a deliciously fun dinner as we practised our rolling skills (some more successful than others!) and tried to eat our creations without spilling out all our carefully rolled fillings!

Lots of crisp, light and tasty ingredients, perfect for a cool dinner on a hot night!

To add a lucky red touch, I decorated the biscuits with dried cranberries. The cranberries are quite a dark red, so if you prefer a more bright and shiny colour, glace cherries would be a nice alternative. I also intended the biscuits to be swirls, however, the swirls seemed to melt away after baking (the dough was quite soft, and probably more so due to the heat!). So it might be easier just to roll the dough into balls to avoid the extra swirling work. And be careful to keep an eye on the biscuits - sadly, some of mine burnt :(

The sesame flavour in these biscuits comes from tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Tahini is the perfect substitute for peanut nut butter for those who have nut allergies, as it has a similar consistency (if a bit runnier) and a similar nutty flavour. The tahini in these biscuits not only provides flavour but helps to hold the biscuit together. These biscuits are also egg-free and dairy-free, as well as being nut-free!

Of course, I couldn't resist trying one of the biscuits straight out of the oven. Whilst warm, the biscuits were crunchy on the outside, with a chewy, slightly gooey centre, and they tasted very moreish with the flavour of sesame. The cranberry added a fruity tanginess which was a nice surprise whilst eating the cookie. After they had cooled, the biscuits became firm and crunchy, and I believe they have sufficient sturdiness to withstand tea dunking!

Thank you so much to Katie and Belinda for holding a wonderful dinner - it was a lovely night, with great food and most importantly great company! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the new year!

Sesame and honey biscuits

Adapted from Super Food Ideas

Ingredients

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup honey

2/3 cup tahini

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice

To decorate:

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1-2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Makes approx. 24 biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/160 degrees fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Combine lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda in a glass bowl (mixture will become foamy).

3. Add sugar, honey, tahini, lemon rind, and oil. Whisk together until mixture is just combined.

4. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and mixed spice over tahibi. Mix with a spoon until just combined.

5. Roll 1 teaspoon of mixture into logs and roll the log into a swirl (or roll into a ball and flatten slightly with a fork). Place on prepared trays, 4 cm apart. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and place a dried cranberry in the centre of the biscuit.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until golden and cooked through. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve.