"All you need to know for a healthier child...."
It is useful to have something handy to offer guests at this time of year and this is a sweet treat that both children and adults will enjoy. The recipe is ideal for children as it contains no added sugar as the natural sweetness comes from the dates. I have included cinnamon again as, for me, it is the ultimate festive spice. My little people love getting involved in stirring and helping spoon out the mixture.
Oats are a source of B vitamins for energy, dates are good for keeping digestive systems healthy and the gorgeous cinnamon is helpful for keeping blood sugar levels stable.
Oatie Biscuits
Makes 12-15 biscuits
Ingredients
100g rolled oats
45g desiccated coconut
90g dates, pitted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp honey
70g plain flour or gluten-free flour
115g butter
2 tbsp water
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for fan oven (200 degrees for non fan ovens).
Place your dates in a bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of water and pop in the microwave covered for 1 minute until softened. If you don't have a microwave do this in a small saucepan for a few minutes.
Take the dates out (leaving any excess water behind in the bowl).
Place in a blender and blitz till broken down but it doesn't need to be smooth, just a pulp. If you don't have a blender you can squash with the back of a spoon.
Cream/mix together the butter, honey and warm date mix until incorporated.
Then add in the oats, cinnamon and flour and mix to a dough.
Chill in the fridge to help set the butter until it's firm again.
When firm, take tablespoons or walnut-sized pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with silicone or non stick parchment paper. You can either leave as balls or squash down flat to make a more flatten biscuit, both are delicious. The balls result in a more solid thick cookie and the squashed more of a delicate biscuit.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden round the edges and cooked through. Obviously, the thicker the longer they will take to cook.
Looking for more ideas?
We've got lots of sweet treat ideas including Healthy Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Balls.