Healthy oat, almond and fig cookies

I’ve had an open packet of dried figs that needed using up for a couple of weeks. The idea of homemade fig rolls had been loitering at the back of my mind (how good would they be?) then I saw a healthy cookie recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow’s first cookery book (really want get her new one, I love this first book and use it lots – great family recipes). The recipe was for Oatmeal raisin cookies. I have changed it quite a bit, the main things being the raisins for chopped, dried figs, and the toasted walnuts for almonds. They are totally healthy. As in, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing bad or naughty in them! No sugar, no butter, nothing but natural syrups and healthy, unrefined flours (you could replace spelt with normal flours if you want to). This makes them extremely appealing biscuit tin fodder; you actually feel good when the kids are devouring them – and both of mine do exactly that. They remind me of rusks, as they are really good when dunked and made soggy for the baby to enjoy. We took a load up to the park today with a flask of tea and all 3 of us dunked our way through quite a few for elevenses.

The flours and syrups are easily available through health food shops and bigger supermarkets.

To make about 18 biscuits:
100g dried, chopped figs (or raisins)
100g whole almonds (I used ones with skins on)
100g oats
50g white spelt flour
100g wholegrain spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of mixed spice
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
5 tablespoons of rape seed (canola) or vegetable oil
5 tablespoons of maple syrup
5 tablespoons of brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a few baking trays with baking parchment. 
• Chop your figs into raisin size chunks, taking out the tough stalk. 
• Whizz your nuts and half the oats in a food processor.   
• Mix the rest of your dry ingredients: flours, bicarb, spice, salt, and the rest of your oats. 
• Whisk the wet ingredients: oil, maple syrup, rice syrup, and vanilla extract. 
• Combine to the two, along with the figs. 
• Roll into golf ball sized cookies, no bigger. You should end up with 18 at this size. 
• Bake for 13 – 15 minutes. They don’t brown much, so don’t put them in for any longer, you want them to be chewy in the middle. 
• Cool in the tin or on a rack. Enjoy with a glass of milk or a lovely cup of builder’s tea, guilt free!