Makes 30
I always have to have some kind of baked good to hand, it can be fresh from the oven or fresh from the freezer, I’m not fussy, I just have to know it’s there. Some people have ‘just in case’ household goods but I like ‘just in case’ baked goods. You know how it goes… Just in case someone pops by for coffee. Just in case I get called in to work and the teachers are hungry. Just in case I have a cake craving. The possibilities are endless.
The possibilities are endless with these cookies too. Because although I’ve used white chocolate and coconut, you can pretty much add anything you want to the basic mixture with anything from dried fruit to nuts and indeed, other choc-tastic combinations.
The thing I really love about these cookies is that they’re delicious now and they’re just as delicious later. I always have a bag in the freezer on standby and feel comforted knowing that I can bake some freshly made cookies in less time than it would take me to walk to the shops (and I live very, very near to the shops!)
The self raising flour and the oats make these cookies deliciously light, soft and chewy and they’re best eaten the day they’re made. I have to be honest, if you like your biscuits crisp and crunchy, then these babies are not for you – they’re the light fantastic! After extensive taste testing, I think that sooner you eat these after baking the better, they’re at their best when they’ve just cooled after coming out of the oven. They get softer over time, so if you want to crisp them up the next day, just pop them on to a lined baking tray and heat them for a few minutes.
The frozen biscuits will keep up to 3 months in the freezer but they’re way too irresistible to be in situ for that long!
So tell me, are you a ‘just in case baker’ too? Do you prefer your biscuits chewy or crunchy?
Ingredients
200g pack butter , softened
170g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
140g oats
50g shredded coconut
100g white chocolate chips
How to – Traditional
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- When the butter is really soft, tip it into a bowl along with the sugar. Using an electric hand whisk or a bit of arm muscle, to beat the butter and sugar together until the sugar is mixed through.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, if you like.
- Stir in the flour and oats. The mixture will be quite stiff at this point.
- Add the coconut and white chocolate chips.
- Drop heaped tablespoons of mixture on to the prepared trays, spacing them widely apart as the biscuits will spread when cooking, then cook for about 12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Leave to cool on trays for at least 5 minutes before eating.
- To freeze, line a baking sheet or plastic container with baking paper and drop over blobs of the biscuit mixture, pop into the freezer, and when they’re frozen hard, pop them into a freezer bag. Keep the biscuits in the freezer until you’re ready to use them, and then just pop into the oven for about 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Cream butter and sugar for 30 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down base and sides of bowl.
- Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt if you like. With the blades running on speed 4, add the eggs through the hole in the lid, beating well between each addition. This should take about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and oats and set the dial to closed lid position. Combine on interval speed for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and base of bowl.
- Add coconut and choc chips. Mix for 10 seconds on reverse speed 4.
- Drop heaped tablespoons of mixture on to the prepared trays, spacing them widely apart as the biscuits will spread when cooking, then cook for 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Leave to cool on trays for at least 5 minutes before eating.
- To freeze, line a baking sheet or plastic container with baking paper and drop over blobs of the biscuit mixture, pop into the freezer, and when they’re frozen hard, pop them into a freezer bag. Keep the biscuits in the freezer until you’re ready to use them, and then just pop into the oven for about 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Other info
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
TIP! Get creative and play with the flavour; try adding 50g chopped nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts or almonds, 50g desiccated coconut or 50g raisins , or mixed fruit. The possibilities are endless!
