Having been inundated with Christmas Cookie orders I didn’t have time to sort out a couple of Christmas presents before I left to join my family for the holidays. Yesterday I spent a lovely half an hour thumbing through recipe books looking for a cookie recipe that would work as a gift with a bit of a health kick. I have to bake to my audience who are trying to be healthy.

I came across a recipe for Nutri cookies which started off with:

“Tell the kids they can have cookies for breakfast”

They are quite yummy, soft and chewy, and if you are going to have to eat sunflower seeds and nuts you might as well stick them together with peanut butter and honey, well that’s my theory anyway.

So I have packaged them and labeled them and will be delivering them later today as a happy 2011 present.

I will be adding these to my list of cookies as I think that many people are looking for healthier snack options and tea time treats especially at the beginning of the year and I will be only to happy to oblige. But for those of you with the time to make them for yourselves, here is the recipe from Cookie Jar Classics (Copyright Company’s Coming Publishing Limited):

Nutri-Cookies

Makes about 96 (I only managed to get about 56 out)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (recipe calls for smooth, but I had crunchy in the cupboard)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup liquid honey
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1 cup unsweetened medium coconut
• 3/4 cup natural wheat bran
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or your favourite nuts)
• 1/2 cup unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds (I had too much going on in the kitchen yesterday to roast these so just used them as is)
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp salt

Cream butter and peanut butter in a large bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add honey and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.

Combine the remaining 9 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add to butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains.

Roll into balls, using about a tablespoon for each. Arrange about 5cm apart on ungreased cookie trays. Flatten slightly. Bake in 190 degree centigrade oven for about 12 minutes until golden.

Let stand on cookie trays for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from trays and place on wire racks to cool completely.

As healthey options go this is really one worth trying and I think will make a lovely gift. It’s also great for children’s lunch boxes as it’s a treat, but still healthy and a batch should last a couple of weeks.

Happy munching!