Oatmeal Coconut Fruit Nut Cookies
This school term, my son is required to take up swimming lessons as part of his PE curriculum. While attending one of his swimming lessons, I had a casual chat with my sonβs class teacher. She suggested that I packed some light snack for my son to bring along to eat after his swimming lessons. My first thought was to make those healthy, energy-boosting oat bars that I posted awhile back. However, these oat bars would turn soft easily under the hot outdoor weather, and hence could be messy for a kid to handle. Given that, I decided to make cookies instead. I then began to search online for cookies recipes that incorporate lots of nutritious ingredients just like my oat bars recipe. I bookmarked some favourite ones, modified some of the ingredients to suit my preference and created my own version of power-packed cookies. After going through a few rounds of baking experiments to fine-tune the recipe, I finally came up with the cookies that are close to my expectation – soft, chewy, nutty and with the perfect sweetness. They are loaded with chockfull of healthy ingredients such as oats, coconuts, fruits and nuts. Not only are they healthy, they are also super tasty and flavourful too! I really adore how the red-studded cranberries lend a pretty festive look to these cookies.
This recipe is simple, easy to follow and versatile. For a variety, you can mix and match any combinations of dried fruits (apricots, raisins, dates and cherries) and nuts (pecan, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts) that you fancy. Itβs best to lightly roast the raw nuts before adding them to the cookie dough as this will help to bring out their nutty aroma. For nut allergy sufferers, you can leave the nuts out and substitute with dried fruits. The recipe works just as well. I use a mix of brown and white sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar makes the cookies softer and chewier while white sugar makes the cookies crispier and crunchier. They are interchangeable, and hence the ratio can be adjusted according to individualβs liking.
My hubby loves these cookies very much. He claimed that they are the best I have ever made so far! (Itβs the first time he gave such a high rating to my cookies. lol!). Later on, my son had shared these cookies with his class teacher and a few of his classmates. He told me that they all gave positive feedback. One of his classmates even asked for a second helping!
You can make these cookies in advance as they can be stored well in air-tight container. These cookies are not only great as snack, but also perfect as standby munches for gathering or parties!
>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Oatmeal Coconut Fruit Nut Cookies recipe and step by step tutorial.
such a great combination! i myself will delifintely love this, but not sure about my kids, dun think they will chew on those visible dried fruits and nuts
perhaps i need to replace that with choco chips and cheese
as for the coconut, it’s invisible so not an issue π
Alice: Choco chips and cheese – a sweet and savoury combination sounds interesting to me! If you want to make the nuts and fruits not so visible, you may consider chopping them finely. Regardless of which combi you choose, happy trying!! π
Hi, thank you for your delicious looking cookies. Are your cookie, the chewy or crispy type? Can I leave out the rolled oats? If yes, do I need to replace it with something else?
Karin: My cookies are soft and chewy because I use a mix of brown and white sugar. For oat substitution, you may refer to this link – http://www.livestrong.com/article/555394-non-gluten-substitute-for-oats-in-oatmeal-cookies/. π
Very tempting and irresistible cookies,feel like munching some.
Priya: Oh yeah, that’s what my hubby said. π
Wow! I agreed with your hubby! By looking at the pics I can tell it is surely taste good! I am going to bookmark this for my Xmas baking! Thanks mate! π
Alice: You’re right! That’s a great Christmas gift!! π
Looks good and makes such a great snack!
LCOM: Thanks!! π
This looks like it would be crunchy from the nuts and chewy at the same time. A lovely combination!
Wokandspoon: Yup, you said it all. π
Who would not like these lovely, healthy cookies!
TasteHongKong: Haha!! You’re absolutely correct! π
Hehehee, these cookies have pretty much EVERYTHING I wish for. Nice! (^^)v I love your mini sizes too. My kids sometimes leave some cookies after they choose the biggest ones, so I’m in favor of these sizes. π Your photos are amazing as always!!
Nami: Thanks for your sweet comments!! π
hi there,
i would like to find out if the butter can be replaced with a vegetable oil?
thanks much!
ct: I’m afraid you can’t for this recipe as you can’t cream the vegetable oil. π
Made this cookie a few times with different types of sugar. I still prefer the 1st time when I used black sugar (ι»η³οΌ instead of the brown sugar ( ηΊ’η³οΌ. Brown sugar is too sweet for my liking. Just baked some for my kindergarten son to bring to school for Thanksgiving day. Thank GOD for all that we have!!
Lynn: Thanks for your kind feedback. I’m not very sure about ingredients in Chinese term. As what I understand, brown sugar can be divided into light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. Based on my baking book ηΊ’η³ = ι»η³. Maybe you can read this article and enlighten me further – http://ebake.dyn.dhs.org/Basics/DBQryDesc.asp?Name=%B6%C2%BF%7D%A1%5D%AC%F5%BF%7D%A1%5E. π
They look yummy and healthy π My girl doesn’t like dried fruits or nuts, I will try cutting them into smaller pieces :p
Baking Scientist: Yes, feel free to explore more options. Happy trying! π
Hi,
Where can i get desiccated coconuts? Will store like phoon huat have it?
Thank You
Kary: I bought mine from NUTC Fair Price. (In case you wonder, this is what I use – https://food-4tots.com/ingredients/8/). Phoon Huat is another good place. π
Wowww… Love the preparation and presentation.. LOVE IT π
Hari Chandana: Do give it a try! π
hi, i made my cookies with combi of white and brown sugar and it turned out chewy or cakey. but my hubby like crispy type more, so can i replace tje brown sugar with white one for he same amt? thanks for ur recipe!
May: It’s my pleasure to share. Yes, you can make the substitution. π
Thanks. I am a novice and I find that I can always trust your recipes. Tried quite a few and almost 90% success. Always receive compliments, makes me feel so happy. Now I like baking so much and my hubby is asking me what new things i am going to try out weekly π Thanks again!
May: I feel so glad that my recipes work for you and your hubby loves your baking. You must be a talented person! π
Sorry may i know if i can use those kind of instant oat like Quaker brand?
May: Preferably not instant Quaker oat as they are too soft. Please also note that processed oats may contain sugar, salt and other flavouring added to them. π
Hi , I just tried these gorgeous looking cookies. Added few chocolate chunks too! Exactly followed the recipe but they turned out to be CAKEY ! π What could be the reason ?
Sana: Do you mean “chewier”? As mentioned in my post, these cookies are soft and chewier as the recipe calls for brown sugar. Hence, you would not get crisp cookies. Maybe you can try to substitute with white sugar for a more crisp and crunchy texture. π