Oh hey there. I've got some special cookies to share with you today. They are my Loaded Choc Chip & Cranberry Cookies or what I call my lunch box pleaser. I posted two recipes on Facebook to choose from the other day and it seems the cookie was the winner. It was up against a killer chocolate cake but to my disbelief the good old cookie won out! It seems you guys are in need of a healthy and yummy cookie recipe to fill the kid's lunch boxers up with. Well do I just have the recipe for you.

I wanted to create a healthy recipe that will be school lunch box friendly and will accommodate those with food allergies. Because hey everyone needs a good cookie in their life even if you have food allergies. So I set myself a goal of creating a recipe that would be gluten, dairy and egg free and also nut free so it can be used in your baking repertoire for school snacks. Oh and maybe mum and dad can sneakily snack on one or two of these as well. I know I did.

Now these cookies can be a bit like a choose your own adventure journey. Don't hesitate to swap and change the ingredients in these cookies to customize them to what you have in the pantry. Swap the seeds, dried fruit and choc chips to what you have in your cupboard and what suits your diet requirements. Just keep to the measurements. In the recipe I have added suggestions at the end to what changes you can make to the recipe. They may look like a rustic cookie but taste pretty nice. I treated hubby to a fresh batch of these cookies one afternoon as he got home from work. I think he appreciated the sentiment. I think J.D scoffed down three of these before I had a chance to pack them up into the freezer. YES they freezer really well too. I just make sure they are completely cooled and either package them up into a container or a freezer bag does the job as well. Pop them into the kids lunch boxes in the morning and they should be defrosted in time for morning tea.

I've been in the throes of toilet training J.D today and can I say I am not enjoying this season in parenting at all. He's done so well thus far but as I write this post we are only up to day two. He is getting the hang of knowing when to go to the toilet and has been taking his own initiative to sit on the potty when he needs to go wee wee. The other number {2} in the toilet scale is another story and a rug in our house has been christened with a brown number. Ergh!!!!! TMI?? These cookies along with dare I say a few smarties have been a great incentive to keep him focused on the task at hand. Maybe just maybe mummy has also enjoyed a few of these cookies with a glass of milk (yeah I'm still a kid at heart) when all the kidlets are sleeping while watching Martha Stewart talk about matching napkins to dinner plates. Who even does that anyway??

Any tips on the toilet training front??

Loaded Choc Chip & Cranberry Cookie

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 12-15 min

Makes: Approx 20 Cookies

Ingredients:

150g banana, mashed
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/3 cup pepita
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dairy free dark choc chips
1/4 cup flaxseeds
2 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Instructions:

Preheat an oven to 170 degrees (fan bake). Line a large cookie tray with baking paper and set aside.
In a large bowl add the mashed banana, along with the coconut, seeds, cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and melted coconut oil.
Mix all the ingredients together until a soft dough is formed.
Spoon tablespoons full of mixture onto the baking tray and pressing it out with the palm of your hand to form a round cookie.
Repeat with the remaining mixture until all of it is used.
Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.
Enjoy with a cuppa or a tall glass of milk.

Cooks Notes

Sub the gluten free plain flour with normal wholemeal plain flour or spelt flour.
Play around with the different seed mixes or add nuts if you are allowed to do so for your school lunchbox.
If you are making these to eat at home change the coconut oil with peanut butter. Makes a tasty substitute if you have no nut allergies.
Sub the maple syrup with honey, rice malt or golden syrup.