If you’re anything like me then you have an overstocked baking cabinet full of half used or nearly empty packets just waiting for an influx of moths that you just can’t bare to waste. When I was getting ready to move last week I pulled out all sorts of ingredients, which I couldn’t bring myself to toss away and yet also didn’t want to haul to my new home in Brooklyn. These cookies could have been a complete disaster- lets face it the very title itself suggests that they are a real hash of things thrown together. Which they are. But somehow, by chance, perhaps, they came out to be really good and proved to be a superb source of energy as I barked out orders to my boyfriend about what to carry next and how to pack it in the van.
I’m not going to begin to suggest that you should go out and buy all of these ingredients to make these cookies, nor that you might have all of them in your cupboards already- but the great thing about these is that they’re flexible. So, you only have walnuts in your cupboards- no almonds, coconut, hazelnuts or peanuts- just make up the weight with the walnuts. You can also exchange the dried fruits, drop the seeds altogether and if you don’t have whole wheat flour then just use plain. This recipe is yours for the taking. I personally like them because they are packed full- every nibble has a nut, so to speak. And even if the ingredients’ list does read much like my list for Santa this year, the directions are very short (again, much like my directions for Santa: “buy these gifts for me”).
Emptying the cupboard cookies- or Trail Mix cookies
Makes 35-40
225g/1 cup butter, softened
140g/ 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
130g/ 1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
220g/2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup/ 55g whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
140g/ 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
75g/heaped 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
75g 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
30g/2 tbsp flaxseeds
100g/ 1 cup flaked almonds
100g/ scant 3/4 cup peanuts
200g/ 1/2 cup raisins
75g/ heaped 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
50g/1/2 cup dessicated coconut
100g/ scant 1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
100g chocolate, melted for dipping (after cooking), optional
1/ Heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4. In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. In another even bigger bowl beat the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Beat in the eggs gradually until fully combined, then beat in the peanut butter.
2/ Fold through the the dry ingredients until fully combined. Form into ping pong sized balls and place about 2.5 cm/1 inch apart on non-stick cookie sheets. Press down lightly and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (or until lightly golden). Let cool, then dip half in the melted chocoloate, if using.
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you are very talented my dear. i would never be able to conjure up cookies with the contents of my kitchen cabinet and no actual recipe. i’m very impressed. now do you have any leftovers?!!?
hahaha i guess it’s after years of my mother saying ‘waste not want not’!
Please tell Don to save us some!
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