And just like that, Easter was done.
If you’re anything like me, then you are pretty much sick to death of chocolate right now. It won’t last past Sunday, but for now I’m ready to get my sugar hit from much less chocolatey treats. And that’s exactly why these Super Berry Granola Cookies are the perfect post-Easter snack.
Because, although they definitely aren’t good for you, a change is as good as a rest (as my Mum would say).
I spent the Easter weekend having a bit of time to myself, catching up with old friends, and playing A LOT of The Sims 4. I’m currently on a one-woman mission to remake the entirety of the city of Bath in the game, so I can move my little Sim-self into one of the cute Georgian houses and pretend I’m rich and fancy enough to be able to afford one. That’s a weekend well spent if you ask me.
What did you guys all get up to? It seems like a lot of you were spending the weekend in the kitchen – Saturday was the busiest day this blog has ever seen, with loads of you checking out my various Easter bakes (my Malteser Cheesecake seemed to be a firm favourite too).
I also spent the weekend budgeting for all the renovations we want to make to the house we are in the process of buying (fingers crossed) and deciding that yes, I definitely do want one of those ‘slide and hide’ ovens that they have in the Great British Bake Off tent! And I’m finally within touching distance of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer I have coveted for all those many years…
Right, enough with the catch up. This is a baking blog, not a coffee morning.
One Bowl Wonder
Super Berry Granola Cookies are the sort of cookies that come together in one bowl (my favourite kind of recipe – minimise the washing up at all costs!) and doesn’t involve any skills or baking talent what-so-ever. You’re going to beat butter and sugar together, add some eggs, and then some flour, dried fruit, almonds, and oats. Don’t mix it too much, and bake it for no longer than 15 minutes. Anyone can do it.
The cookies get their granola taste from a couple of sneaky little additions. There’s a generous helping of honey in there, which you add in with the sugar. It helps to sweeten up the cookies without a tonne of sugar (who am I kidding, there’s still more than enough sugar in this recipe) and also gives the cookies that slight honey-almond taste that is typical of granola. A bit of almond extract doesn’t hurt either.
You can add whatever dried fruit you like, depending on how you like your granola. I picked up some little packets of Urban Fruit that you can find in UK supermarkets, in various different types. The cookies you see before you are strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry, but you could use dried cherries or pineapple, or even add some coconut chips or chocolate chips if you like. The possibilities are (almost) endless.
You want to use dried fruit, but not the freeze-fried stuff that you get in actual granola. You want the fruit to be chewy, not crunchy.
The absolute guaranteed way to get amazing Super Berry Granola Cookies every time is to make sure not to over-bake them. If you’re an inexperienced cookie-maker, then you are definitely going to think they aren’t ready after 12 minutes, but they most probably are. If the edges of the cookies are firm slightly golden brown, then whip them out of the oven. This is because:
a) They will cook a little bit more whilst cooling on the cookie sheet
and
b) They will harden up whilst they cool down.
Over-baked cookies will be dry and horrible. Do not make the same mistake that most bakers do, I beg of you. If you’re skeptical, then give it a whirl with a couple of balls of cookie dough, leaving the rest of the dough to chill in the fridge. It will be life changing.
Right, I’ll leave you with the recipe, and my promise to come back next week with a list-post that will please the lazy baker in you. If you don’t have a dishwasher then this is the place to be.
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200g (1 cup) light brown sugar
- 60ml (¼ cup) honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 240g (2 cups) plain or all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (US baking soda)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 300g (3⅓ cups) jumbo rolled oats
- 300g (2⅔ cups) dried chopped berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries)
- 40g (⅓ cup) sliced or flaked almonds
- Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and honey, and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat again.
- Add the flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl, and gently fold together until almost combined. I use the lowest setting on my stand mixer for this. Scrape down the edges of the bowl, and then add the rolled oats, dried chopped berries, and almonds. Give the mixture another gentle fold together until everything is combined. Place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan) and line two large cookie sheets with greaseproof paper or silicon baking mats. Roll the chilled cookie dough into balls (about the size of golf balls) and place them on the sheets with plenty of room between each of them. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges. The middle of the cookies should still be soft - they will harden up once they cool down. Leave to cool on the cookie sheets until firm enough to move onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- The cookies will stay fresh for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container, somewhere cool (not the fridge). The cookies can also be frozen for up to three months, just defrost at room temperature overnight. The unbaked cookie dough can also be frozen for up to three months. You can either cook them from frozen for a couple of extra minutes, or defrost at room temperature and bake as above.
So very chewy, they almost feel a bit healthy although they’re too delicious to actually be healthy!