Coconut, Cranberry and Orange Cookies
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Serves: 30 to 32 cookies
 

... and serving

Ingredients
  • 350g desiccated coconut
  • 100g dried cranberries
  • 50g honey or maple syrup
  • 80g raw caster sugar
  • zest of one large orange
  • 2 x 60g whole eggs or 4 egg whites (140g), room temperature
  • 20g coconut flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
  1. Line two baking trays with baking paper (use a little oil under paper to keep it in place)
  2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced
  3. Place coconut and cranberries into TM bowl and mill 10 seconds / speed 7
  4. Add honey or maple syrup, sugar, zest, whole eggs or egg whites, coconut flour and salt and mix 10 seconds / speed 5
  5. Scrape around bowl and repeat 10 seconds / speed 5
  6. Press the mix between your fingers and it should stick together … if not remix for a further 5 seconds / speed 5
  7. Remove mix to a separate bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes so that the ingredients have a chance to bind together before shaping
  8. Have a glass of water ready to dip your tablespoon in to, then put the tablespoon directly into the coconut mix and press it against the side of the container to get the right amount before removing the mix from the spoon and rolling into a ball
  9. Place ball onto baking tray and continue until all the mix is done … you should get approximately 16 balls per tray
  10. Dip two fingers into the water, then press down onto each ball to flatten the cookies a little … use your fingers to tidy up around the edges if necessary (there may be some slight cracks appear but if they are little don’t worry too much as they will be covered by the icing sugar) ... or alternatively dip a fork into the water, and then press down on the cookies with the fork to create lines on top if you prefer
  11. Place one tray into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, turn tray around and bake for a further 5 to 6 minutes or until nicely golden brown (be careful as they can brown easily)
  12. Repeat with the second tray
  13. Allow cookies to rest for 5 minutes on the tray before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely
  14. Place the icing sugar into a small bowl and put each cookie into it, rub the icing sugar into the cookie and any splits so that it is totally covered … dust off excess as you go
  15. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (may need to reapply icing sugar after a couple of days)
Notes
To get even cookies I used my 20ml tablespoon measure to portion the cookies to roll into a ball before pressing down on them with my fingers to make a flattened shape. They will crack a little with all the coconut in them but it is easy enough to push the mix back together with your fingers before baking. And any little cracks will be ultimately covered up beautifully when you rub icing sugar into the exterior of the cookie which will make them look just perfect. You can also use a large fork to create lines in the top of the cookies if you prefer ... just roll the cookies into a ball, dip your fork into some water then press down on the cookie.

As there is a lot of coconut in the cookies you will find the icing sugar will "melt" into the cookie within a couple of days, so if you have any left then you can simply dust a little more icing sugar around them before serving to guests (I would only do this if I was serving them to others as I don't mind this at all).

RECIPE UPDATE 23/11/16:

A lovely follower has asked me if it is possible to use whole eggs instead of just egg whites in this recipe ... I couldn't see any reason why it would not work and suggested what she might do. However, I have just tried that alternation myself and the cookies are prefect ... I also took the opportunity to use maple syrup instead of honey (as I know some people are not able to eat honey) and it is perfect too ... and to be honest I like this alteration myself ... the cookies are a touch chewier with these amendments, but that's a good thing ... isn't it?
Recipe by The Passionate Pantry at https://www.thepassionatepantry.com.au/coconut-cranberry-orange-cookies/