Nutty Oat Biscuits

Makes 12   Preparation time: 10 minutes   Cooking Time 10-20 mins

Most biscuits you can buy from the supermarket are made with highly refined high-GI flour and lots of saturated fat. These, however, keep the fat content and the GI low by using a small amount of oil and a combination of whole meal flour and oatmeal.

Ingredients

75g stone ground whole meal flour
150g medium oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
50g light muscavado sugar
50g dried soft apricots, chopped
35g chopped walnuts
1 large egg, lightly beaten
(add sprinkling of mixed seeds)

A baking sheet, lightly greased

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Kcal:  118, Fat: 3g (0.4g saturated), Protein: 3g  Carbohydrates: 23g

Method

Put the flour, oatmeal, vanilla extract, oil, sugar, raisins and beaten egg in a large bowl and mix well.

Put 1 large tablespoon of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten to 7.5 cm round with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, spreading the biscuits well apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC (350ºF) Gas 4 for the 10 minutes, or until the biscuits are firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes or until firm enough to transfer wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week

Variation: replace the vanilla extract with the finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange on the tops of the biscuits with a few toasted chopped hazelnuts before baking.