I promise this isn’t a wind up. These are proper, baked, chewy, yummy cookies without oil or sugar, simply flour, pecans, dried apricots, almond milk and chocolate chips. Sound too good to be true? You’ll just have to try them to find out I guess.

I’m that girl who can’t eat just one cookie, or just one anything for that matter. This way I can bake up a batch of cookies and have multiple still without the empty calories and fat and sugar and guilt of a single standard cookie.

I like that these aren’t majorly sweet, they have the perfect balance of being decadent enough with rich pecans and comforting chocolate to be a dessert or treat, yet they aren’t so overboard that you can’t grab a couple as an on the run breakfast when you forgot to put your overnight oats in the fridge. In fact, these are a darn sight better than most of those ‘breakfast’ bars and other on the go options out there so go ahead and have cookies for breakfast!

If you want them sweeter, there is the option of adding extra sweetness. They are best served still warm and on the day of baking, however they make amazing cookie sandwiches the next day!

 Ingredients: Makes 12 cookies

• 170g/ 1 heaped and packed cup of flour (whole wheat, spelt, white, gluten free)
• 60g/ 1/2 cup toasted pecans
• 85g/ 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 6 tbsp almond milk (or other non dairy milk)
• 60g/ heaped 1/4 cup dark vegan chocolate chips
• Pinch of sea salt (optional)
• Sweetener of choice such as 1 tbsp maple or agave syrup, 1 tsp Nunaturals simple syrup, 24 drops of plain or vanilla stevia liquid (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f and line a baking sheet.
2. Process the flour, pecans, apricots and salt if using in a food processor until crumbly. Gradually add the milk and sweetener if using until a moist but not sticky ball of dough is formed.
3. Transfer to a bowl and work in the chocolate chips by hand.
4. Divide the dough into 12 and roll each onto a ball and place spaced apart on the baking sheet. Flatten the cookies with your palm, they won’t spread much while baking.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and firm to touch. Cool on a wire rack.