While we specialise in timber floors – we also enjoy good food!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a twist…

Ingredients

• 125 g coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoon coconut condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• ¼ t salt
• 185 g gluten-free flour 1 ½ cups
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.
2. Ensure the coconut oil is not too hard, the consistency should be like soft butter.
3. In a medium bowl place the softened coconut oil, sugar, coconut condensed milk, vanilla and salt.
4. Cream until well blended and smooth, I use my cake mixer, but an electric beater or a wooden spoon and some elbow grease will work just fine.
5. Add the flour and baking powder. Mix at a low speed.
6. Add the chocolate, and mix.
7. Take heaped tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls.
8. Take a fork and gently press each ball.
9. Cook  for 12 minutes on 160 degrees

Notes – I half the sugar content, as it’s quite sweet with the cococut condensed milk.  However if you half the sugar content, the cookie will have less crunch.

You can make these cookies gluten free with gluten free flour, if the cookies seem too dry with gluten free flour you can add a small amount of plant based milk.

I purchase the coconut condensed milk from Countdown, it’s usually available from Moore Wilsons, Binn Inn etc.

The twist is they are vegan! They have the same creamy consistency you would get from butter and the cookies don’t taste like they have coconut in them – for the coconut haters out there.

Wild vension burger with Harissa Sauce

150 gms roasted red capsicum

30 gms fresh red chillies

25 gms garlic cloves

30 gms coriander – leaves storks and roots

20 gms mint leaves

20 gms parsley leaves

1 Tbl tomato paste

4 Tbl brown sugar

50 mls lemon juice

25 mls lime juice

Salt and black pepper to taste

Put it all in a food processer.

Tips:

• A blender (that you might use for a smoothy) will give a different result – not as good – I like it when there are some small pieces as opposed to a puree
• Sometimes I roast my own capsicum, or when busy use the pre-roasted capsicum in a jar
• Use fresh ingredients – you can usually get nice coriander at Moore Wilsons and PnS Upper Hutt
• Double quantity takes about the same amount of time and it keeps in the fridge, actually it’s better after a day or two in the fridge when the flavours have fused
• Put in half the chillis and taste – some heat is a feature, but too much will ruin it