A couple of years ago, I created a training cookie for our old friend Marty, who had decided in his mid 40s to start competing in triathlons.
This new recipe was inspired by Dan Lepard’s blueberry and chocolate chip cookie, and is packed full of goodies, including dried fruit, chocolate, spelt and hazelnuts. It makes a hearty breakfast or lunch box cookie, and because of all the other ingredients, there ends up being only four grams of butter and just under six grams of brown sugar in each cookie.
Marty has some very specific requirements for his cookies. They have to be chewy rather than crunchy, otherwise they shatter when he eats them on the run. They must contain a mix of low and high GI ingredients, including chocolate. Finally, they have to taste good, and be easy to pack into the little box on the handlebars of his bike. He’s pretty happy with these!
Marty’s Triathlon Cookies II
(makes approximately 30 cookies)
- 125g unsalted butter
- 175g dark brown sugar
- 1 large (59g) egg
- 200g wholemeal spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), sifted
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 75g rolled spelt
- 100g chocolate chips (see note)
- 75g dried blueberries
- 75g dried cranberries
- 50g finely chopped candied peel
- 50g blanched roasted hazelnuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes:
- Any combination of fruit and nuts can be substituted for the ones listed above.
- Dan Lepard’s original recipe used rolled oats and wholemeal wheat flour, so either could be substituted if you can’t find spelt.
- If I’m baking these cookies for our own consumption, I use 70% dark chocolate, but if I’m baking them for Marty, I use Callebaut baking sticks (44% cacao), broken up into pieces. The latter keep their shape when baked, and are much less likely to melt in the heat of competition.
1. Preheat oven to 170C or 150C with fan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Add the rolled spelt, chocolate, hazelnuts and dried fruit, and stir to combine.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until combined, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Roll the dough into 4cm balls, and place them on a parchment lined baking tray. Flatten each cookie slightly and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. I find that 20 minutes gives a harder, chewier cookie which is how Marty prefers them.
4. Allow to cool on a wire rack. These cookies will keep for quite a while in an airtight container, or they can be sealed in thick plastic bags and frozen until needed.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
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