Spelt flour and pecan nuts little delights

I woke up early this morning because my son really fancied these spelt flour and pecan nuts for breakfast.

This is what I call fussiness. It’s half term so hey, we have some time to enjoy and have some fun in the kitchen.

I like this type of fussiness truthfully- fusiness taken to that lovely level, 😊 the level of getting mummy up slightly early to prepare something her lovely boy fancies. Luckily enough, my daughter agreed too. They love these and said to me they could eat them any time, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yes, I’m very sure of that too in fact is one of those statements that I would never dare to contest…. I’m so sure they mean it every time. 😄

Ever since I started to cook or bake I always loved getting this “I really fancy” from my family because it always saved (then) and saves me (now)  the trouble of brainstorming of what I should cook or bake that day.

I really used to love it when my dad, my brother or mum ask me: “Can you please cook this?” Or “I really fancy that…. “ now it’s my hubby and my kids who help me and save my day.  Every one of us gets stuck with no ideas about what to prepare sometimes, right? Running out of ideas is pretty easy but not with my lot, thankfully ;-))

But, hey, I will get back to this. I was saying …

My son really wanted these pecan nuts cookies again, as I haven’t prepared them for quite a while now. I don’t know why: they are pretty healthy and I cannot express myself how good they taste. I supposeI do have a simple answer for this and that might be simply because I’m also preparing other delicious dishes and I try a lot of new food/combos, all new stuff almost every day.

It’s really funny, as my kids always fight over who has the last one, this is how awesome these cookies really are but I always hide a couple away so they get that little surprise of having one or two extra when they sadly thing there’re none left which makes them super happy….. it is my duty 😉

My grandma’ used to make this nuts cookie delight, with standard flour and toasted walnuts. Pure deliciousness!

She used to make it in a thin long loaf tin and I would have prepared it in a similar manner, for the authentic look and taste, but I have never seen a baking tin that looks quite like the one she used to have. She must have had that made by my very skilled grandfather, I am sure. Two great people that I miss terribly 😔

I have changed the recipe a bit obviously, to make it way a little healthier and even tastier. 😜 My grandma wouldn’t necessarily agree with this line and statement but I would have persuaded her in the end.

I’ve prepared these cookies with a bit more dough, so they turn out puffier, but you can certainly use less dough and less nut mixture if you wish and they’ll become bite size small little super cuties.

Here it is: this ‘to die for’ cookie recipe: 📢 📣

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Spelt flour and pecan nuts delights

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 180 g spelt flour (light)
• 1 egg (largest, aprox. 95 g)
• 90 g Muscovado sugar (light brown)
• 55 g butter (melted)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence (1 vanillated sugar sachet)
• 1/3 tsp soda bicarbonate
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• oil (coconut oil or butter) for greasing

For the nut mix (filling):

• 130 g pecan nuts (finely chopped)
• 90 g Muscavado sugar (light brown)
• 50 ml double cream
• 2 tsp cacao powder (sieved)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (optional) (coarse)

Instructions

1. I always start by taking out all my ingredients whatever I need so that will make it a lot easier and quicker. The kitchen scale should be out too.
2. Preheat the oven at 170 C (375 F).
3. Grease a (however many you have) 20-36 mini muffins cups and set aside. Use butter, coconut oil or an oil spray.
4. In a bowl, with the help of an electric hand mixer, whisk together the sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and the egg. Whisk them until become fluffy and pretty creamy.
5. In a tiny cup or a larger spoon, mix the soda bicarbonate and the baking soda with the lemon juice or the vinegar. Add to the egg mixture.
6. Mix/fold in the sieved flour with the help of a spatula or continuing to use the hand electric mixer but at a a low speed. Only mix until nicely homogenised.
7. With the help of a teaspoon take little amounts of the dough place on your palm and form small little dough-balls. Place each ball into the prepared/greased mini muffin cups.
8. Press doll down into each muffin cup with your thumb creating little nest-like little hole. Once this is all done set aside and let's get the filling sorted.
9. Chop the nuts (I use a food processor as it takes seconds and it does a perfect job).
10. Place the chopped nuts in a bowl. Add the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Mix well and then pour in the double cream, vanilla and right at the end sprinkle the coarse salt in. Mix all well until it is all nicely incorporated and comes nicely together.
11. Add a tiny amount 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of nuts mixture on each dent created in each cookie.
12. Place in the oven and bake them at 190 C 375 F Gas Mark 5 for 15 min or until they become nice and brown ( check the dough that is golden in colour. If your oven isn't a fan assisted one you might need to bake for slightly longer 5min I would think should be the right time but your eye and experience will tell you exactly when they're ready. 😉
13. When they are looking gorgeous, take them out of the oven and allow them to set for 5-10 min. It's the hardest bit in this recipe (to stay away for 5-10 min) but hey, needs to be done! 😵
14. When they are nice and slightly cool, tuck in! Well, hold on, hold on just take them out on a plate and make sure no one is around for the first few minutes so you can enjoy the first 10 😂😂 and then.....only then, you can shout out loud to the rest of your munching team.
15. Well, .....truthfully? I never get to do the shouting at all in fact I never get to be alone for that few minutes after taking them out on plates because even before they’re ready, my truppa is buzzing around the kitchen asking repeatedly “when are they ready?” so they give me no space and no chance whatsoever of having the first 10. Ever! ;-)) This is life! Enjoy, jump up and down with joy! That's what we do when these cookies land on the table

Recipe Notes

This ingredient quantity makes anything between 25 to 30 cookies, depending on how chunky you make them. 😊

Choice of eggs: you will need the largest possible egg, but if you don't have large eggs, use two really small eggs. They need to be really small in size. A bit extreme I know but see what you can do 😂

If you want to make them all brown simply add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder in the dough as well.

The cooking time is different slightly again depending on how chunky you decide to make them. The more you will make them the bigger expert you will become 😉