I created this recipe because I wanted to be frugal and not throw away the coconut shreds left over after making coconut milk. This has become the go-to “cookies and cream” in our family and is a lovely filler for those hungry mouths!
It can be packed and eaten dry (e.g. when on the road), or eaten as a “cereal/muesli” in the morning (or afternoon) with frozen berries, nuts, milk, coconut- or nut milk. We’ve also eaten it as a rusk, dipped in tea.
I make it in big batches, because it is so versatile to have in the pantry. Consisting only of dried vegetables, coconut and spices, it is a wonderful way to get your kids (and yourself) to eat more veggies! It gives the comfort of eating a cookie without making your blood sugar go haywire.
We’ve tested it on different children and their parents with positive results. This has been a special blessing to vegans out there wanting to eat less grains.
Crunchy Vegetable Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups coconut shreds
- 1,5 kg peeled carrots, or 1kg peeled carrots & 500g zucchini
- 4 kg sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean (peeled butternut can also be used)
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoons ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon clove powder
- 1 cup coconut oil
Optional add-ins:
- 8 cored apples
- 2 cups raisins or chopped dates
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- ½ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Process the carrots and sweet potatoes (or zucchini, butternut and apples) in a food processor until very fine. This recipe makes quite a big batch and you will have to do it in sections, i.e. don’t try to chop all the vegetables at once. With the last batch processed, I add the spices and coconut oil AT THE END (otherwise it does not chop finely enough). If you are including the optional ingredients, also add these at the end and process lightly to make sure it mixes in properly.
- Put the mixture in a large container (I use my 11 litre broth pot) and add the shredded coconut and mix well. It is often easier with big batches like this to mix everything together with your hands instead of a spoon.
- Put the mixture in glass or ceramic oven dishes and flatten lightly. It must not be thicker than 1.5cm or thinner than 1cm.
- Cut it into blocks or strips (for rusks) BEFORE you bake it. This ensures a neater square.
- Bake at 150C for 2 hours or until slightly golden on top.
- After the cookies have cooled down, use an egg lifter to remove it from the dish. It will look soggy, which is fine. Turn it over on your dehydrator sheets with the top, hard-baked side of the cookie facing down (this prevents it from sticking to your sheets). Dry at 65C for about 24 hours until crunchy. It can also be dried in the oven on 80C by putting your oven on the fan setting and leaving a knife or fork in the oven door to ensure that the moisture escapes.
- Store in an airtight container.