TROPICAL FRUIT COOKIES

The -nth cookie recipe sharing really does prove that I could sit all day munching and chewing and scrunching cookies. And sipping tea. This actually should be a paid occupation. Or an Olympic sport. Imagine.

So another weekend, another cookie for all you cookie monsters out there. Packed full with fruit this time, so you can have your five-a-day and feel slightly less guilty about scoffing down this whole delicious lot.

TROPICAL FRUIT COOKIES

360g (3 cups) plain flour

40g (2/3 cup) desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

50g (1/4 cup) dried banana slices

50g (1/4 cup) dried pineapple

50g (1/4 cup) dried mango

50g (1/4 cup) dried papaya

150g (10 tablespoons) margarine

75g (5 tablespoons) vegetable fat

150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

170g (scant 1 cup) soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons egg-replacement powder

3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F and prepare two cookie trays. In a large bowl, mix together flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and dried fruit and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together margarine, vegetable fat, the sugars and vanilla extract. In a third small bowl, whisk together the egg-replacement powder and water until light and frothy. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, then add the margarine mixture and combine with your hands or a spoon. With the dough form balls of about 50g each (roughly the size of a golf ball) and place on the cookie trays, leaving some space between them as they will spread in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes or until the tops are cracked. They should still be soft when you take them out of the oven. As soon as you take them out, whack the cookie tray on the counter top to flatten them out. Leave the cookies on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.