School Lunch Box Biscuits

I try to come up with snacks for my sons school lunch box that meet both his and my criteria. Ideally, the snacks are:

• Wholesome/healthy/nutritious (mine)
• Delicious (both)
• Able to be carried outside in one hand and dont require spoons, containers etc (his)
• Able to be made in batches and frozen (mine)

After experimenting with muffins with no success (putting too many healthy ingredients into them makes them dense and unappetising) I came up with this biscuit and its a real winner.

Its packed with healthy ingredients oats, wholewheat flour, dried fruits and seeds yet it is based on a traditional biscuit recipe so its as delicious as it is wholesome. The little bit of chocolate makes it very appealing, and importantly for schools, it is nut free.

My son has been taking this biscuit to school for his morning tea almost every day for a while now: hes happy hes got something yummy that he can easily walk around with and Im happy that hes getting some wholesome foods into him.

This batch makes about 8 decent, morning tea-size biscuits, but you could make them any size you like. I roll them into balls and freeze them individually, then pop one in the oven as I need.

A word on muscovado sugar: if you can get hold of this, it will improve your baking out of sight. It gives a mouthwatering, melting crumb. Look for it in good supermarkets, delis and grocery stores.

• 120 g butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup lightly packed light brown muscovado sugar, or light brown sugar if you cant find muscovado sugar.
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of wholemeal flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup oats
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup each of dried cranberries and sour cherries (you can substitute with other small dried fruits if you wish, such as blueberries, currants or sultanas)
• 30 g dark chocolate chopped into small pieces (or use dark choc chips)

Preheat the oven to 180c

In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about a minute until it has turned pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Combine all the remaining ingredients in another bowl and mix. Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and combine to form the biscuit dough.

Line a baking tray with some baking paper, roll out into balls of whatever size you choose and place however many you need on the baking paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how big they are, until golden and brown on top. Let them sit for a minute or two, then carefully slide biscuits onto a wire rack and allow to cool. They will fall apart if you try to pick them up too soon.

Wrap the remainder, uncooked, in cling wrap and freeze. When you need to use the frozen biscuit dough, you can put them straight from the freezer onto the baking tray and in the oven, but you will need a few extra minutes cooking time.

About these ads

---

Child poverty scandal: Pupils come to school with just a biscuit ... Children are turning up for school with just a BISCUIT for lunch, headteachers have told the M.E.N. The revelation came as teachers spoke of the lengths they were ... BACK TO SCHOOL Lunch box essentials for the pantry The ... We are back into our routine with making lunches, today I thought I would share with Foul, Nasty School Lunch! A closer look at what school children are eating! ... 4/13/10. Todays breakfast menu: Breakfast pizza, fresh fruit cup, and milk. myschoollunchbox Its no secret that I love food, good food, as unprocessed as possible, as fresh as possible and as organic as can be. In my small urban garden I have as many fruit ... BACK TO SCHOOL Freezable lunch box treats The Organised Housewife Wow, a DAILY TASK on facebook last week caused a wave of discussion.... this was Lunch Box Tips For Nutrition And School Performance Tips for parents to pack a nutritious and healthy lunch box that kids - and their teachers - will love. School Lunch Ideas - Thermos Hot Food Lunch Thermos hot food lunch ideas for kids' school lunches. You simply can't beat a hot thermos lunch packed with love! Mommy's Kitchen: Back To School Lunch Box Ideas from Walmart Are you ready for your kiddos to start back to school yet? I for one am ready and I think secretly the kids are ready to get back to school themselves. Back to School Special: Bento Box (or Lunch Box) Recipes ... Join the conversation in Back to School Special: Bento Box (or Lunch Box) Recipes! - p1. Food.com - Talk with your mouth full Best Lunch Box Recipes - Allrecipes.com Top 20 Lunch Box Recipes from Allrecipes.com as rated and reviewed by millions of home cooks ... Terrific Turkey Chili, Fruity Fun Skewers, Lunch Box Hot Hot Dogs ...