Donna Hay’s oat and coconut chocolate cookie sandwiches

The bestselling Australian cookbook author Donna Hay is the guest chef in the Food Month at the Irish Times kitchen this week. Hay, whose whose books have sold more than seven million copies worldwide, will be sharing a recipe from her latest book, Everyday Fresh Meals in Minutes, every day this week. 

Oat and coconut chocolate cookie sandwiches

These biscuits remind me of a favourite from my childhood … only way better. Caramelly, crispy oat cookies sandwiched with a smooth chocolate filling. It’s hard to stop at just one.

Makes 14 cookie sandwiches
Ingredients
½ cup (45g/1½ oz) rolled oats
½ cup (40g/1½ oz) desiccated coconut
¾ cup (185g/6½ oz) almond butter
¼ cup (30g/1 oz) almond meal (ground almonds)
½ cup (75g/2¾ oz) coconut sugar
¼ cup (60ml/2 fl oz) pure maple syrup1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate ganache filling:
100g (3½ oz) dark (70% cocoa) chocolate, chopped
¼ cup (60g/2 oz) almond butter

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Method

1 Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).

2 Combine oats, coconut, almond butter, almond meal, coconut sugar, maple and vanilla in a bowl and mix well to combine. Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls and place, about 3cm (1 inch) apart, on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Flatten slightly.

3 Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on tray.

4 While biscuits are cooking, make the chocolate ganache filling. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, stir through the almond butter. Chill for 10 minutes or until it becomes a spreadable consistency.

5 Sandwich the cooled biscuits together with the ganache and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe extracted from Donna Hay everyday fresh meals in minutes. Photography: Con Poulos. Recipes and styling: Donna Hay