Healthy Crunchy Sesame Pumpkin Seed Cookies

I'm always looking around for a healthy bar or cookie to eat for breakfast. These fit the bill. It's a cross between a Granola bar and a seeded cookie. I can also control the amount and type of sugar that I use. These are dry, crisp cookies that are double baked, and dried out in the oven so that they keep indefinitely. They never usually last that long however. Using the amount of sugar in the recipe results in cookies that are not that sweet but the amount and type of sugar can be increased if sweeter cookies are desired. Other types of sugar such as raw Turbinado, Piloncillo, or Palm sugar could also be substituted for the brown sugar in the recipe. These will bring a different dimension of taste to the cookie. If Piloncillo is used, omit the molasses and use maple syrup instead.

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour+3/4 cup durum atta flour

3/4 cup sugar (I use a mixture of 1/2 dark brown and 1/2 granulated white sugar)

1 cup flax meal

2 heaping tbsp salted and toasted pumpkin seed kernels, finely chopped almost to a meal like consistency (if using unsalted seeds, add 1/2 tsp salt to mixture)

2 heaping tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp desiccated, unsweetened coconut

2 cups oatmeal

2 1/2 oz butter

2 1/2 oz coconut oil

2 tbsp molasses (Honey, Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup could also be used)

1 1/4 tsp baking soda (for a less crumbly, firmer texture use 1/2 tsp baking soda)

8 tbsp boiling water
Method

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place flours, sugars, pumpkin and sesame seeds, oatmeal, and flax meal in a bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center.
2. Place butter, coconut oil, and molasses in a saucepan to melt, or microwave in a bowl to melt. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water. Add melted ingredients and dissolved baking soda to dry ingredients and mix to combine.
3. For shaping, I use a wooden mold that is made specifically for a Lebanese pastry called Ma'amool, and fill the mold completely with the dough, pressing it tightly then inverting it on to the baking sheet.

I would imagine, as I stated in a previous recipe, a similar shape might also be obtained if the mixture is packed tightly into an oiled foil cupcake liner then inverted onto prepared baking trays (I use parchment paper), allowing space for biscuits to spread while cooking. The dough can be a bit crumbly and that makes it difficult to handle.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to cool for 15-20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the cookies for another 45-50 minutes until they are golden brown in color. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. The cookies will become harder as they cool. Store in an airtight container.