Recipe of the week: Rye and banana cookies

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Bored of banana bread? Try these rye flour cookies instead.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says these cakey cookies, made with dark rye flour, are a “brilliant way to use over-ripe bananas, as well as any end-of-the-packet bits and bobs from my nut, seed and dried fruit stash”.

Ingredients:

(Makes 15 or 24 ‘bite-sized’ cookies)

125g dark rye flour

150g porridge oats

½tsp baking powder

1tsp ground mixed spice

75g brown sugar

2tsp ground flaxseed

120g raisins or chopped dried apricots

100g roughly chopped nuts or mixed seeds

2 ripe medium bananas, mashed

100g extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil (melted)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

2. Put the flour, oats, baking powder, spice, sugar and ground flaxseed into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the dried fruit and nuts or seeds and mix well again, separating any of the fruit if it’s sticking together. Add the mashed bananas and the oil and mix again, really well.

3. Put tablespoonfuls of the mixture (dessert spoonfuls for bite-sized cookies) onto the prepared baking sheets, shaping them roughly into thick, round cookies. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and starting to brown on the bases.

4. Leave to cool a little and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin for up to five days, or for a few months in the freezer.

Eat Better Forever by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, photography by Simon Wheeler, is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Available now (bloomsbury.com)

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