Coconut Passionfruit Surprise

Preparation

1. Collect the pulp and juice from 10 fresh ripened passion fruits into a glass bowl. Sieve the pulp into a second bowl to the remove the pips – you will be left with a wonderful fresh juicy passion fruit concentrate.
2. Mix the above passion fruit concentrated with the desicated coconut – the ginger and the icing sugar into creamy paste. Taste the mixture at this point as you may want to add more ginger if you require a stronger flavour.
3. Add the flaked almonds and the Demerara sugar and the butter cut into small cubes and mix well. Place this mixture onto a baking tray – and bake for around 15 mins. After 15 mins stir this mixture with a metal spoon and replace in the oven for a further 10 mins. Take care not to burn the mixture at this point.
4. Remove the crispy ( but not burned mixture from the oven) and place back to the mixing bowl and then add wheat bran, sunflower seeds, cherries, chocolate chips and the mascapone cheese – stir the mixture well.
5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and then using a circular cookie cutter or cooking ring – place the cooking ring onto the baking paper and then spoon about a heaped table spoon of the mixture into the cooking ring and press down lightly until the circular area is covered. Gently remove the cooking ring and ensure the circular cookie shape remains – repeat this step until you fill your tray with cookies.
6. Bake the cookies for 12 – 15 mins.
7. Remove from the tray when completely cool – not before because they are brittle and will break. Speed up the cooling process by placing the tray into the freezer.
8. Melt 100g of your chocolate in a glass bowl either placed over a pan of boiling water – or microwave. Place a sheet of baking paper onto a baking tray and spread the melted chocolate thinly to cover the sheet of baking paper.
9. Place each of the cooled cookies (flat side down) into the tray of chocolate – then place this tray of cookies into the freezer until the chocolate sets.
10. Using baking scissors – cut around the cookies and peel the baking paper off the backs of the cookies – place the cookies onto a plate (chocolate side up).
11. Collect the remaining chocolate into a bowl and then take the remaining 100g and melt.
12. Coat a second layer of chocolate onto the backs of the cookies – this time making a decorative swirl with either the knife – or with the back of a fork.
13. Place the cookies in the freezer until chocolate is set.
14. Serve the cookies with coffee – or tea – They are also perfect after desert too. They can also be bagged up and tied with ribbon individually and used as Christmas stocking fillers!