Cookies from South Africa

The cookie may be small, but the tastes of South Africa are big.

Made with natural and preservative-free indigenous ingredients like rooibos extract, grapeseed powder and locally grown dates from western South Africa, the Khaya Cookie Company recently added two new flavors that complement its shortbread and granola bar collection. Grapeseed Shortbreads are tender, buttery squares made from the grapeseeds from a local South African winery. Tangy currants give these bite-sized treats a potent dose of vitamin C while South African rooibos extract creates depth of flavor.

Orange and Chocolate Krunchi, are hand-cut signature granola cubes of rolled oats, sunflower and flax seeds studded with dark Belgian chocolate and hand-grated orange zest. They have a total of 13.3 grams of heart healthy Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids per box. Shortbreads and Krunchis are $5.75 a box and can be purchased online at www.khayacookies.com or at specialty retailers such as Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, Zabars in New York City and Food Emporium stores.

Not only are these cookies good for you, but you are doing something good each time you buy a box. The company's founder, former investment-banker-turned-social-entrepreneur Alicia Danielle Polak, is committed to supporting and creating sustainable opportunities through job creation and skills training for the men and woman of South Africa. For every 1,500 boxes of Shortbreads or Krunchis sold, a job is created in an area in South Africa where more than 70 percent of all women who are heads of household are unemployed.

Khaya's line-up of other cookies includes: Cranberry Roobios, Orange Rooibos and Green Rooibos Tea Shortbreads and Granola Fruit and Orange, Chocolate & Cinnamon Krunchis.-Nicole Potenza Denis

Nicole Denis is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s foodie-mom blog.