Gluten-free and Sugar-Free Berry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

It's easy to make a tasty cookie, it's not as easy to make a tasty cookie that is gluten-free, sugar-free (excluding fresh fruit), no unprocessed nuts/seeds, peanut-free, dairy-free, chocolate free, and full of flavor, but not too sweet (read: barely sweet). I was pretty proud to have come up with these cookies. I wasn't entirely sure how they would turn out, but even as a lover of sweets I enjoyed them.  They are basically a guilt-free cookie that you want to eat.They are dense - more like a bar and there is zero sweetener other than the strawberries and blueberries (which do add a nice amount of sweetness). I like to think of it as handheld oatmeal.

Berry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
How I Did It:

1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
2 eggs
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup wild blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Place almonds in a food processor and grind into a flour. Keeping the almond flour in the processor, add in 1/4 cup of the rolled oats and process that into a flour as well.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour/almond mixture with the rest of the rolled oats, unsweeetened shredded coconut, salt, cinnamon, and all spice.

4. In a seperate bowl, mix together the eggs, coconut oil, vanilla until well combined.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry along with the blueberries and strawberries. Make sure the the fruit is well distributed.

6. Form dough into balls and place onto cookie sheet and flatten. They will not expand or rise/flatten so shape them as you wish to serve them.

7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the center looks dry.

Gluten-Free Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

In making gluten-free treats for other people, nothing is more obvious than some version of an oatmeal cookie. Of course, traditionally oatmeal cookies have flour in them, but it's easy enough to use oat flour instead. I got this recipe from the Vanilla Sugar Blog which always has creative and fun food creations. They didn't turn out crunchy for me at all...more crumbly. I took them out when the bottoms started to deeply brown, but I probably could have kept them baking for a bit longer to crisp up a bit more. They were very tasty though and the texture was fine, just not what I was looking for. It was somewhere between chewy and crunchy...not dry though. If I make them again I would try coconut oil instead of butter, flatten them a little more, and cook them longer.

Gluten-Free Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
How I Did It:

2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a food processor, grind 1 cup of the oats into a flour.

3. Mix together the oat flour, rolled oats, coconut, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

4. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluff and then beat in the egg and vanilla.

5. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients to the wet, until not quite combined. Finish mixing with a spoon until just combined.

6. Roll rounded tablespoon sized chunks of dough into balls and place on the parchment papered or Silmat covered cookie sheet. Flatten the the balls down with the back of a spoon or the palm of your hand.

7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges/bottoms start to deeply brown.

8. Let cook for a few minutes before removing to cooling racks to finish cooling.

Flourless, Butterless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate. A tried and true combination. I have made many peanut butter cookies and they have all been tasty, but I always seem to wish they were more chewy and gooey. This cookie achieves that by being primarily made out of peanut butter and sugar - I just added some oats for texture, but they probably weren't even needed. If you love the taste of brown sugar and peanut butter together then you will love these cookies. I used milk chocolate chips this time since I think they work better in this cookie, but any type of chocolate would work.

Flourless, Butterless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
How I Did It:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and beat until well combined.

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Place on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet (a couple inches apart as they will spread) and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, making sure not to over-bake.

5. Let cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling rack.

Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are so moist that they will crumble and fall apart if you're not careful, but once you take a bite, you'll realize it's worth it. So chewy and flavorful you won't even have to tell people there isn't any butter, white flour, or eggs! They made me remember that oatmeal cookies can be so good you don't even miss the chocolate.

Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
How I Did It:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp raisins

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a larger bowl, mix together the sugars, maple syrup, applesauce, oil, and vanilla until well combined.

3. Add in the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the oats and raisins, making sure they are evenly distributed.

4. Place in the refrigerator to rest for about 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350

5. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto a prepared (Silpat) cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the edges are set, but the center looks slightly undone.

6. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

I don't remember how I stumbled upon these, but I had them bookmarked to try for awhile now. They are very interesting. They weren't nearly as peanut-buttery as I was expecting. Even my Dad who doesn't like peanut butter liked them. They were very easy to make though. Even though it says no bake you do cook the ingredients on the stove-top. This is good news, trust me. It makes it pretty easy to combine ingredients when you have them all heated up! I didn't have enough quick oats, so I used mostly regular rolled oats (my sister and I smashed them up a bit). I don't think this hurt the cookies, but I'ms sure the texture would have been a bit different (better?) with all quick oats. If I make the again I would use all quick oats, less butter and sugar and more chocolate and peanut butter. Definitely more peanut butter.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
How I Did It:

Adapted from All Recipes

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 tbsp unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder (I used 50/50 - natural unsweetened/dutch process)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup quick oats
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Lay out a large silicon mat or a large sheet of parchment paper on your counter for later use.

2. In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and immediately stir in peanut butter, oats and vanilla.

4. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared mat/parchment paper. Let cool and harden before eating or transferring to a airtight container. Store at room temperature.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

In the last year or two I have realized that I am really into coconut. I've been putting coconut into everything that I can think of. Chocolate coconut banana "ice cream" (I'll post the recipe soon), coconut date bars, coconut muddy muddies, and of course coconut cookies. Coconut really makes cookies more flavorful and chewy, even if you don't want it to be the main flavor. Really, it's a win-win.

These cookies were really good, and while I won't claim they are healthy, you do get to use coconut oil instead of any sort of butter. Next time I would try to make them have even more coconut flavor. I mean, never too much coconut, right? Next up coconut pancakes... or maybe oatmeal?

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe slightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

How I Did It:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup coconut oil (measured solid), melted and cooled (but still liquid)
1 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup quick oats

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In the smaller of your two bowls, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla and beat until well combined and fluffy.

4. Beat in the dry ingredients in three parts until just combined.

5. With a large spoon, mix in the oats and coconut until evenly distributed.

6. Place tablespooned sized cookie dough balls onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet keeping about two inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned and just barely set.

7. Let cookies continue to set on the tray for a couple minutes and then continue to cool on cooling racks.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

I wanted to make a tasty treat for someone who loves carrot cake, but I didn't actually want to make cake. I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to make carrot cake sandwich cookies, but I was nervous to create my own. Martha Stewart recipes aren't something I normally seek out, but hers happened to be exactly what I had in mind. Since I didn't need 25 sandwich cookies, I cut the recipe in half, but you could easily double what I did to get more. My cookies were slightly large and thus I yielded less cookies. I love larger cookies b/c it gives room to have the edges become crisp with the middle still being soft and chewy. That is exactly how these turned out. Perfect! If you don't feel like making the frosting, there is really no need. The cookies are great on their own. I have to say though, the cream cheese frosting really pushes them over the top.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
How I Did It:

(makes 6-8 sandwich cookies)


For the cookies:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup, minus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oats
1 cup baking raisins (or pre-soaked raisins)
1 cup grated carrots

For the frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugars and butter and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the egg and beat until combined and then add the vanilla and beat until well combined.

3. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three parts. Beat until just blended.

4. Stir in oats, raisins, and carrots making sure they are well distributed.

5. Cover well and leave in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably several hours.

6. Preheat oven to 350 and line your baking sheet with Silpat mats or parchment paper. Scoop rounded ice cream scoop sized balls of dough onto your cookie sheet, making sure they are at least 2 inches apart. It will be helpful later if you make them as uniform as possible. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are crisped and the center is almost set. Let sit on sheets for two minutes and then continue to cool on a cooling rack.

7. While the cookies are cooling make the frosting. Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until smooth and well blended and slightly peaked. Add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth and then beat in the vanilla. Pop in the fridge for a couple of minutes to firm it up (but not too long) to help lessen the amount that escapes out from between the cookies (think ice cream sandwich).

8. Once the cookies are completely cool spread desired amount of frosting on the underside of one cookie and then place the bottom of another cookie on top of it. Repeat for remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: The cookies themselves are at their best texture when served immediately. Crunchy edges and soft, moist middles.  They are still great though for a couple days and the frosting inside firms up making them easier to eat.

Banana Almond Whoopie Pies

If you can't tell from the picture, these aren't your traditional, sugar and fat filled whoopie pies.  I saw very tasty looking banana chocolate chunk cookies over at Spoonful of Sugar Free and I knew I would have to make some version of them for my mom's belated birthday celebration. We were planning on celebrate via some sort of outdoor picnic during our mini vacation so cake of any sort wouldn't make it unfortunately. Well, once we all tried them all thoughts of "mom friendly" cake vanished!

I made a few changes to cater to my family's taste and food sensitives and they turned out great! Just sweet enough and the almond flavored center with the banana was perfect! These could easily be part of your breakfast or a great midday pick-you-up snack!  I left some without the filling and they are great like that as well. As an extra bonus the batter is quite tasty uncooked and of course perfectly safe to eat!

Sunning itself before being consumed during the birthday picnic

Banana Almond Whoopie Pies
How I Did it:

Cookies:
(makes one dozen single layer cookies)
2 cups oats
2 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/8 cup raisins

Filling:
1 cup almond butter
2 tbs almond milk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Grind oats in a food processor until they become flour-like. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher. Mix in vanilla and salt.

4. Add in oat flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until well combined. Stir in water.

5. Add in dates and raisins and mix to distribute evenly.

6. Place heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. It won't change size/shape too much so depending on your preference you can make them flatter or more fluffy as you are putting them on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes - they will turn light brown and you will be able to pluck them right off the sheet. Let fully cool.

7. While your cookies are cooling, make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and beat well. Cover and place in the refrigerator (to firm up) until cookies are completely cool.

8. Once the cookies are fully cooled, try to pair up by size so each are matched with a cookie whose bottom is similar in size. Generously spread the filling on the flat bottom one of the matched cookies, allowing it to pile up more in the middle. Take it's partner and slightly press down to secure it on top. Repeat for the rest of the cookies. Store in a container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for best test before eating.

Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Happy Mother's Day!

Although I love sugar and chocolate filled desserts, my mom has many food limitations and I wanted her to be able to enjoy dessert on her big day. I scoured my brain and several different blogs until I came up with something she could eat and we could all enjoy! I got the idea for the recipe over at Chocolate Covered Katie and made a few alternations to suit my needs.

If I tell you these cookies are not only diary and egg free, but also sugar-free and gluten-free and low in fat you might ask me how good they taste. Fair enough. As a lover of "normal" dessert I can tell you they are pretty darn good. With that said, they don't taste like oatmeal cookies at all - they are tasty in their own healthier way. I added chocolate chips to a portion of them (in addition to the raisins) b/c I was worried about the dirty looks I might get from my family when I brought these as the only dessert. As it turned out I was worried for nothing as everyone said they were great and my great uncle must have had at least...well, more than two.

Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
How I did it:

(makes about 20 - 25)

1 1/8 cup rolled oats
 8 dates, chopped
1 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
1/2 heaping cup almond butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp baking raisins (or raisins pre-soaked in juice)
3 tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir almond butter and apple sauce until well combined. Set aside.

3. Combine 1/2 cup of the oats and the dates in a food processor until they become a powder. Add this mixture into the applesauce/almond butter mixture and then add the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate. I separated out half of the batter and mixed the chocolate into the remainder.

3. Shape into small balls ("dough" will be very sticky) and bake for about 15 minutes or until they are firm and start to brown a bit. Note: They will not change shape. If you can't wait feel free to enjoy the batter uncooked!

Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal with Nuts

I was really craving a tasty breakfast and the question was how to make a tasty breakfast somewhat healthy and keep me full for a decent amount of time. Well, I have grown quite attached to steel cut oatmeal for its hearty taste and ability to keep me satisfied through the morning. My only real plan was to add blueberries and the rest I just made up as I went along. It turned out so great I had to make record of it. Such great flavor and texture -wow. And one small serving was really filling - and more importantly kept me full!

Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal with Nuts
How I Did It

(serves one)

1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup steel cut oats
3/4 tsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 tbsp milk/soy milk/almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp brown sugar
1/8 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/8 cup toasted chopped pecans

1. In a small sauce pot, bring water to a boil, reduce to medium heat and add oats and flaxseed meal. Wait about 5 minutes and then add the blueberries.

2. When water is almost absorbed add milk, spices and sugar and mix well.

3. When ready, turn off heat and stir in the toasted almonds and pecans.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pillow Cookies

A few months ago I made chocolate chip pillow cookies for the first time. Do I really have to say I loved them? I mean, a chocolate chip cookie with a brownie inside...what's not to love? I had an urge to make them again for a party I was going to, but thought they might be tasty with some peanut butter added in. So here we have the peanut butter chocolate chip (you can't leave out the chocolate chips) cookie stuffed with a brownie. Are they  as good as I had hoped? Well, a girl I never met before came up to me after learning I was the one who brought these cookies and gave me a hug and said, "thank you." So I guess they're okay. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pillow Cookies

How I did it

Your favorite brownie recipe (or box mix)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

heaping 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Prepare and bake brownies. Take out of oven and set aside to cool. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets. There is enough fat in these that you don't need to grease your cookie sheets if they are non-stick. Otherwise lightly spray with cooking oil or line with parchment paper.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Beat together peanut butter, butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Add egg and beat until just combined. Slowly beat in flour (1/3 at a time). 

5. With wooden spoon, stir in rolled oats and mini chocolate chips. 

6. Cut brownies into about 1/2 inch pieces if you want smaller ("normal" sized) cookies and 1 inch or larger for nice giant cookies. Do not use the edges of the brownie. There will be plenty of extra brownies left when you're done - I'm sure I don't need to give you suggestions for what to do with it. 

7. Take your desired amount of cookie dough (about 2-4 tablespoons for a smaller cookie and 1/2 cup if you want giant cookies) and roll it into a round ball. Push your thumb into the middle and widen an opening for your piece of brownie. Once the brownie is inside fold the cookie dough around it. The brownie should be inside, in the middle, completely covered with cookie dough. You can experiment and use more/less cookie dough as desired, but make sure all the cookies in each batch are about the same size so the cook evenly. 

8. The cookies will be done pretty quickly and you do not want to over-cook them or they will be dry. Start checking them after about 5-8 minutes and take them out when they are very lightly brown. Let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then place them in an airtight container until ready to serve. They are just as good the next day, but that's all I can vouch for as mine were gone within 24 hours.