Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free, vegan, sugar-free)
Oh my, these are so good! I had a cookie craving, and these satisfy like no other cookie I've baked thus far in my gluten-free career. Huzzah!
But, my dear friends, here's the thing: they aren't low in fat, low in calories, low carb, or have any other "beneficial" categorization. They contain some maple syrup, and therefore, aren't really all that anti-Candida diet-friendly. And to really top it off, I used chocolate chips made with a little evaporated cane juice. I know, I know, not generally my style.
Oh, but what the hell. I threw care to the wind, made them, and relished in them, happily licking dough off the beaters and eating one warm and one cooled and then another one later. Then I went on a long walk, in an attempt to undo some of the caloric catastrophe. So much for losing a few pounds before all those August weddings I'm attending. Thankfully, I only baked half the batch and froze the remainder of the dough, so I wouldn't be tempted to eat them all at a far-too-rapid pace (because I would).
Crisp, sweet, light, crunchy...and totally gluten-free and vegan!
These cookies are a wild success for several reasons. First of all, they actually LOOK like cookies, which I am celebrating as a personal victory. As any of you gluten-free or vegan bakers know, sometimes our baked goods just look, well, ugly. Not these little gems.
Here's another thing: in the oven, they spread in the oven just like real gluten-, butter-, and egg-filled cookies. Incredible! Thanks to the yellow color of millet flour, they turn a beautiful golden brown color as they bake, and once cooled, look and feel like cookies made with all-purpose flour. The texture is light and crisp - once you bite into them, they have a nice, airy body that isn't too heavy, and is still flavorful and sweet. They aren't caky or doughy or spongy or rubbery, or worse yet, dry and powder. No ma'am. And somehow, without even the littlest smidgin of dairy, they taste buttery. But really, if you add enough coconut oil, shortening, and cashew butter, and anything will taste good.
I can't take all the credit for this success; my good friend B came up with a rockin' cookie recipe that she has been raving about the last couple of days. Her recipe used a lot of brown sugar and white sugar, as well as banana and xanthan gum, so I didn't eat it. But they were gorgeous, and I wanted to make them me-friendly. I adapted the hell out of it, adding oatmeal, omitting the sugar, banana, and xanthan, and threw in a couple of other twists. Despite the fact that they have maple syrup to sweeten, they still aren't terribly high in sugar compared to most other cookies, so I still consider them reasonably acceptable.
I am totally crazy for these cookies, and plan on making them regularly from now on. Want to come over for homemade milk and cookies?
Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from a recipe by my awesome friend B. Believe it or not, these cookies really are best fully cooled - they become light and crispy - so be patient and wait until they cool off before sneaking one.
Yield approximately 2 dozen cookies
1 3/4 cup millet flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup Spectrum shortening
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp cashew butter (or other seed/nut butter)
1/8 tsp stevia extract powder
optional: 1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2-1 cup allergy-friendly chocolate or carob chips or chopped up chocolate bars (I use EnjoyLife Chocolate chips or homemade)
optional: handful chopped cashews or other nut/seed
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat sheet and heat oven to 375º F.
Whisk together flours, starch, salt, and soda until well mixed and light. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together shortening, coconut oil, maple syrup, cashew butter, stevia, and vanilla until totally smooth and creamy. Gradually add dry mixture, and mix until just combined. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips, and stir until evenly mixed.
Scoop onto prepared sheets with a cookie scoop and bake for 22-24 minutes at 375º F until golden, slightly crisp on the edges, and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Bake cookies in batches until all dough has been baked. Store cooled cookies in a well-sealed container.
Kim @ Affairs of Living
These have stayed fresh in a well-sealed container at room temperature for about 4 days, and are still light and crispy and delicious. I froze some of the dough, and will be sure to let you know how it it bakes after being frozen!
Reader Comments (13)
Why, OH WHY did you have to post this when I'm having serious late-night sweet cravings??!! LOL!!! This looks like an AMAZING recipe. Can't wait to try it!!! :) Wish you lived next door... tee-hee... because I would be knocking on it!! Thank you!
Can't wait to try these - have never used Spectrum Shortening. I figured all of those types of products had soy, but I'll look for it next time I'm at the store. Thanks!
is it possible to make these without the shortening
Haha! I felt like I was reading my cookie-baking experience. I always eat one (or two) raw, one (or two) warm, and one (or four) cooled. It's impossible not to. And these sound delish. You're making me crave something yummy...
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are hands down may favorite go to dessert! And there is always room for more variations, I'll have to try these soon!
Um, YES I want to come over for homemade milk and cookies! Are you kidding?!?! :)
~Aubree Cherie
These cookies look amazing! My mom used to make a (gluten-filled) version of these that were UNBELIEVABLE! These look they would be a close rival! May have to try these out this week! I love keeping mine in the freezer and eating them cold with the chocolate hard. The rest of my family loves choc. chip cookies hot and gooey!
Thanks for all the great comments guys! I wish you all lived next door to come over and eat cookies! thank you for sharing your oatmeal cookie enthusiasm and memories with me. warm fuzzies!
Answers to questions/comments:
Sarah P: Spectrum shortening is totally soy-free - it is made with palm oil, and is organic. Still refined, so not as good as an unrefined oil or ghee, but it does make for a cookie with an awesome texture!
Susan: Sure, give it a shot! You could try substituting the shortening with more coconut oil, although the cookies might be rather oily and heavy, as too much coconut oil tends to weigh things down quite a bit. If you eat dairy or animal products, try using lightly softened ghee or butter, or lard, if you eat lard. On a different not, what about using a 1/2 cup of mashed avocado? It might screw up the color, and you may need more sweetener to offset the grassy flavor, but it would be a creamy, dense, fatty substitute. Or maybe 1/2 cup of cashew butter or another nut butter? Let me know how it works for you.
Kim - if you like a cold, hard cookie, you'll like these. they are crisp and wonderful, and not really gooey or soft. yum!
They look AMAZING. You are sooooo lucky that you can have maple syrup! I spent some time creating a GF chocoalte chip cookie last week and wasn't entirely thrilled w/ the results. . . yours look much, much better. Wish I really could come over for milk and cookies! :)
Hi! I love your blog and can't wait to have a go at making these cookies. I have two questions for whenever you have a moment. Do you melt the shortening before mixing or is it just softened? And do you think the rolled oats are important to the texture of the cookie? I'm wondering how well rolled quinoa might substitute.
Thanks so much for all your beautiful recipes!
First, the taste of these cookies are incredible---the dough and finished product taste just like choc. chip cookies with sugar, eggs and all purpose flour.
Second, because I did not have the shortening I tried one of your suggestions---add more nut butter. I substituted the shortening with raw almond butter. The cookies were baked for 20-22 min and cooled into a very hard, fine crumbed, light ball. A delicious treat for after lunch or with afternoon tea!
I was wondering if I could use Wheat Free Gluten Free Dairy Free all purpose flour in the same amounts in place of the flours you have listed in the recipie. I'll go get the other flours if I have to, but I happen to have this one already. It's a combination of gluten free flours from potatoes, sorghum, tapioca garbanzo and fava beans.
I made these cookies last night and they were ready to take out of the oven at 13 minutes. I'm glad I was in the kitchen b/c I smelled them burning! THe bottoms got really brown even though I used parchment paper. THe cookies are very tasty, though, even though they are a bit dry. Great recipe, thanks!