Baking is one of my stress busters. I love to bake something for the family and while I wish I could bake decorative cakes too I know that there won’t be any takers for those. Simple cakes and cookies somehow win in the end and I bake what my family likes to eat. I bookmarked this easy recipe that I came across several years ago. A recipe that I had jotted down from ‘i don’t know where’. Maybe a magazine or a blog but it was way before I took healthy bakes seriously I guess. I have tweaked this recipe a lot and I am glad that the kids love it. My niece is the actual guinea pig here because she tasted every version of this recipe and told me what she liked. I have used brown sugar in the recipe but the version with regular white sugar is what she liked so you can use either of the two. The brown one lends a beautiful colour though and a deep caramel-like flavour that is hard to miss.
I discovered the joy of baking with oats that is added partially to all purpose flour a few moons ago and I think it is a great way to incorporate a healthy flour into your bakes. However, do note that the regular quick cooking porridge oats is stripped of all nutrients before making it a suitable for quick cooking. I have switched to whole grain oats now for porridges and although it takes slightly longer to cook, it tastes quite the same if not better than its quick cooking counterpart and plus it has a bite and a texture that the later cannot give.
For this recipe I have simply pulsed the whole grain oats in a dry grinding jar of my mixie to break it down further and give it a flour like texture although I didn’t grind it too fine. I must admit that unlike the regular cookie dough, this one can be quite messy if you don’t get your baking sheets ready. Do use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to minimize the dough from sticking to your fingers.
The chocolate chips are a great addition as kids definitely like them but do reduce the sugar a bit if you like to make them less sweet. These cookies are a great option if you want to make them for someone who is gluten free. I know that there are plenty of people who are gluten intolerant. Even if you have no real reason to make them, you should. It is always nice to try something different for a change.
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) almonds
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) cashew nuts
- 75 grams (1/3 cup) chocolate chips
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) soft brown or coconut sugar * see note
- 115 grams (1 cup) oats, coarsely powdered
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Line two large baking trays with baking parchment and keep it ready. It is important that you do it before hand as the cookie dough will be pretty sticky. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C
- If you are using whole nuts, powder them in a food processor. If you are using a regular mixer grinder, do not grind the nuts, instead, use the 'pulse' option in bursts of 2-3 second intervals until they are powdered. Use a spoon to stir between intervals. Not doing so may result in a paste like texture as the nuts release natural oils upon grinding.
- Add the powdered nuts to a bowl. Add the oats, sugar, salt & baking powder and stir well. Add the egg and the oil and use a spatula to mix everything together. The mixture will be pretty sticky and messy.
- Place half tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough on the baking tray, spaced well apart as they are going to really spread in diameter when they bake - so don't underestimate the space :). If you wish you can dab a little oil on your fingertips and gently roll each portion into a rough ball shape. Give it a pat so that they appear like patties.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes for slightly chewy cookies or 15 minutes for slightly hard/crisp ones. You can also turn off the oven after 12 minutes and leave them in the oven for another 10 minutes. When the cookies are just out of the oven they will be soft on the surface. Leave them to cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring them on a wire rack to cool completely. Once at room temperature transfer them into an airtight container. The cookies keep well for 7-10 days when kept in a cool atmosphere.
Notes
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Hi
Can this recipe be made eggless
Any substitute for eggs?
Thankyou
Megha
Hi,
I have not tried an eggless version but I guess you can use flax meal (flax seed powder) dissolved in a little warm water and keep it for a few minutes until you get an egg white like consistency. Not sure of the quantities though. Hope it helps
nice share, thank you for the post,, I love to read your food recipes..
Thanks for the kind words Riani!
Hi
Can desi ghee be used in place of oil?
Hi,
I have never tried with desi ghee but yes, you can use melted ghee of the same quantity. Should work!