OATMEAL CHOCO CHIP COOKIES (GLUTEN-FREE)

Hello, my darlings.

Back for a short post because I have the unexpected energy! I’m gonna talk about mental illness for a hot second and then get on to the fun stuff (cookies)! <3

Mental health update: depression in my life has been getting more intense and at this point it’s a full-on disability. I am on medication and getting through some workbooks for cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). I am really grateful for all the coping skills I have learned and am practicing every day. More than ever I am able to recognize and remind myself: this is an illness in my body and NOT a personal failure. There is no need for shame or judgement here, just compassionate acceptance and gentle observation. We all exist in radically different bodies and environments. The body I am in happens to have some weird brain stuff that makes things more difficult for me than other people. We all have our own obstacles and challenges in life. I’m human. It’s OK.

Onto foodzy thingz.

These cookies are magic, I’ve made them three times now, which is saying a lot for me because with most things (books, movies, places, people) if I am not in love the first time around, I move onto the next thing. Life is SHORT, baby! This recipe is worth keeping, though. The flavours are sweet and nutty, texture is soft and chewy, appearance is delicate and precious. I adapted it slightly from a recipe in The Greenhouse Cookbook by Emma Knight, Hana James, Deeva Green and Lee Reitelman. This is one of my fave cookbooks and in fact I have shared another adapted recipe from it on my blog, for a magnificent pumpkin pie. For all my celiac babes out there, fear not: these cookies are safe! I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell they’re gluten-free. They’re just GOOD. Enjoy ~ xo

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OATMEAL CHOCO CHIP COOKIES (GLUTEN-FREE)
Makes around 20 cookies. Adapted from The Greenhouse Cookbook.
Print the recipe!

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups gluten-free flour*
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon flake sea salt
2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
2/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and oil together, then add the milk and vanilla.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda and powder, flax seed, and salt. Mix in the wet mixture from the last step until you have an evenly mixed dough, then add the chocolate chips, oats and raisins (if using).

Use an ice cream scoop or your hands to dollop out the cookies onto the parchment paper, you want them to be the size of a golf ball or slightly bigger. Then press them down slightly with a spoon or your hand, or leave as is. Bake 9 minutes for soft cookies, 12 for harder cookies. I bake mine until they are JUST starting to brown around the edges.

NOTES
– The original recipe uses 2 cups of flour. For me, I’ve found I prefer to add more, plus some ground flax seed as a binder, otherwise the dough is too liquidy. So add 2 cups to begin with and then see how it looks. I have had to add more than 3 cups before too, so you have that option if your dough is just not thickening up!
– The recipe is quite sweet, so if you prefer less sugar, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup instead. 
– If your dough is too thick or dry, add 1/4 cup more milk.


*I used 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup gluten-free oat flour, 1/2 cup tapioca flour, and 1/2 cup coconut flour.