{Gluten-Free} Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

I have a short (and not-too-sweet) recipe for you today — lovely little oatmeal cookies with dried cherries. This is a one bowl recipe, always appreciated in my kitchen! They are sweetened with a little honey (or maple syrup) and applesauce, with just a bit of coconut oil for richness. The cookies are also dairy and egg-free; I made them when we had friends over for a play date who don’t eat eggs, dairy, or gluten. I like to have a few back-pocket recipes I can rely on when I want to bake a certain way, and this one is a reliable favorite.

It’s also a great cookie base recipe: you could swap out the dried cherries for chocolate chips (or add chocolate chips), add walnuts or other nuts, try pear sauce instead of the applesauce, the list goes on. I’ve included some substitution options below although I’m not sure if it would work to switch out the rolled outs as they are integral to the cookie. But if you can’t do oats, I think quinoa flakes would work as a decent swap, perhaps balanced with some dried coconut flakes. (Actually — including coconut in this recipe would be wonderful!)

We’re headed out camping tonight — crossing fingers for no rain; at least, no rain whilst we’re sleeping in a tent! — and I’m packing up a tin of these cookies for easy snacking. They travel well, and would also be perfect tucked into school lunches.

Til next time — N xx

Need substitutions? Try almond flour for the oat flour and maple syrup for the honey.

{Gluten-Free} Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe by Nicole SpiridakisCourse: Dessert

Servings

24

servings

Ingredients

• 130 g (about 1 1/4 cup) gluten-free oat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/2-2 cups rolled oats

• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Directions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cardamom, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the coconut oil and honey until smooth. Mix in applesauce and vanilla.
• Stir in the dry ingredients, then the oats and dried cherries, and mix well to combine. The dough may be a bit wet, so add more oats as necessary to help bring it all together. You want the dough to be thick enough to be able to roll cookie balls between your hands. Place dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 375ºF and set the rack on the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls and place them 2-inches apart on the baking sheets. Use a fork to gently flatten the dough slightly.
• Place in the oven and bake until the cookies are a gentle brown all across the top, about 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
• Cookies will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for three days.