Is GF Your New BFF?

Elyzabeth reporting.

Gosh, I am such an irregular blogger. And speaking of irregular, we are on a gluten free diet around our house.

There is a joke in that statement; I am certain that some of you will know just what I mean.

When it started, we were just trying to eliminate starches and sugars and so forth. Then Mum discovered that anything with gluten did not do her digestion any favors. And I have to admit, skipping the gluten makes my digestion happier too.

So, no gluten isn't difficult for us. It is not as if we were eating bread with every meal, and rarely did we indulge in cookies, cakes or other gluten filled delights.

That being said, your's truly does like the occasional baked goods.  And by golly, I'm good at baking.  You should try my rum cake.  Heaven on a plate.

And, while you can find a million recipes online for gluten free baked goods, most of them call for hard to find, and sometimes expensive flour substitutes. Fortunately for me, one of my favorite cookies is the humble oatmeal cookie. In fact, you could say that I have a mania for oatmeal cookies. Combine that with my love of all things coconut, and you have the makings for a pretty tasty gluten free cookie.

If you don't like coconut as much as I do, you can substitute out the coconut flour for almond flour and leave out the toasted coconut.  Or you can leave out the raisins and instead use a half cup of chocolate chips and another half cup of your favorite nuts.  The combinations are endless.

My New Favorite GF Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 

¼ cup butter

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut flour

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats , divided use

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

½ cup no sugar toasted coconut

½ cup raisins or craisins

1.      In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of the oats with the 1 cup of applesauce. Let sit in refrigerator at least one hour, until the oats are hydrated.

2.     Using a food processor or blender, process the other 1 cup of oats until it is the texture of a coarse flour.

Preheat oven to 325ᴼ. Grease your cookie sheets.

3.     In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and mix in thoroughly. When light and fluffy, add in honey and vanilla.

4.     Add in the oat and applesauce mixture, blend thoroughly.

5.     Beat in coconut flour, oat flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; mix well.  Stir in the toasted coconut and raisins.

6.     Form cookies into walnut sized balls, and place on greased cookies sheets. Allow room for these to spread a little. Slightly flatten each cookie ball with the palm of your hand.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until done. The time can vary depending on your oven temperature and how big you make your cookies. The edges will look done but the centers should still be soft. Cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack until completely cool and set. 

I wanted to post a picture of the cookies, but we already devoured them.

Regards, Elyzabeth