Vegan, Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I’m not one to back down from a challenge. Whether it’s solving a tricky website coding problem, teaching myself how to use my DSLR camera in manual mode (the pics in this post are pretty good, right?), or even making a lotion that is healthier than store-bought, I’ll stick with the challenge until I’ve won. I’m stubborn that way.

So when I decided to change the way I eat a few years ago, I was presented with a new and complex challenge: changing all of my favourite recipes so they are better for me. This means that everything has to be mostly plant-based and because of a slight wheat sensitivity, everything also has to be wheat-free. Obviously, I'm your dream dinner-party guest.

This is a challenge I am happy to say I am totally winning. I love taking a regular recipe, making a few changes and substitutions, and ending up with something that is healthier for me and tastes just as good as the not-so-healthy-for-me version (like these pancakes). There have been some learning-moment fails along the way, but most of them have been successes—like these cookies.

Now, I’m not going to lie and say that these are healthy for you—is there even such a thing as a healthy cookie? But what I will say is that they are better for you than their traditional counterpart and taste just as delicious—maybe even better.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut sugar or sucanat
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

  Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  In large bowl, whisk sugar, coconut oil, salt, water, and vanilla extract until combined. Stir in gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, rolled oats, coconut, baking soda, and chocolate chips until combined.

  Using a tablespoon, scoop onto baking sheet, spacing evenly apart and gently press to about 3/4-inch thick.

  Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

  Notes:

• If you prefer raisins, substitute the chocolate chips with 3/4 cup of raisins.
• If you don’t have a problem with wheat, use 1 cup of regular flour instead of the gluten-free flour and omit the xanthan gum. You can also use oats not marked as gluten-free.

Makes 24 medium-sized cookies

Adapted from Serious Eats