Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The month of February was not a good month for my stomach. Almost everyday ended with me eating crystallized ginger, drinking peppermint tea, and then lying face-down on my bed with a heating pad under my stomach. I eat mostly whole foods, and for the most part my diet hasn't changed. I just couldn't figure out what was causing this much pain and bloating! After tracking the pain and the foods I ate and talking with our schools dietician, we decided it could be either gluten, broccoli, or spinach. The only way to find out was to take each of these out of my diet for a few weeks and see if the symptoms resided. Long story short, I am now gluten free.

I really did not want to have to take gluten out of my diet. Granted, I don't eat much bread or things of the like anyways, but I just didn't want to be that person: the person who is dairy-free and gluten-free. But here I am, g-free for a month or so, and no stomach pain, bloating, or gas! In order to confirm this sensitivity, gluten needs to be out of a person's system for about two months, so the intestines can heal completely, then it needs to be eaten again to see if a reaction occurs. That will be my job next month.

That being said, mom, there will now be a lot more gluten-free items made in Your Daughter's Kitchen. Which is probably better for all of us since mom is allergic to wheat (not necessarily gluten), and my little sister is supposed to be without gluten for her hyperextension joint problems.


On to these amazing cookies. They are dense, and almost biscuit-like, but sweet like a cookie. I love the banana in this as it makes them sweeter and acts as a vegan egg-replacement. As with most of my recipes, they're great with a cup of coffee. If you're into milk, they would be delicious with that as well. 

If the mixture is a little dry, add a little more almond milk or mashed banana. If you would like them a little sweeter, add some more chocolate chips.

Happy gluten-free, dairy-free living to us all!

Makes 24-28 cookies; about 150 calories per cookie
Adapted from The Simple Veganista

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp baking soda
2/3 cup refined coconut oil (softened or melted)
1/2 large banana, mashed
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (at room temp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mash banana as smooth as possible, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar, mix well. Add in mashed banana, vanilla and room temperature almond milk.
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the liquid mixture, mixing well to combine and scraping the bottom to make sure there are no flour clumps. Add in oats, then chocolate chips, mixing in between.
5. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of mixture and place on sheet about 1 inch apart, flattening slightly. Cookies stay about the same size while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy.

Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming! Finals are done. I finished all my Christmas shopping. My sister's boyfriend graduated from college. Last weekend, I saw the Broadway show Newsies in Chicago with my sisters and mom. Now, my entire family is together (for the first time ever with all 9 of us) in Arizona. It's a busy time of year for me and basically every other person. Despite all the busyness, I love Christmas season: the snow, the beautiful lights and, of course, the baking!

My problem is always that I can't eat any normal Christmas cookies. Stupid dairy. So what do I do? Remake my favorites without the dairy! These cookies are a great combination of the classic gingerbread taste, with gooey dark chocolate. They are definitely different than your classic gingerbread Christmas cookie, but I like it. My mom has dubbed these one of her new favorite Christmas cookies, and I would place them on that list as well.

These cookies, definitely bring out the zingy ginger-taste. As of this summer, ginger has become one of my favorite flavors, especially ginger candy. The bonus of ginger is that it is great for stomach aches and indigestions too! Starting during my freshman year of college, I have had stomach problems more than a normal 20-something year-old should ( I blame the food at my school). This year, ginger has become my natural remedy for my upset stomach.

On that note, if you are not a huge fan of ginger, I would cut it back a little in this recipe. The dark chocolate helps to soften the flavor and cut the ginger-taste, but they are still very gingery!

Enjoy these cookies, the Christmas season, and all the family, friends, and delicious food that come with it!

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup coconut sugar
150 grams bitter sweet dairy free chocolate, chopped (I used 88% cacao)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger, peeled
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchments paper.
2. Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8 inch pieces, or smaller
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt together
4. Grate ginger. Heat coconut oil until just melted (I used the microwave). Stir in applesauce, molasses, sugar, and fresh grated ginger. Add the egg to the mixture, making sure the mixture is only warm, not hot. Finish mixing then add wet mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate.
5. Roll dough between palms into 1-inch balls then place a few inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes until cookies puff up and tops darken and begin to crack.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate has been calling my name lately, which is odd because I am normally not a chocolate-craving person. On the other hand, black beans in cookies always scare me a little. I am always scared the cookie will be too 'beany.' These cookies do not fall into that trap. The chocolate shines right on through and really hits the chocolate-craving spot. They are so easy to make and use household staple ingredients (or at least Hawkins household staples).

A bonus of these cookies? They are dairy free, refined sugar free, and vegan. The could also be made gluten free by using gluten free rolled oats. Another bonus? The family liked them. Emma even asked for a second one. This is always the biggest test, and the cookies passed!

So enjoy some chocolatey goodness!

Makes 10-12 large cookies or 20-24 small cookies
Adapted from Deliciously Ella

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans (1 1/3 16-ounce cans)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 heaped Tbsp cacao powder
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Drain and rinse black beans. Add black beans, maple syrup, cacao, and coconut oil to blender and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer chocolate mixture to bowl. Add oats and nibs to bowl, and stir until combined.
4. Scoop large spoonfuls of cookie dough, roll into balls, and place on cookie sheet. Flatten cookies slightly using your fingers or the back of a spoon; cookies will not expand while baking.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until firm. Let cool then enjoy!

Cacao Cookies

These cookies are quickly becoming my go-to cookie while I'm at college. They are great because I always have the ingredients I need for them, so I can whip them up whenever and then enjoy! They are usually more of a cookie dough though, since they don't quite make it to the baking sheet. Partially because, as I've stated before, I don't want to make that trek to the kitchen. 

For those who do not know, cacao is the bean that chocolate and cocoa are made out of. It is more bitter than chocolate since it's just the bean and no sugar or milk. The cacao is really what makes the cookies. It gives them a nice crunch, and when baked, the cacao caramelizes slightly and adds a nutty flavor. These cookies would also be amazing with coconut in them, which makes it insanely similar to this recipe from last March. 

One thing I have learned at college is that I can replace almost anything in a recipe with something else. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't. When you're on a limited budget in the middle of a cornfield though, you make do with what you have. In this case, I made the recipe with a chia "egg" because I didn't have a real egg. It ended up working and also makes eating the raw dough less dangerous*. Ideally, I would make this recipe with coconut sugar as well, but I didn't have that so regular sugar it was! This made them taste way too sweet for me, so I cut it down to a mere 2 tablespoons and added some honey to help the dough stick.

I currently do not have a picture of this cookie; I simple couldn't wait any longer to post this recipe. I will have a picture soon though.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp almond flour
1/3 cup cacao nibs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar (preferably coconut)
2 Tbsp honey
3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water (to make chia egg)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Make chia "egg" by adding 3 tbsp water to the chia seeds and letting sit for 10-15 minutes, until most water has been absorbed and the egg is a thick consistency. 
2. While egg is setting, stir flours, cacao, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a medium-sized bowl using a spoon or fork. 
3. Once the "egg" is ready, add egg plus wet ingredients to the bowl and stir thoroughly.
4. Scoop dough, roll into 3/4-inch balls, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down cookies using a spoon, thumb, or cup to flatten slightly; these cookies will not expand at all during baking
5. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown then enjoy immediately (and next week, when you decide to make them again)



*The likelihood of a person being affected with salmonella from a raw egg is 1 in 20,000. That's equivalent to eating 1 raw egg every day for the next 54 years. This essentially means that you're safe either way.

Easy Oat & Ginger Cookies

The thing I love about these cookies is that they are true to name; they really are easy to make. They take 10 minutes to whip up and 15 to bake, using only a handful of ingredients. They are addicting too. I have, on more than one occasion, eaten an entire batch by myself (oops). These are quickly becoming my favorite cookie for the sole reason of how easy they are to make.

Another wonderful thing about these cookies is that many of the ingredients can be replaced. Use honey instead of maple syrup, or almond flour instead of buckwheat. I made these couple of times this summer with the original recipe (posted below). Recently, since it's fall, I switched it up a little and made these with pumpkin spice instead of ginger and clove (replace with the same amount). Both versions were equally as yummy and addicting.

adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

Ingredients:

4 tbsp coconut oil, room temperature
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp buckwheat flour
2/3 cup (plus some) rolled oats
2 tbsp coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1 tsp ground ginger (scant)
a pinch ground clove (about 1/6 tsp)
a pinch vanilla extract (about 1/6 tsp)
a pinch salt (about 1/6 tsp)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Stir together all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
3. Spoon up 10-12 pieces of dough onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Use the backside of a spoon (or your thumb) to flatten it out as thin as you can. They should be slightly larger than 2 inch wide. 
4. Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Until they get a  bit dark around the edges. 
5. Wait to cool before eating. This is hard, but SO worth it as they become crisp once they cool.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter is another one of those staple foods in my diet. The problem I have with it though, is that once I start eating it, I can't stop. These cookies are full of peanut butter and also hard to stop eating once I start. These cookies are so easy to make (they are no-bake after all) and are a perfect bite-size treat. I found this recipe on Oh, Ladycakes. She has become one of my favorites lately, as all of her stuff is dairy-free and she has lots of desserts. I haven't made very many of her recipes yet, but I love looking at all of them and have added quite a few to my never-ending list of things to make.

The recipe calls for rolled oats, which you will process in a food processor. Don't use oat flour because you will want to keep the oats more coarse than a flour. Medjool dates can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store; if yours aren't fresh anymore, soak them for 15 minutes beforehand to soften them up.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
Pinch of fine sea salt
10 medjool dates
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
6 tbsp coconut milk (any nut milk works)

Directions:

1. In a food processor, blend the oats and sea salt into a fine meal.
2. Add the dates and peanut butter; blend for 30-45 seconds. 
3. Add the nut milk and pulse until just combined. 
4. Roll dough into small balls and place on a flat surface lined with wax paper. Press a fork into the tops like you would any peanut butter cookie, then freeze for 15 minutes to set. 

*Refrigerate cookies in an air tight container for up to two weeks. Cookies will keep in freezer for months.

Graham Crackers

Graham Crackers. What's not to love? These have always been one of my weaknesses; I could literally eat them all day. They go well with coffee, milk, applesauce, yogurt, peanut butter, frosting, and of course, in s'mores. But what did I find out last week? They are made with high fructose corn syrup. This did not sit well with me. Even people who don't know a lot about nutrition know that this ingredient is bad; basically, it's a big no no. When I was talking to one of my closest friends, Lauren and she said she had made graham crackers, I knew I had to try as well. Lucky us, Lauren has a blog too, so that's where I found the recipe.

This was no easy feat though. I ended up making the recipe 3 separate times because I wanted to perfect it. Lauren made them gluten free using spelt flour, but I was in a whole wheat flour mood (which is what the original recipe uses). The first time I made them, they tasted too much like molasses cookies. The second time, they were too dry. The third time, after adjusting the molasses, coconut milk, and honey, I did it. They were perfect; or at least perfect to my tastebuds.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, separated
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. mollasses
3 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. coconut oil
2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. coconut milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients (except 1/2 cup extra flour), and whisk until combined.
3. Add wet ingredients, stir until combined.
4. Using the 1/2 cup of flour that was set aside, flour surface then slowly add flour to dough as needed, combining as you go, until dough is kneadable.
5. Knead dough on floured surface, using remaining flour (remember the less you touch the dough, the better). divide the dough in 2 and form into balls, let the balls of dough sit for 10 minutes.
6. Place a ball of dough on each baking sheet and roll out until 1/8 inch thick, or thinner. Once rolled out, cut into pieces using a pizza cutter and poke holes with fork ( I used a shish-kabob stick so they would look more like graham crackers, but this is more tedious). Separate the pieces from one another; this will help them bake evenly.
7. Place baking sheets in oven one at a time for 10-12 minutes, until edges are barely brown.
8. Let cool completely before storing.

Almond Meal Coconut Cacao Cookies

Today was my first day home for spring break, so of course, what did I want to do the most? Bake something. I figured as a good sister I should make something for my little sister to eat when she came home from school. These almond meal cookies with coconut and cacao nibs from my Sprouted Kitchen cookbook caught my eye. They looked quick, were gluten free, and I had all the ingredients (almost), so I went for it.

My mom, sister, and I all tried these cookies and agreed they were delicious. If my sister likes something that is remotely healthy, then I know I have hit the jackpot. These melt in your mouth straight from the oven and are perfect with a cup of coffee.

The only replacement I made in this recipe was for the muscovado sugar the original recipe called for. It called for 1/3 cup, which I replaced with coconut sugar and agave because I didn't have any muscovado. Muscovado is unrefined brown sugar and gives the cookies moisture along with a caramelly taste. Feel free to also replace it with brown sugar if you do not have any of the above ingredients.

Recipe makes 18-24 cookies, depending on size. I made 22: 90 calories per cookie.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Stir together almond meal, cacao nibs, coconut, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2. In another bowl beat egg until it has doubled in size and is all one color. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and agave.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet with no parchment paper on it. Gently press on tops of cookes to flatten a little.

5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until edges are barely brown.

Fig Newtons

Growing up I LOVED fig newtons... but Mama Wendy never bought them. They were on her list of junk food. There were a lot of foods on this list now that I come to think of it; no pop, no fruit rollups, no sugar cereal, no white bread, not even chocolate milk. But, now that I'm older, I thank her for raising us kids like this. If we're being completely honest, I will do the same with my kids. 

Lately, I've also been kind of fig obsessed. I'm not sure why I didn't discover them earlier in life. So once I found this recipe, I decided I had to make it. It fulfills my childhood craving, and my current love. As with all my recipes, I did not come up with it on my own, I found this one on My New Roots. Sarah, the author, has become someone I admire and would love to meet someday. Her recipes are always delicious, good for you, and never cease to amaze me.

These are best eaten straight from the oven, Lauren and I may or may not have eaten the whole pan the first time we made them (oops). They are the perfect cookie to satisfy that cookie craving too!

Makes 20-24 newtons

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup dried figs (any variety will work)

½ - ¾ cup strong-brewed rooibos tea

½ vanilla bean, scraped

2 tsp. lemon juice

pinch sea salt

Dough:

1 cup rolled oats (try half as almond flour to boost the protein)

¼ cup coconut sugar

¼ tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 ½ Tbsp. chia seeds

3 Tbsp. strong-brewed rooibos tea

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Brew the tea. Use two bags to make the tea very strong. Boil ¾ cup water and pour over the tea. Let steep for 15-20 minutes, then remove the bags or strain. Take out three tablespoons and stir in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, set aside to gel.

2. To make the dough, blend 1 cup of rolled oats in a food processor to make a rough flour. Add coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and pulse to mix. Next add the coconut oil, chia-rooibos gel, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Pulse to mix until the mixture forms a ball. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, cover tightly and place in the fridge to chill for at least one hour (this can be done a day ahead if desired).

3. To make filling, roughly chop figs and place them in a small saucepan with ½ cup brewed tea, lemon juice, salt and scraped vanilla seeds, including the pod.  Cook over low-medium heat until the figs start to break down and the mixture thickens (about 10-15 minutes). Add more tea or water if necessary. Let cool slightly, remove vanilla pod, then blend in a food processor. You can make the filling as smooth or chunky as you like. The filling can also be made in advance, if desired.

4. Remove dough from fridge, place on a piece of parchment paper and lay another sheet on top. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out until the dough is a little larger than 4.5” x 20” To make a rectangle trim off any excess dough around the sides. Spoon fig filling along the center, then fold in both sides and press lightly to seal. Cut 20-24 pieces out and place each one, seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake cookies in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Enjoy.