GLUTEN FREE BANANA OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AND GF OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES WITH VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE VERSIONS

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I had some overly ripe bananas and wanted to try to make something other than banana cake with them.  Serendipitously, I had just weeded out a pile of magazine recipes I had saved for years (and never used) and found this recipe from Martha Stewart’s magazine (no date on the page, but it is at least seven years old).

     With the first batch of cookies I accidentally left out the banana, but it made the best oatmeal cookies I ever had.  I added the bananas to the next batch and it was pure roll the eyes back in the head heaven.  The banana cookies are soft and slightly cake like.  The oatmeal cookies are slightly chewy.  I tried making the cookies with chocolate chips and with raisins and cinnamon, they are great either way.  The vegan versions are barely different in taste or texture from the full throttle egg and butter cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - Texture is like a typical Chocolate Chip Cookie

     I find that with cookies it is not necessary to use an egg replacer when baking vegan ones.  An egg is equal to ¼ cup of liquid, so I just use ¼ cup of water instead of the egg and it works great.  To make vegan cookies I replace the butter with a combination of ½ vegan margarine such as Earth Balance and ½ non-hydrogenated shortening such as Spectrum palm oil.  To replace butter I find that margarine tends to be too salty and it must have some extra liquid that can change the consistency of the batter and can sometimes result in a greasy too wet cookie.  I use half margarine and half unflavored shortening to balance out the saltiness and insure a good texture.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Vegan Cookie on Right

     I found a vanilla emulsion that has a non-dairy GF butter flavor.  It is Lorann Professional Kitchen brand *Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion.  I used this instead of vanilla in the vegan batter to give it a butter flavor.  I love butter and I assume everyone must feel the same.  Butter gives baked goods a divine taste. 

     *Just a note about Gluten Free Oats. Oats themselves are naturally gluten free.  The reason for using certified GF oats instead of regular oats that are sold in stores is that they are harvested differently. Regular oats are collected on the farm with the same equipment as wheat is collected with. Because of this method of harvesting, regular oats have wheat in them.  Gluten free oats are collected on a farm that uses dedicated equipment used only for oats, so there is no fear of cross contamination with wheat.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup	Sorghum Flour (in Vegan recipe add 2 Tbs. more Sorghum Flour)
¼ cup	Tapioca Flour
¼ cup	Chickpea Flour
½ tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
1 tsp.	Baking Soda
1 tsp.	Sea Salt
½ tsp.	Cinnamon (optional)
¾ cup	Unsalted Butter (Vegan/Dairy-Free use 6 Tbs. each non-hydrogenated margarine and non-hydrogenated shortening)
½ cup	Sugar
½ cup	Brown Sugar
1 large	Egg (for Vegan/Egg-Free use ¼ cup water)
1 ½ tsp.	Vanilla (Optional: for Vegan/Dairy Free use *Butter Vanilla Emulsion.)
½ cup	Mashed ripe Bananas (Omit the bananas if you want to make traditional Oatmeal Cookies)
1 cup	GF Rolled Oats (not instant) *see note about Gluten Free Oats.
8 ounces	Chocolate Chips or Raisins (Soak raisins in hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze out the extra water before using.  Soaking results in plump moist raisins in the cookies, not dry chewy ones).
½ cup	Walnuts-lightly toasted and chopped.

Directions

     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare baking sheets by lining them with Silpat or parchment paper.

     In a bowl add flours, xanthan or guar gum, baking soda, salt and cinnamon (if using).  Mix with a whisk until well blended.  Set aside.

     In a separate large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugars and butter or margarine/shortening and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Sugar and Butter mixture.

     Add eggs (or water for Vegan/Egg-Free), vanilla, and mashed bananas (if using).  Combine well.

Banana mashed with a potato masher.

     Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

     Add oats, nuts, chips and or raisins (if using) and stir in by hand.

Oats and Chocolate Chips added to bowl.

     Using a scoop that is 1 ¼-inches in diameter, scoop dough 2-inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies on baking sheet ready to go into the oven.

     Bake 12-13 minutes until golden brown and just set.  Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Store in airtight tins or containers.

Baked Banana Oatmeal cookies cooling on the baking sheet.

     You can freeze the unbaked dough for later use.  Scoop the dough out onto a cookie sheet and place the baking sheet with dough into the freeze for a few hours. When the dough is frozen and firm, place the balls of dough in to a plastic baggie and store in the freezer.  When ready to use, it is not necessary to thaw the dough, just place frozen dough balls 2-inches apart onto a lined baking sheet and bake as directed. It may need some extra baking time.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES Ingredients 1 cup Sorghum Flour (in Vegan recipe add 2 Tbs. more Sorghum Flour) ¼ cup Tapioca Flour ¼ cup Chickpea Flour ½ tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1 tsp. Sea Salt ½ tsp. Cinnamon (optional) ¾ cup Unsalted Butter (Vegan/Dairy-Free use 6 Tbs. each non-hydrogenated margarine and non-hydrogenated shortening) ½ cup Sugar ½ cup Brown Sugar 1 large Egg (for Vegan/Egg-Free use ¼ cup water) 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla (Optional: for Vegan/Dairy Free use *Butter Vanilla Emulsion.) ½ cup Mashed ripe Bananas (Omit the bananas if you want to make traditional Oatmeal Cookies) 1 cup GF Rolled Oats (not instant) *see note about Gluten Free Oats. 8 ounces Chocolate Chips or Raisins (Soak raisins in hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze out the extra water before using. Soaking results in plump moist raisins in the cookies, not dry chewy ones). ½ cup Walnuts-lightly toasted and chopped. Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with Silpat or parchment paper. In a bowl add flours, xanthan or guar gum, baking soda, salt and cinnamon (if using). Mix with a whisk until well blended. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugars and butter or margarine/shortening and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs (or water for Vegan/Egg-Free), vanilla, and mashed bananas (if using). Combine well. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add oats, nuts, chips and or raisins (if using) and stir in by hand. Using a scoop that is 1 ¼-inches in diameter, scoop dough 2-inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-13 minutes until golden brown and just set. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in airtight tins or containers. You can freeze the unbaked dough for later use. Scoop the dough out onto a cookie sheet and place the baking sheet with dough into the freeze for a few hours. When the dough is frozen and firm, place the balls of dough in to a plastic baggie and store in the freezer. When ready to use, it is not necessary to thaw the dough, just place frozen dough balls 2-inches apart onto a lined baking sheet and bake as directed. It may need some extra baking time.

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