Bakery-Style Oatmeal Cookies: Traditional or Gluten-Free
In case you haven’t noticed, I like cookies. As a personal ritual, I bake cookies on the holidays. I mean, what else do you do when all of the stores are closed and no one is working?
So when a few people emailed in asking for a gluten-free version of Hannah’s Bakery-Style Oatmeal Cookies, I took it upon myself to see what I could come up with. I thought I would master the recipe and share it just in time for some Easter cookie baking. But little did I know that even with all of the changes I made to her recipe (flours, sweeteners, add-ins), the recipe would work beautifully on the first try!
Either I’ve truly honed my ability to adapt recipes to special diets, or I just got lucky. Either way, these were scrumptious. And devoured in one day.
I will still be sharing this recipe on Go Dairy Free just in time for Easter, but those of you who follow me here get a sneak peek, since I accomplished my goal so early in the game. It is also fun to post recipes here as I have more room to include an extra picture or two. Because really, can you ever have too many pictures of cookies on your blog?
If you prefer a gluten-based cookie, see Hannah’s original recipe (link above), or simply replace the tapioca starch and brown rice flour in the recipe below with 1/2 cup of all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour, adding a tablespoon or so more at the end if the dough is too soft and sticky. I’d keep the oat flour though – so easy to make and it goes well with gluten flours too!
Gluten-Free Bakery-Style Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Soy-Free, and Wheat-Free. You can even go all out, making them refined sugar-free by replacing the brown sugar with coconut / palm sugar or evaporated cane juice.
These cookies have a soft and chewy texture. Store them in an air-tight container to keep them from drying out.
- 1 Cup + 1/2 Cup Oats, Divided (for strict gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats)
- 1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch
- 1/3 Cup Brown Rice Flour
- 1/2 Tablespoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- Rounded 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Cup Dairy-Free Margarine (I Used Earth Balance Soy-Free)
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Molasses
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 Cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips And Raisins (I used Dream Chocolate Chips)
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
Place the 1/2 cup of oats in a spice / coffee grinder (a food processor or high powered blender should work too) and grind for about 30 seconds, or until you get powdery oat flour.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the fresh oat flour, the 1 cup oats, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the margarine, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla. Stir in the reserved flour mixture until it is all incorporated and you have a nice thick dough. Stir in the chocolate chips or raisins.
Drop the dough by the generous tablespoon-ful onto your prepared baking sheet. I used slightly damp hands to shape the cookies – if the dough is too moist to handle, feel free to refrigerate it for an hour or so to help it firm up.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they just begin to brown. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Gluten-free cookies (especially ones without xanthan gum) tend to be fragile when still hot.
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I submitted this recipe to Real Food Weekly at The WHOLE Gang.
33 thoughts on “Bakery-Style Oatmeal Cookies: Traditional or Gluten-Free”
I like that recipe. Taking notes and heading straight to my kitchen to bake them, thanks!
Oh my! These are screaming to me right now. Especially since Kurt just finished complaining that there were no homemade cookies in the freezer! Great recipe Alisa!! I think you are right. Your skills at adapting recipes to special diets has become perfectly honed! xoxoxo
k
I learn from the best my dear, I learn from the best 🙂
These look amazing! We have all the ingredients and would love to make them right away!
Bravo, I’ll just adjust the sugar quantity next time (a little too sugary for me) but everyone LOVED them.
The combination of sugar, syrup and molasses is a great one.
Thanks again!
Wow, you are fast flo! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the feedback! Yes, this is definitely a dessert cookie.
I love the maple syrup, molasses and brown sugar combo. How could that be bad?
What about the maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla stevia combo? Does that one work for you?
Yum! These look so good! And you always have the prettiest pictures! I was just gushing about Go Dairy Free last night on my blog. You never disappoint!
Aw, you are the sweetest Lauren!
Those are perfection, dear Alisa. I say that and I haven’t even tried them, but I know just by looking! And you already have a reader review that says they are wonderful. 🙂 Thanks for these and for making them gluten free, of course!
Shirley
And you can never have enough cookie recipes! These sound (and look) super yum! I need some cookies right now. I like the use of molasses in these!
They do look fantastic! Congrats on the adaptation. And no, you can never have too many photos of cookies on your blog. 😉
Great adaptation! For another glutenfree option, I’ve grown quite fond of using quinoa flakes instead of rolled oats.
I must confess, I’m not a huge fan of quinoa and its flavor, so I haven’t moved onto quinoa flakes, but I bet they do work marvelously! Thanks Hannah!
Yum!! I love oatmeal cookies. They are my favorite. But Keith calls me an oatmeal cookie purist because I like them sans chocolate chips or raisins. Just plain oatmeal cookies. These are a must try for sure!
These are definitely good sans add-ins. I used to be that way – I only liked cookies without “interference,” but have since changed my ways.
Alisa, these cookies look so thick, chewy, and lovable. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wonderful photos, too!
I made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies earlier this week <3 ! I tend to eat them for breakfast more often than not, so they don't last long. Maybe I should freeze half a batch of cookies at a time… I WILL have to try using molasses though, that would add a splash of awesomeness to any oatmeal cookie!
I freeze cookies and cookie dough all the time – it is a life saver! Keeps us from eating them all at once, and there’s always some cookies ready and waiting in the freezer when cravings strike 🙂
So yummy. I love the little pieces of oatmeal scattered throughout the cookies- and seen in the closeups! Looks wonderful!
You are so talented!!! Love how you can re-create recipes to fit different needs that are so delicious!!
These look so so so good 🙂
Wow, healthy food on the way up! 😀 Cookies, I love cookies! 😀 Thanks again for sharing this amazing recipe.
You know I love you dearly. We go waaaay back now. I do think you may have been the first and only reader of my first blog, the healthy cookie. So my dear Alisa, what do I have to do to get you to switch from Earth Balance to coconut oil? Send me your address and I will send you a jar! For really real!
You are too funny girl! I do only use coconut oil, typically, and oil in general in all of my baking. Buuuuut the husband likes Earth Balance on the muffins I make for him (yes gluten-free, yes low sugar 🙂 and we are moving AND I had a half tub of earth balance to use up and ran out of coconut oil. I shall not waste!
Of course, I’d still gladly accept a jar of coconut oil from my dear friend for a house-warming gift! Tehe.
Love you Meghan – so inspirational and always keeping us on the health track 🙂
I’m pretty sure that I have never seen gluten free cookies look quite this good. Really, I would never even know they were gluten free!
These look delicious. Are they more cakey or chewy? I love a good chewy cookie!
Definitely chewy!
Oh my, these look so good.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
BEST COOKIE EVER!!! My daughter couldn’t stop eating them. Said it’s the first thing she’s had “allergy free” that tasted like the originals… THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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