When I first sampled this new recipe, I thought these were the best cookies I had ever tasted. My very next thought was the name that immediately came to my mind: “Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on Steroids!”
Upon further reflection, I realized that name might sound a bit controversial, so I netted out with “Granola Cookies,” but I really don’t think the moniker does this cookie justice.
Throw in whatever you’d imagine loving in a big ol’ bowl of granola, and I promise you’ll have the most delicious, squint-and-blur “healthy” cookie you could hope for!
Young or old – everyone who has tasted these unassuming-looking cookies has come back again and again for more. Truly the mark of an excellent cookie, whatever its name!
Gluten Free Granola Cookies
"Oatmeal Cookies on steroids!" (in the best possible way!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, depending on how sweet you like your cookies
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free instant oats (Certified Gluten Free Purity Protocol Oats)
- 1 cup gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal or gluten-free oat flour (make your own or just use or gfJules™ All Purpose Flour)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 Tbs. cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated cane (white sugar) or coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy & soy-free Enjoy Life® Mini Chips ) — optional, or may add more or less, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or other dried berries
- 1/2 cup raisins (jumbo or baking raisins work best)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Shred carrots, then stir together in a large bowl with coconut, oats and remaining dry ingredients (flours; baking powder; salt; cinnamon). In a separate bowl, cream sugar and shortening until light. Slowly stir in carrot-coconut-flour mixture, alternating with milk and vanilla, beating until fully integrated. Stir in chips, raisins, nuts, berries — whatever additions you prefer.
Scoop tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 18 minutes – they are done when the edges are lightly browned, but the centers seem slightly under-cooked (time varies by the size of the cookies). Remove to cool on a wire rack. If the cookies spread, refrigerate remaining dough and bake once very cold.
Yield: 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.
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I used coconut oil. I think I should have just used butter. Thought they came out a little dry and not very crunchy. But the taste was very good.
I’m glad to hear that the taste was good! There are options here, and if the dough is dry or crumbly, be sure to add a bit of liquid before baking. Coconut oil doesn’t have any moisture and butter does, so that switch may be enough to do the trick!
~jules
I would like to know if you have a carb count on these cookies. My grandson is a diabetic as well as having Celiac . We are baking them right now and I know he is going to love them, but I’m not sure how much insulin to give him for the cookie.
Thank you
Sandra – I don’t have the carb count on these cookies. We do run nutritionals on some of our recipes and in all my ebooks with recipes, but we’re a small bunch here trying to keep up and haven’t been able to run nutritional content on every recipe. Hopefully someday though!
I use The Nutrition Almanac. You can analyze each ingredient and calculate the carb content.
Hi Jules,
Question, do have to use instant oats? I have regular gf ‘old fashioned rolled oats’. How would that change the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, that’s a great question. For recipes using oats, I’ve found that the instant variety work better because they absorb the moisture faster while baking. Steel cut oats definitely don’t work well in cookie recipes like this one, but you may be able to use regular rolled oats if they are not too stiff. I know many readers have complained to me that Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats do NOT work well in cookie recipes, but you may have another brand that works better. The one major caveat here is that you defintely need to use ONLY certified gluten-free oats if you are celiac or on a gluten-free diet for medically necessitated reasons, as other oats are contaminated in the harvesting/milling/process. Hope that helps!
Jules – my doctor advised that “natural flavor” could be a hidden source of gluten. Have you had any trouble with the So Delicious almond milk (which includes “natural flavor”)? Almond milk with protein would be ideal for me.
Aviva – “natural flavors” in the US are nearly always made from wheat, corn and/or soy. If they are made from wheat though, they must be listed as “natural flavors (wheat)” or otherwise called out on the nutritional label as containing wheat. If the flavors are derived from barley instead, they will almost always be listed as “barley malt” or “malt extract” or something similar. If wheat and/or barley/malt is not listed on the label, you should be safe with a product containing “natural flavor.” The So Delicious almond milk does not contain gluten. Here is their allergy info: http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/almond-plus-almond-milk-beverages/original-almond-plus-almond-milk-beverage. Hope that helps clear it up!
Any cookie where I can sneak veggies in, is a big hit in my books! Especially when the kids devour them by the handfuls. Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely, Angie! So glad you’ll make good use of the recipe!
These cookies are AMAZING! I just made them for my son and I couldn’t stop eating the dough. Normally I can resist eating the dough and licking utensils on all sweets but not these.
Yes, Becky, I know what you mean! This dough is almost even better than the cookies!
Can I print, or copy, your recipes without the photos so they will go into my word document recipe book?
D
Diane, they should print with only the top photo, but some might not be formatted to cut out the intro. There is a print button at the bottom of each recipe. Enjoy!
Baked these cookies tonight for my GF daughter, they are wonderful! Our new favorite cookie, thanks.
Awesome to hear, Kendall!
Do you have, or know of a GF angel food cake recipe, or can I just sub in your Jules GF flour one to one in a regular cake recipe?
Stephanie – I have a couple of great Angel Food Cake recipes in my cookbooks; I even have one for Angel Food Cake with an Irish Twist in my newest book, Free for All Cooking. It’s super yummy, I just haven’t had time to post it separately on the blog yet!
Just made these, they are very good. Uses unsweetened coconut, and walnuts with small chocolate chips. They are great. Thank you for the recipe. Nina
I don’t see eggs listed in this recipe. Correct?
Thanks
Carol – yes! They’re vegan!!
Jules can you please recommend a sub for the carrot? Really really allergic to raw, but these look totally yum.
Michaela – why don’t you try shredded zucchini instead? I bet it would be yummy!
Just made these and snacking on one right now as I write this. They are truly delicious!!
Awesome, Cindy!!!!
what can i use to replace the coconut. I am allergic to coconut!
Mary – I just suggested shredded zucchini as a carrot alternative to another reader; I bet it would be great for the coconut too, but really, you could skip it altogether – the cookie will be more cake-like (taste the dough – since it’s vegan! – and add more sugar if you think you need it without the coconut).
If you added some pineapple you’d have a Morning Glory Cookie! These sound delicious and I’m going to make them even healthier by adding some ground flax seed and chia seeds.
Can these be made low fat by using applesauce in place of the shortening?
Sarah – I haven’t tried it yet, but I was just describing this recipe to someone here at ExpoWest, and I mentioned that I thought applesauce would be a great way to cut the fat in this recipe. Let me know how it goes – I think it could be great in this recipe!
It worked beautifully! They were wonderful (and so was the dough)!
Yay, Sarah! So glad you loved the cookies & the dough!
I am also on a low fat diet, so could I replace shortening with applesauce?