Borrowing the basics from my gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe, these better for you confections fill your home with the warmth of cinnamon and spice. The excellent moisture retention and natural sweetness of oats can balance out the grit and bitterness of almost any other whole grain. And because gluten-free flours don’t get as nutty when baked, I’m maximizing toastiness by toasting the nuts and browning the butter. Additionally, whisking a portion of the sugar with the eggs dissolves the sugar and fast-tracks the caramelization. The result is not only an absolutely delicious gluten-free confection but also a tasty way for anyone to diversify the grains in their diet.
ingredients
makes about 4 dozen
8 oz (1 cup/ 2 sticks) Butter
14.5 oz (2 cups packed) Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs, room temperature
1.5 oz (3 Tablespoons) Milk, room temperature
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
7 oz (2 cups) Oats Flour
8 oz (2 cups) Whole Grain Sorghum Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Table Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
8 oz White or Blonde Chocolate Chips or Bars, coarsely chopped
8 oz Pecans, Walnuts, and/or Hazelnuts, chopped
8 oz Raisins or Dried Cranberries
deviations & tips
Browning the butter imparts a more butterscotch-y flavor, but if you opt to skip this step, use regular butter brought to 65F and reduce milk to .5 ounce.
DO NOT skip the chilling step. Freezing the dough prevents the excessive spreading that plaques whole grain doughs.
DO experiment with different add-ins, chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit, to make it your own.
The cookie gets much of the structure from the add-ins. Whatever you choose to use (chocolate, nuts and/or dried fruit), try to keep the overall amount at 24 ounces to keep your cookies from falling flat!
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Spread nuts onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until toasty and fragrant. Cool on the counter or in the fridge until at room temperature. Coarsely chop nuts and set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. After the butter melts, continue heating, swirling gently, for about 5 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Be careful not to burn it! Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes or until it reaches 65F-75F. It will be opaque and firm around the edges.
Brown Butter
In a medium bowl, blend oat flour with sorghum, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt and set aside.
Fit mixer with whisk attachment. In the mixing bowl, combine half (7.25 oz) the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and pale brownish-yellow.
Add remaining brown sugar, milk, and cooled brown butter. Mix on low for a couple seconds to combine. Increase speed to high and beat for just about 5 seconds to emulsify.
Switch to paddle attachment. Add flour mixture all at once and mix on low for another 15 seconds. Some dry flour should still be visible. Add chocolate and nuts all at once and mix on low speed for another 15 seconds or until the dough just comes together. Remove bowl from machine and fold by hand to evenly distribute your add-ins. Using a 2 tablespoon/1 ounce/#30 cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets and freeze… Keep in mind you can remove them from the cookie sheets before baking. So, feel free to space closely and save freezer space. I can fit all 48-50 cookies on 2 quarter sheet pans or 1 half sheet pan. Freeze at least 30 minutes for a thicker cookie. For best flavor, freeze overnight. Frozen cookie dough balls can be stored in freezer bags and kept frozen if not using right away.
Frozen cookie dough ready to bake
Preheat oven to 350F. Line half-sheet pans with parchment paper and space 12 cookies evenly apart on each sheet. Do not bake any more than 1-2 dozen at a time. Bake on the center 2 racks for 12 - 15 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container or freeze.
Cinnamon Spice Gluten-Free Whole Grain Cookies with Raisins, Toasted Pecan, and Blonde Chocolate
