Spiced Granola Cookies

Granola Cookies are gluten-free, deliciously spiced and crisped to perfection. Imagine your favorite bowl of granola in cookie form.

Ever just wanna have a friend come by for a cup of coffee on a lazy weekend morning? My granola cookies are the perfect treat to serve with it!

While I love a feast of a brunch, on occasion, I just want a delicious morning snack and a fantastic cup of coffee.

My Spiced Granola Cookies developed as a result of a love of granola, cookies, and breakfast. Rather than make this a true dessert cookie with butter, flour, etc., I left those ingredients out and created what I think is a crunchy, sweet bowl of granola -- in cookie form.

Much like my Cappuccino Oatmeal Cookies, these are a breakfast favorite! And don't get me wrong, clearly this granola cookie could pass as dessert. 😉

About the Key Ingredients

• rolled oats - If it's important for you that the cookies be 100% gluten-free, be sure the oats you use are marked as gluten-free - some oats are cross contaminated with wheat. If need be, you can also use steel-cut oats -- the oats are cut into smaller pieces, so the texture is different, but they'll still be delicious.
• egg whites - This is all you need, just like my gluten-free peanut butter cookies. Skipping the yolk makes them a much healthier cookie, to boot.
• honey - It might seem redundant to use honey as well as sugar, but we want the honey flavor, and its texture is part of what helps hold the cookies together.
• coconut - Be sure to use unsweetened, and the more finely the coconut is grated, the better. (Larger pieces will make it harder for the cookies to stick together.)
• raisins - I love golden raisins, but you can use any type you like, as well as currants.
• almond meal - Almond meal is preferable, but almond flour will work too.

How to Make the Best Granola Cookies

- Whisk the egg whites with the sugar, honey, vanilla, spices and salt. Once everything is well blended, fold in the oats, coconut, raisins and almond meal.

- Use an approximately 1½-inch cookie scoop, to shape the "batter" into balls, placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheet as you go. They will be on the loose side, but they will stick together. (They won't spread, but still leave at least an inch or so between each one.)

- Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until they are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tip: It's important to let the cookies cool on the sheet pan -- try not to be impatient. 😉 Otherwise, they might crumble.

Variations

• And if you want to add chocolate chips, go for it! The total measurement for the "mix-ins," the raisins and coconut, is 1 cup, so subtract from that whatever you add in chocolate chips. You can also use 1 cup of the chocolate chips instead of both the coconut and raisins.
• These are also fabulous with dried cranberries and dried blueberries.

Making Them Ahead and Storage

• Granola cookies are at their best just after they're out of the oven, once they've cooled. This is when they'll be at their crispiest.
• Once the cookies have cooled completely, they can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to a month.
• They will lose their crispness as time goes by, in or out of the freezer.
• To re-crisp them, you can place them in a preheated 375°F oven for about 10 minutes. (Though this gets them crispier, they still won't be as crisp as they are initially.)

Other Must-Try Breakfast Treats

I hope you enjoy this breakfast treat as much as my family and I do!

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