This recipe was featured in the October 2016 issue of Gluten-Free Living Magazine.
Have you ever had a healthy cookie? Not always so good, right?
Okay, perhaps it can be good if you’re not comparing it to a “regular” cookie.
When I make a cookie that’s healthier than most, it means I’m adding in some nutrients, not removing all of the ingredients that make a cookie a cookie. After all, a cookie should be a treat. Of course if there are dietary restrictions, you gotta do what you gotta do — but trust me, if a cookie is too healthy, you might as well skip it because isn’t the point to have a treat?
These somewhat healthy seasonal cookies are really delicious, with a soft texture and warm flavors. They’re sort of like little bites of cake.
Enjoy!
- ⅔ cup pumpkin purée
- ¾ cup coconut palm sugar see notes
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour I use Bob's Red Mill or Trader Joe's brand
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup oats
- ½ cup currants
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate -- mini chips or finely chopped
-
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Add the pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, egg yolk and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until it's smooth.
-
In another smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, xanthan gum, cloves, and salt. Once it's blended, add it to the wet ingredients and mix until it's completely absorbed and you no longer see dry spots.
-
Fold in the oats, currants and chocolate.
-
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to shape balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets -- they should be about one generous tablespoon each. (They can be fairly close together because they don't spread.)
-
Bake in the preheated 325 degree F oven just until they look dry on the surface, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then carefully transfer them to a to a cooling rack.
They look great! And healthy enough so that I could probably convince myself that they are breakfast appropriate 😉
Totally breakfast appropriate. Just brew the coffee and you’re set. 😉
If I choose to use regular all purpose flour, could I omit the xantham gum? Thanks!
Yes! 🙂
Can you blow bubbles with xanthan gum (wink wink)? GREG
I hope not, or these cookies might just blow up. 😉
I love the piuctures of your kitchen. Can you share more of them?
Thanks so much, Debra. I’ll try to take some pics of the kitchen soon. 🙂
What does the xanthum gum do, other than give us a reason to use the x key? I have read that it really doesn’t make a difference, but you really know your GF baking, so I look to you for answers! 🙂 These sound wonderful. xo
David, xanthan gum is used in gluten-free baking to hold things together – a binder. You are right though, it often doesn’t make a difference. I try most gluten-free baking recipes with out it first — and only use it when they fall apart. In those cases when I’ve added it, it works. (If you don’t need gluten-free, these cookies also would work with regular AP flour and no xanthan gum.) xo V