Sweet Sundays: Cookies, Cookies, and More Cookies!

I have coaxed you with my review of Cookies for Everone! and enticed you with a giveaway of both the book and Enjoy Life Goodies on One Frugal Foodie (you can still enter through tomorrow, June 29th, so hurry over), but I have one last final tease … recipes! Yes, if you need a little more incentive, then just try out a recipe for one (or all) of these tasty morsels. Like all of the recipes in Cookies for Everyone!, the following are free of dairy (yes, casein, lactose, whey, etc.), eggs, soy, gluten/wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts. Plus, they use relatively inexpensive ingredients (no xanthan gum or coconut flour found here), are easy to make, and all around kid-friendly. So get baking, and enjoy these gluten-free and food allergy-friendly recipes for People's Choice Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oat Chocolate Chippers, and Munchy Crunch Cookies …

Note: If gluten-free isn't a necessity for you, feel free to substitute all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour for the flours in these recipes, using a 1:1 ratio.

People's Choice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Cookies for Everyone! by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and Wheat-Free.

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill white rice flour
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° (180°C, or gas mark 4).

With a mixer, or by hand, stir together oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Add the flours and baking powder and mix on low speed.  While mixing, slowly pour in the water until the dough is smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Use a small ice cream/cookie scoop or drop dough by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart (about 6 cookies per baking sheet).

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Cookies will be golden around the edges and soft in the center.  For soft cookies, remove from oven before they are too golden – around 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for less than 1 minute.  Remove with a flat spatula and place on a flat surface to cool completely.

Yield: About 2 dozen

Munchy Crunch Cookies

Recipe from Cookies for Everyone! by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and Wheat-Free.

• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill brown or white rice flour
• 1/2 cup rice bran or sorghum flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
• 1 1/2 cups Enjoy Life Perky's "Nutty" Rice or "Nutty" Flax cereal
• 1 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats or rice flakes
• 2/3 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° (180°C, or gas mark 4).

With a mixer, combine the sugars, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and flax meal.  Add the cream of tartar and the next 5 ingredients (through baking soda) and mix well.  Stir in the sunflower seeds, cereal, and oats.  Stir in the chocolate chips, if desired.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon on a baking sheet, about 6 cookies per baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden around the edges.  Let cool 1 minute on baking sheet before removing with a spatula to a flat surface to cool completely.

Yield: About 3 dozen

Hearty Oat Chocolate Chippers

Recipe from One Frugal Foodie; Adapted from Cookies for Everyone! by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free*, Egg-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Wheat-Free, and relatively Low Fat. See ingredient links and notes for best options to keeping this “free-from” profile.

If you have the time, I recommend letting the dough sit in the fridge for a few hours to soften the oats if using whole rolled oats. Alternately, you can use quick rolled oats (not instant), or just enjoy the heartiness! Also, the version from the book has an incorrect cooking time, see the cooking time in this adapted recipe to keep them from becoming crispy.

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1/4 Cup Grapeseed, Canola, or Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 Cup Water or Milk Alternative of choice (plain or vanilla)
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 Cup Flax Meal
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup White or Brown Rice Flour [I used brown. keepin' them hearty!]
• 1/2 Cup Oat Flour* [original recipe calls for sorghum flour]
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups Rolled Oats**, Quinoa, or Rice Flakes [I used oats]
• 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Raisins

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180°C, or gas mark 4).

With a mixer or by hand, cream together the brown sugar, oil, water or milk alternative, applesauce, flax, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the oats and chocolate chips, and mix until dough is well combined.  Add the oats and mix again until all ingredients are combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Use a small ice cream/cookie scoop or drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto the baking sheet.  Flatten slightly.

Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and semi-soft to the touch in the middle.  Let cookies sit for a few minutes before removing from baking sheet.  Remove from baking sheet to a flat surface (like a large plate) or wire rack to cool completely before enjoying.

* To make oat flour (gluten-free or regular), place some oats in your spice grinder and whiz for about 30 seconds, or until they are pulverized into a flour.

** To keep these cookies gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats or use the sorghum flour and choose quinoa or rice flakes over the oats.

Yields 3 dozen medium-sized chippers