Easy oatmeal cookies
By Sari Huhtala
Kids and adults alike love these healthy vegan oatmeal cookies. It’s the first thing my two-year-old grandson asks for when he comes through the door. And, because just about any variation of flour works, it’s pretty much a fail-proof cookie recipe so even the most novice baker can bake the perfect bite. Plus, I use apple sauce or pumpkin puree in place of eggs to create a delicious vegan cookie.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 4 tbsp apple sauce or pumpkin puree
- 1 cup spelt flour*
- ½ cup oats
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- Optional: 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup raisins or chopped dates
- Optional: add pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds to make a hardier cookie
Spelt flour is great for swapping out in recipes that call for white or whole wheat flour. Low in gluten, easy to digest and chock full of nutrition, spelt flour can be swapped out in a 1:1 ratio in any recipe that calls for white or whole wheat flour. Plus, spelt won’t leave you feeling bloated or spike blood sugar levels.
*Alternatively, you can swap out spelt for oats ground into flour to make a gluten-free version, or even use a gluten-free flour blend. I like to use ¾ cup spelt and ¼ cup sorghum flour to add variety.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Blend coconut oil, coconut sugar and apple sauce in a bowl. Add spelt flour, cinnamon and baking soda and mix well. Add oats (any type of oat flakes will work) and raisins and blend.
Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough onto parchment paper-cover cookie sheet, or use a greased cookie sheet, leaving about an inch and a half between cookies. Bake for approximately 14-15 minutes. Makes about 20 cookies.
