Sugar and gluten-free healthy oaty cookie recipe
Bee Berrie / 29 Apr 2016
Yes I’m a baker, so stereotype dictates that I don’t have a huge problem with eating a lot of sugar, butter and gluten – true story! However, if I can make something delicious and full of energy, which just happens to NOT contain a huge amount of these things, then that’s a bonus for me. It’s important for me to have a healthy diet at home, to make up for all the broken biscuits I eat at work! These cookies, and my protein rich cookies really float my healthy eating boat.
Ingredients
Makes around 10 – 12 cookies
220g applesauce (available in jars from most supermarkets or you can make your own by gently cooking about 2 peeled apples cut into cubes in a pan until they make a nice gooey appley mash with no big lumps)
1 large ripe banana (even better if its overripe) mashed until smooth
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla essence
90g rolled / porridge oats (the more budget the better, as they’ll be nice and crushed up)
45g ground almonds
50g chopped nuts – e.g. almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans
50g dried fruits of your choosing – e.g., raisins, cranberries, dates, prunes
2-3 tbsp milk
1 tsp. seeds if you have them – e.g., poppy seeds, chia seeds, sesame, pumpkin, pine nuts are all great
Method
1. Combine the applesauce, mashed banana, cinnamon, oats and almonds in one big bowl – mix really well, until your arms are little bit achy – then you know you’re doing it right! Leave to rest for at least 10 mins so the oats begin to soak up the moisture and the mixture thickens.
2. Preheat your oven to 170°C then add the chopped nuts and dried fruit, into the bowl and mix well. Add in the milk, spoon by spoon until you have a slightly gloopy mixture that’s very sticky, you may not need all of the milk to achieve this.
3. Spoon equally sized dollops onto a baking tray – go for nice round shaped dollops and squish them down a little bit in the middles. If you like them, sprinkle some seeds on top for a crunchy texture.
4. If you prefer, you can bake these cookies as a “bar” by pouring the mixture into a lined brownie tin or loaf tin, you will need to increase the bake time by 5 minutes.
5. Bake at 170°C for 20 – 25 mins until the edges are crispy and the tops go a little golden brown.
6. Serve straight away, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Bee Berrie
Baker
