So, apparently I can only manage to post once a week these days {even though I’ve been in the kitchen whipping up things like Spicy Baked Cajun Sweet Potato Fries, Coconut Curry Chicken & Rice, Creamy Parmesan Quinoa Pasta with Asparagus, fluffy Blueberry Pancakes, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Jammy Thumprint cookies…} without completely overwhelming myself and ending up in the fetal position.
It’s been a weird week. For starters, I began the week thinking that we were going to be moving out… this weekend. Don’t ask. {But just to clarify, it was by our own devices, not due to eviction or any juicy reason that would make for good reading material.} Turns out we’re staying put for a little bit, but I think I expended way too much energy getting wound up over everything going on, and consequently, haven’t properly documented anything to share with you. {Read: I ate all of the delicious aforementioned foods without taking any pictures. Sometimes I like to eat my meal while it’s still hot and not examine every angle that I could photograph it in my poorly lit apartment. So, sue me. :P}
But now that I know {for the most part} that I will not be packing up our belongings at lightning speed this week, I can get back to focusing on the important stuff. You know, like cookies.
I know I have been posting WAY too many sweets lately {sorry health nut friends!}, but it’s just so hard to keep these recipes to myself when they turn out so fantastically that all I want to do is stuff my face shout their praises from my rooftop…er… laptop. So bear with me. Or close your browser. I won’t know which you choose. {Or maybe I will… I have my sources… You think about that.} 😉
I do, however, have good news about the recipe I am about to share with you. It is semi-healthy. {No, that’s not anything like Semi-Homemade. I’ve read some of the things out there about how people feel about that and, man, can people get snarky over a tub of whipped topping.} So, you can feel semi-good about eating a few of these and still semi-fit into your jeans. Or something like that. But, yeah, back to the cookies.
These cookies contain one of my favorite ingredients: flax. I currently have a little food crush on flax. It has this nutty crunchiness that is really yummy and satisfying. And it’s good for you, too. I tried to find information about the health benefits, but when I got to the words “8th Century” and “King Charlemagne”, my eyes sort of glazed over and I just wanted to eat another cookie. Suffice it to say, flaxseed goes way back and is in the elite category of foods containing “good fats”. You had me at “good”. {Let’s forget the “fat” part, shall we?}
Guess what else? These cookies are gluten free… and more importantly… they actually have the texture of a real cookie! Imagine that. {If you’ve experimented with gluten free baking, you know that proper texture can be an issue.} The chewy, oatmeal raisin-like texture of these will keep you reaching for “just one more”.
So, without any further ado…. Gluten Free Oatmeal & Flax Cranberry Cookies. Yum.
Gluten Free Oatmeal & Flax Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons softened butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup GF baking mix {I used Pamela's Products brand}
- 3/4 cup GF rolled oats not instant or quick cooking
- 1/4 cup whole flax meal
- 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts {I only had a few tablespoons left in the pantry so mine weren't too nutty but add as many as you want}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and water until fluffy.
- Mix in the flour, oats, flax, and dried fruit and nuts.
- Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour, for the flax and oats to soften.
- Scoop the dough by the rounded tablespoonful onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup, flatten dough balls into 1/2 inch disks. {Dip into granulated sugar to keep from sticking.}
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes.
