Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies (Gluten Free)

Christmas Cookie Time!!!

This is my third year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and I finally had the guts to participate in the gluten free category. I love receiving and buying gluten free cookies, but had not yet mastered the art of gluten free baking (except for my one go to recipe for Oatmeal Nut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies). Since I had already posted that recipe on my blog, I couldn't use it for the 2014 Cookie Swap. 

I started by testing a new version of the Oatmeal cookies. Instead of peanut butter, I used almond cocoa butter, which pretty much just resulted in a very flat, spread out crisp, so I kept testing. 

It took me about 5 tries, but I finally perfected the thin, crispy, chocolate-y cookies I like to call Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies! I was determined to make something good enough for my fellow gluten free food bloggers and stand up to the US Postal Service and their "delicate" shipping methods.

Regardless of the hurdles, I prevailed with a successful recipe and many cookies to spread around to friends, family and coworkers. 

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is so much fun, something I look forward to every year. I love the camaraderie of the food blogger network and the encouragement and praise (and social media frenzy) of all the recipes and cookies! This year, I was extra excited to receive my cookies in the mail because I knew they were all going to be gluten free! This year I received:

• Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies from A Rooster In The Kitchen
• Chinese Five Spice Ginger Cookies from Heartbeet Kitchen
• Candy Cane Brownies from The Tomato Tart

All I need now is a tall glass of cold milk!

Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies 

Yields: 3-4 dozen 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

1 cup almond cocoa butter (used Trader Joe's)

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup gluten free oat flour (used Bob’s Red Mill)

3 cups rolled oats (gluten free)

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a SilPat.

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine sugar, brown sugar and cocoa almond butter and beat until creamy. 

Add in the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda and mix well before added in the oat flour. Turn the mixer off and stir in the oats, chocolate chips and almonds by hand. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Using a teaspoon, form small balls of dough and spread out at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Keep a bowl of water near by to dip fingers in when forming the dough balls since the dough will be sticky.

Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes until they puff up. Remove from the oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack.

If you like really crispy cookies, bake for a total of 10 minutes.

Betty's Date Pinwheels - Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Cookies, cookies, cookies everywhere! Yes, it's that time of year again! Time for the Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap!

I discovered this massive cookie swap last year and made my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies for three lucky bloggers across the US :) Since last year, I have really improved my baking skills to include pies, cakes, muffins and of course cookies. I was on a roll the other weekend, baking up a storm of Christmas cookies. My kitchen was covered in powdered sugar and softened butter. 

It is amazing how popular you become in your office when you bring in treats every Monday. Not to mention the Hubby is loving all these cookies that magically arrive on our doorstep. We first received some Brownie Drops from Satisfy My Sweet Tooth. I had to hide them so Hubby and his buddies wouldn't devour them before I could get pics for this post!

        

We then received some delicious Cinnamon Pecan Tea Cakes from Being the Secret Ingredient. These were moist, flavorful bites that were perfect with my morning cup of coffee (yes, I had some for breakfast)!

As for my contribution to the Cookie Swap, I went back in time. I have written about my grandmother in several posts and what an amazing cook she was. She especially had a knack for baking and didn't even write down recipes, just made things from memory and sensory. A favorite in my family are the Date Pinwheels, which basically mixes a sugar cookie with a shortbread cookie and fills it with a fruity, nutty paste. I had to track down the recipe from my Aunt Liz so I could test it for the swap. TEST RUN APPROVED!!

These cookies do involve a few extra steps, but they are totally worth it, especially if you are a date fan. Eating them just made me miss her even more! I hope that all the recipients of my cookies enjoyed them (I know at least one of them did since she sent me a note the day she got them). These cookies are very special to me, so be sure to include lots of love when you make them.

Betty's Date Pinwheels

Yields: 25-30 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

7 oz (200g) pitted dates, chopped
1/3 cup water
1 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a small saucepan, bring the dates, water and 1/4 cup of the sugar to a simmer and cook, while stirring for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Set this aside and cool.

In a standing mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and rest of granulated sugar until light in color. Stir in the egg, vanilla, salt and sifted flour and baking soda. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. 

Split the dough in half and roll each dough ball out until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Spread some of the prepared date paste and gently roll the the dough to create a log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Unwrap the dough logs and slice into 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

What better way to dive right into the food blogging community, than a world-wide cookie swap with food bloggers. I have been at this blog for about 8 months now and absolutely loving it. Nothing gives me more joy than to share my recipes and adventures with cooking, especially baking since I am still perfecting this area of the culinary world.

A few months ago, I received information for an international cookie swap that only food bloggers could participate in - The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. For a small donation to the Cookies for Kids' Cancer, I received three bloggers to send each a dozen cookies to, and in return I would receive a dozen cookies from three different bloggers. There were a few stipulations along the way, but ultimately all the food bloggers would post their cookie recipe on 12/12/12 (today) for massive cookie recipe sharing!

Cookies Galore

It took me all of 10 seconds to process this and sign up! What is not to love about receiving three dozen cookies in the mail! Then it took me another 5 seconds to figure out which cookies to bake; my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies. These cookies remind me of growing up, home and both of my parents. My mom always made them and my dad always devoured them!! I reserve these cookies for the holidays so I can share with others (otherwise they would all end up in my belly). They are absolutely addictive, buttery, tangy, sweet and delicious, all at the same time.

Before I share my cookie recipe, I want to give a quick thanks to three bloggers that sent me delicious and beautiful cookies! I was very happy to come home one day last week to find several boxes (full of cookies) at my front door.

The first one I opened was a bag of delicious, chewy Molasses Cookies from Annakatet at la aguacate. Baked and packaged beautifully! These were my favorite of the three! How did she know about my love for spicy, gingery cookies?!?!?!

Then I received a holiday tin full of Layered Butter Cookies from Christine at Cook the Story. She sent me an assortment of vanilla cookies with lemon and raspberry, layered with apricot preserves AND vanilla cookies with orange and fennel, layered with cranberry jelly. Talk about buttery, melt-in-your mouth delicious!!

And finally, I got a cute red box full of Candy Cane Macaroons from Jennifer at Mother Thyme. I was VERY impressed that she sent macaroons since they are so delicate. Most of them made it through the shipping travels and were very yummy (one of my husbands favs).

Eating and baking these cookies truly get me into the Holiday Spirit! Even the hubby wanted to help out! I made sure to squeeze in lots of taste tests for him!!

Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

Yields: 3-4 dozen, depending on size of cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour
Cook Time: 8-12 minutes

2 sticks salted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoon low-fat milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups dried cherries, coarsely chopped

1 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a large standing mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. In a small separate bowl, beat the eggs and add in the milk and vanilla. Add this into the butter mixture and beat until blended.

In a medium separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add this into the butter mixture while on low speed until just blended. Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and stir in the oats by hand. Fold in the cherries and walnuts and stir until just combined. Do not over mix!

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Once ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and grease several cookie sheets or use silicon pats.

Evenly scoop the cookies onto the cookie sheets and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 12 minutes for larger cookies (we like larger cookies).