Happy December Everyone! If you’re in need of a quick DIY gift idea for friends and family, I’m not sure you can go wrong with a fresh batch of homemade cookies. Our holiday Coconut Cranberry Cookies are a big hit at the Kelly house and cover all of the dietary restrictions we have. Making our cookies without eggs, refined oil, or gluten doesn’t mean we had to give up on those sought-after characteristics of a well made cookie. These babies are slightly crisp on the outside with a chewy center and most people would never know they are both vegan and gluten-free.
Following the recipe:
Following a recipe when baking is extremely important, especially when using gluten-free flours and nut butters. We have included a list of the brands we used for this recipe in the notes section. Some nut butters are more runny than others, especially if making your own. I would say, the best rule of thumb is to make your first batch following our recipe and then branch out with your own special touches and favorite brands from there. The finished dough should have the look and feel of your typical chocolate chip cookie dough; however, after rolling the dough into a ball, I always flatten them slightly with the back of a spatula.
Coconut Cranberry Cookies
By Published:
- Yield: 16-18 cookies
Our Coconut Cranberry Cookies are slightly crisp on the outside with a chewy center and most people would never know they are both vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fine oat flour (67g) We use Bob's Red Mill Organic Gluten-Free Rolled Oats and grind them in our spice grinder to create a fine flour.
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour (44g) We find Bob's Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Flour to work best in these cookies
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (18g)
- 1 teaspoon ground psyllium husk We used Organic India psyllium and grind in a spice grinder to create a more fine powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened finely shredded coconut We used Le's Do...Organic brand
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar Organic from Trader Joe's
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup organic cranberries We only use cranberries made with fruit juice rather than sugar. If using overly sweet cranberries, you may want to cut back on the coconut palm sugar by 1 tablespoon.
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips We only use Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips because they are allergy-friendly.
- 1 cup raw almond butter We had Trader Joe's brand on hand which is very creamy
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup Organic from Trader Joe's
- 1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla We used Simply Organic Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, ground psyllium, shredded coconut, baking soda, coconut palm sugar, sea salt, cranberries, and mini chocolate chips.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together room temperature almond butter, maple syrup, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry and begin mixing with a large spoon. The dough will seem a bit dry; however, give it a bit of mixing time and you'll find it coming together nicely. I often use clean hands to make sure every bit of my dry ingredients have been well incorporated into the wet.
- Create cookies by rolling a tablespoon size of dough between hands, forming a ball. Place on prepared baking pan and lightly press down with the back of a spatula. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.