Hey lovelies, there comes a time in our lives when we just crave to eat healthily. We get so concerned about our health and sometimes even get worked up calculating the calories we place into our mouth. I have been there. So while drafting my recipes for this month of June for the blog, I figured I should include my all time favorite Gluten-free recipes. And since I have been sharing COOKIES RECIPES in previous blog posts, I decided to follow it up with a chewy, very simple, irresistible, oatmeal cookies recipe, that can be made in just 12 minutes with items already in your pantry or bakery.

WHAT ARE GLUTEN-FREE DIETS?

A gluten-free diet is an eating plan that excludes foods containing gluten (gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It means eating only whole foods that don’t contain gluten, such as fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs, as well as processed gluten-free foods like gluten-free bread or pasta.
A gluten-free diet is essential for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten.
A gluten-free diet is also popular among people who haven’t been diagnosed with a gluten-related medical condition but are interested in improved health, weight loss and increased energy.
Some people think going gluten-free means not eating any carbohydrates, but this isn’t the case. Lots of foods that contain carbs, such as rice, potatoes and beans, don’t contain gluten.

ARE OATS COMPLETELY GLUTEN-FREE?

No. Oats are also prone to cross contamination with gluten containing cereals, including wheat, barley and rye during the process of production. So I wouldn’t say they are completely gluten-free. Except you see a brand with a label emphasizing that their oats are ‘gluten-free’ or ‘gluten friendly’.

INGREDIENTS FOR MY GLUTEN-FREE OATMEAL COOKIES:

The ingredients for my oatmeal cookies are namely:

1. Oats: I use Old fashioned Oats are considered to produce a healthier texture. You can use Quick oats too as they are a good balance between a soft and a chewy texture.
2. Bananas: This is the sweetener or sweetening agents in this recipe. I use over ripe Bananas. The ripeness of your bananas will determine the sweetness of your cookies. So you want to make sure your bananas are overripe and large. My bananas are large hence I used two. If using medium sized banana fingers you should use three fingers.
3. Raisins: adds more flavour to the cookies. It retains moisture in the cookies, keeping it soft and chewy for days. Raisins are also high in vitamin and iron. Raisins can be substituted with your favorite nuts.
4. Cinnamon powder: The only spice here. It adds flavor to the oats, if you’re allergic to it or don’t like the smell of cinnamon powder, you can totally omit it, or use all-mixed spices, ginger powder, or garlic powder.
5. Salt: I use fine sea salt.

WHY IS MY OATMEAL COOKIES RECIPE HEALTHY?

• This recipe is not only healthy but also a Vegan recipe.
• It doesn’t contain eggs.
• It doesn’t contain refined sugar.
• It’s gluten-free.
• It won’t puff or rise as there are no leavening agents in it.

STORING MY HEALTHY BANANAS OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

These cookies will last for 2-3 days at room temperature when wrapped in foil or parchment or baking paper. They then start to get soft. They can be refrigerated for up to a week. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze unbaked oatmeal cookies for 2 months and when ready to bake, you allow it thaw in the fridge overnight. While you can store unbaked oatmeal banana raisins cookies in the refrigerator in a single layer for 2 days.

HOW TO MAKE MY GLUTEN-FREE OATMEAL COOKIES

• Pre-heat oven to 350F; line your baking tray with parchment paper or brown paper or you can use a silpat mat or grease baking tray with cooking spray.
• Next measure out all items, set them on your work surface.
• In a large mixing bowl, add your bananas, mash it using a hand whisk or folk. Then add your salt, and cinnamon and stir.
• Next add in your Oats, stir to combine. Then add your raisins and mix thoroughly. Dough should come together at this stage. If yours doesn’t, add an extra finger of bananas.
• Using a spoon or ice-cream scoop spoon, scoop some oatmeal cookies dough into the palm of you clean hands, shape into a ball and place on a your prepared baking tray. Repeat process till cookie dough is exhausted.
• Next, still using your palm, slightly press each cookie ball, down to form a flat disk. Shape with your fingers.
• You can also decide to roll the cookie dough between two parchment paper like I did with my SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD COOKIES recipe and then cut-out using your favorite cookie cutter.
• Then bake in your preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
• At the end of baking, your cookies would be slightly brown, not sticky to your baking paper. Allow them cool for 10 minutes in your baking tray. Then transfer them to your cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, eat right away or store. Cookies would be chewy and delicious! Enjoy.

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