Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

From Gluten Free Easily

1/3 cup unsalted butter (I believe coconut oil will work, but I haven’t tried it yet)
1 1/2 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips; finely chopped raisins; finely chopped dried cranberries; 2/3 cup finely chopped nuts; or, combination of all these ingredients that equals no more than 2/3 cup total (optional)

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Place oats in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in both sugars and the salt and blend to break up any lumps.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vanilla extract, and egg. Stir this egg mixture into the oat mixture and add chocolate chips or raisins (if used), mixing with your hands or a large wooden spoon to work in the ingredients. Form into a large ball of dough.

Chill the dough about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.

Chilled dough will still be somewhat soft when removed from the refrigerator. Form the dough into 1-inch balls (or lumps, don’t stress) and place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball down very slightly.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned and the tops of the cookies are medium golden in color.

Cool well on the baking sheet (about 10 minutes) before attempting to remove, using a spatula.

Recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

Shirley’s Notes: If you add any of the optional ingredients, it’s very important that the pieces be finely chopped or already small, like mini chocolate chips (which, of course, also melt and hold things together). These cookies come out pretty flat and the dough is not substantial enough to include whole raisins, whole dried cranberries, etc. The original recipe states that the dough can also be brought to room temperature and flattened more when placed on the baking sheet to make a large, crisp and lace-like cookie. I haven’t tried this method yet, but you do get the lace-cookie look and taste from the edges of the cookies made as shown above. I love lace cookies though, so I do plan to try that version, too. Last, if you are not eating gluten free, you can use any brand of rolled oats.

Adapted from Washington Post