Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I have a confession to make:  I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian.  I am not gluten-free, nor am I an avid consumer of organic-only products.  But a lot of my yogi (and non-yogi) friends are.  And therefore, when confronted with, "How do I show my love and appreciation to them during this holiday season?"  I decided to bake them cookies; not your average Christmas cookie, but a chewy coconut oatmeal raisin cookie made with only organic ingredients.

As a non-organic, non-gluten-free carnivore, some of the ingredients were completely foreign to me, but I was able to source all of them at either Whole Foods or Walmart.  Yes, Walmart!  They actually have a large selection of organic products in their baking aisle.

MODIFICATIONS:

• The original recipe called for 2 cups of sugar.  The person who shared the recipe with me notated that she only used one cup of sugar.  I also only used one cup and then changed the recipe to reflect that.
• The recipe called for 2 cups of Almond Flour.  I used one cup of Almond Flour and one cup of Coconut Flour.
• The original recipe did not call for the addition of water, but my mixture was too dry to roll into balls.  I added about 6 tablespoons of water and all was well.
• To make this recipe fit for a vegan, cornstarch or an egg substitute can be used in place of eggs.
• To make this recipe fit for a person with tree nut allergies, substitute the almond flour with coconut flour and omit the pecan pieces.
• To make this recipe gluten-free, use verified gluten-free rolled oats.
• If you don't like cinnamon or raisins, leave them out.  They are not crucial to the overall taste or texture of the cookie.

Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Servings:  48

Preparation time:  30 minutes

  

• 1 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1 cup organic whole sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 organic soy-free eggs
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups almond flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 scant teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 5-6 tablespoons water, as needed* 

Uncooked, golf-ball shaped cookies, pre-flattened

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.       Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.

3.       Cream coconut oil and sugar in a large bowl, add eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.

4.       In a separate bowl, mix the oats, almond flour, baking soda and salt.

5.       Stir the wet and dry together, then add cinnamon, raisins, coconut, and pecans.

6.       Roll into golf ball sized cookies and flatten***   Space approximately 1” apart.

7.       Bake 8-12 minutes until cookies are golden and fragrant.

8.       Let stand to cool.

*You can grind your own almond flour by placing whole almonds into a blender or food processor until a fine meal is produced.

*You can substitute almond flour for coconut flour.  I used 1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of coconut flour. 

**If mixture is too dry to combine, add water until it sticks together.

Finished and fragrant!

I have another confession to make:  I'm not usually a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, but these were delicious!  I ate way more than I should have, and while they are gluten-free, they are not calorie free!  Enjoy!