You might think creating a gluten-free oatmeal-raisin cookie would be fairly easy after all, oats are gluten-free. But oatmeal cookies also require a good amount of flour. When we used our gluten-free flour blend, we ended up with hockey pucks; between the oats and all the starches in the flour blend, the moisture in our dough was getting completely absorbed. We tried the simplest solution first adding water to the dough but this resulted in cookies that were thin and tough. Thinking of ways to add moisture without encouraging too much spread, we combined a portion of the oats (toasted first to enhance their flavor) with a small amount of water. Within 10 minutes, the oats had soaked up the liquid and softened. These soaked-oat cookies set up well and were more tender, but now we had a new problem: The cookies were cakey. Substituting high-protein almond flour for a portion of our flour blend gave our cookies richness, heft, and chew without any noticeable nut flavor. After portioning the dough onto the baking sheet, be sure to flatten the dough balls to ensure the oats spread out evenly. Do not use quick oats in this recipe. Do not shortchange the dough’s 30-minute rest or the cookies will spread too much and taste gritty.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces (3 cups) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup warm tap water
- 4 ounces (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) almond flour
- 3 ounces (⅔ cup) ATK All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 7 ounces (1 cup packed) brown sugar
- 3½ ounces (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, plus 1 large yolk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread oats evenly on rimmed baking sheet and bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let oats cool completely. Transfer half of cooled oats to bowl and stir in water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk almond flour, flour blend, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, and nutmeg together in medium bowl. Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and yolk, oil, and vanilla in large bowl until well combined and smooth. Stir in flour mixture, oat-water mixture, and remaining toasted oats using rubber spatula until soft, homogeneous dough forms. Fold in raisins. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 2 generous tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls and space them 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Using bottom of greased measuring cup, press dough to ½-inch thickness.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are set and beginning to brown but centers are still soft and puffy, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
