Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

[RissaRoo]

Hi! I've been out of town for a week (sorry no gluten free menu last week...I'm getting one together for next week though!). We had a great time, although being out of my own kitchen meant getting glutened all over the place...it reminded me how hard it was to cut gluten out in the first place (crumbs in the mayo, butter, peanut butter...you know the drill. Sigh)

Anyway, my stepmom found this recipe for cookies that turned out so good! Here it is (use dairy free margarine if you can't have the dairy, they taste just the same!):

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened (substitute soy and dairy free)

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract

1 tsp light corn syrup

4 1/2 cups gluten free oats (Bob's Red Mill are the most reasonably priced!)

1 cup semi sweet gluten-free chocolate chips

1 cup gluten-free candy coated chocolate pieces (dark chocolate M&M's...yum!)

2 teaspoons baking soda

beat sugars and butter at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and next 3 ingredients, beating until combined. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake, in batches, at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool

[JennyC]

That seems like a great recipe, thanks for posting!

[Ridgewalker]

Wondered where you were, Rissa!

Do you know, id there any substitute for the corn syrup? Or I wonder how they'd do just leaving it out... It's not something I generally have in my cupboard. They sound yummy!

[RissaRoo]

Thanks, guys! Ridgewalker...yeah, I don't keep corn syrup around either (in fact I try to avoid it!). The recipe doesn't call for much at all, so I think it's safe to just leave it out. The other thought I had was to substitute maple syrup...maybe add a touch more than it calls for in the recipe. I think it would give them a nice flavor, too. Let me know if you try it!

[zip2play]

I have been making these cookies for a long time. They are a huge hit with gluten free people and other non-gluten free people. I love them...but I would be concerned about eliminating the corn syrup...my fear, they would become very crumbly and would fall apart very easily!

Monica

[RissaRoo]

I have been making these cookies for a long time. They are a huge hit with gluten free people and other non-gluten free people. I love them...but I would be concerned about eliminating the corn syrup...my fear, they would become very crumbly and would fall apart very easily!

Monica

Hmmm, I can see where that might happen....would the maple syrup maybe work instead? Or you could add honey (maybe more honey than the corn syrup)? Another option would be to add some xanthan gum, which would help the chewy factor. I'll have to try them w/out the corn syrup and see! Or if anyone else does, let us know how it goes

[zip2play]

Those are good ideas for alternatives. Since I don't make them often (mainly around holidays or such) I will stick with the corn syrup, especially since it is only 1 tsp. But yes, if anyone else does the others, please let us know. I am very interested in how it would go.

Monica

[luvs2eat]

How do Bob's Red Mill oats bake up? The oats I have (Bob's) are more like grains of kasha rather than the flaky Quaker Oats. Do the oat "kernals" bake up well?

[purple]

I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free whole grain "rolled" oats. They look and act like Quaker Old Fashioned style oats compared to Quick oats. I make muffins and cookies with them. I pulse them in the blender 3 or 4 times to "chew" them up a little otherwise I find that they are a little tough (then they look more like Quick oats). I made no-bake cookies without pulsing them and the cookies were too chewy. They work great. I have not tried them in the recipe that started this thread but I am sure they will be fine if you use the rolled oats. The kernals I have never used before.

[cruelshoes]

I tried this recipe to take to a potluck with the Gluten Eaters yesterday. I pulsed the Bob's Red Mill oats in my food processor a few times to break them up a bit. I also subbed 1 C sweetened flaked coconut for the M&M's. They turned out plenty chocolatey for me with that change. Overall, they turned out great, and we had none to bring home. I had several people ask me for the recipe. THe only other change I made was that I lined my cookie sheets with parchmant paper, and I let them sit for a few minutes when I took them out of the oven. When they first came out, they were a little soft to be taking off the cookie sheet.

Thanks for posting.

[Juliet]

F.Y.I. - I made these cookies yesterday, but I didn't use the light corn syrup (I didn't even increase the sugar content). I also used baking powder instead of baking soda because I didn't use the corn syrup (powder has a little cream of tartar and cornstarch, so it can help a bit with stabilizing and binding during the cooking process). And as someone suggested, I also pulsed the Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats a bit to make them a little less chewy. They tasted great and are even better today. For all of you concerned about the corn syrup, I don't think it's absolutely needed. Although, without trying it with the corn syrup, it might make them yummier with the added sweetness. But we found them sweet enough without.

Now back to my 3rd cookie of the day!

[chef-kim]

I made these cookies substituting agave nectar for the corn syrup. They turned out perfectly and they are so delicious.