Oatmeal Substitute In Cookies

[lpellegr]

I can't eat oats. I'd like to replicate the chewiness they give to oatmeal cookies by substituting something else. I've heard people here suggest quinoa flakes, but I'm not shelling out that kind of money without trying them out first. I've been thinking along the lines of making something that resembles the chewy liquid-holding properties of rolled oats - soaked rice, white or brown? Partially cooked rice? Chopped dried fruit like dates or apricots (granted, that would change the flavor quite a bit)? Cooked or raw or partially cooked tapioca pearls? Grits? Buckwheat/kasha? Crushed uncooked rice pasta? Crudely mashed potatoes? Chipped dried beef? Okay, that's a little weird, but what do all you creative people out there suggest? I'm thinking of how each individual rolled oat kernel goes into the mix dry and soaks up moisture while being mixed and baked, leaving them chewy. I have a mock oatmeal cookie recipe using sliced almonds, and it's just not any kind of comparison.

[runningcrazy]

Enjoylife brand makes no-oat oatmeal cookies and they use brown rice flakes; heres what the website says:

Brown rice flakes

These crunchy flakes are made from flattened and toasted brown rice. They work great to mimic the great crunch of oats in our No Oats

[purple]

How about gluten-free crisped rice cereal? Or crispy rice and quinoa mixed? I have an old unconverted to gluten-free recipe that uses 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, 1 cup honey, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup crisp rice cereal, 1 cup raisins, no sugar, no oats, flour, eggs, etc. (Posted partial recipe to give you ideas)

I think I should try 1/2 a recipe soon and convert it...thanks for the idea I was wanting to make cookies. I have all the ingredients except I'd have to try cocoa flavored crisped rice...hm...might have to add some cocoa and make 'em chocolate...yum!

[RiceGuy]

When I think about the chewiness of oatmeal cookies, what comes to mind as being similar is the chewiness of macaroons. So perhaps some finely grated coconut would help. Also, things like taffy and jelly beans/gum drops are chewy, right?

Although buckwheat can resemble oats in appearance and flavor to some extent, I don't believe the resulting consistency when added to cookies would be chewy. I've been wanting to try it though.

Dates are chewy, and isn't candied fruit chewy?

[ang1e0251]

What would potato flakes do? They would be absorbant but wouldn't stay chewy, I don't think. Toasted almond shavings?

Now I'm hungry.

[RiceGuy]

I just tried the buckwheat idea, and as expected, the consistency wasn't chewy. However, I think sugar has a lot to do with the texture and consistency of many types of cookies. I don't use sugar, so I find it easier to get a soft/spongy texture as opposed to chewy or crispy.

Those little sesame & honey bars are kinda chewy, so perhaps honey or other syrupy sweetener would help. There's rice syrup, maple syrup, tapioca syrup, sorghum syrup, etc. I'm again reminded of how taffy is made.

[ang1e0251]

In our candy factory, we made taffy with corn syrup, is that what you were thinking? I've only ever used cane sugar for cookies. I tried subbing some of the sugar with stevia in the peanut butter cookie recipe this weekend, did not set up well. Very soft. I was thinking of flattening them into a pie pan and pouring chocolate pudding on top!

The thing is it's kinda tough to convert that part of the recipe without completely changing the texture of the basic cookie. I read an article years ago by a chemist who loved to bake. She set about discovering the science behind why things bake the way they do then wrote a book about it. She said that when you cream the sugars and fats together well, it creates a compound that has a certain chemical reaction when baked. I don't know all the technical stuff about it and couldn't find a reference but I know that does happen when baking. When you take away the kind of dry sugar the recipe calls for, you may really have to experiment to find a good combo of ingredients that will react the way you want in the oven.

Because of that, I would say if you are converting to a more liquid sugar like honey, you will probably have to increase some other dry ingredient to compensate. I also don't know if something like honey when creamed with shortening, will have the same kind of reaction in the oven. However, I am willing to taste test any combination anyone wants to send me. For science. Really.

[ranger]

I tried your recipe using thin Poha (rice flakes) but, sorry the jury is out. I divided the cookie dough base in half and added 1 1/2 c. Poha to the first half and baked them. They completely flatted out. They became one. So, I added oats and 1/2 c. extra flour to the second half, and they held their shape much better. Both had good flavor, but the poha ones I had to break up into pieces. I will try the Poha ones again and add more flour and let you know if that works. I think it will. I also used sugar, but don't think that was the issue.

[lpellegr]

Thanks for all the creative thought going into this! Some very intriguing ideas, and I'm impressed that some of you are even testing them out! Many thanks.

I think a lot of the chewy, springy texture of the traditional Quaker off-the-box oatmeal cookie recipe comes from the brown sugar along with the oats. I'll keep all the usual ingredients and just see what subs for the oats. I hadn't thought of coconut - I hate the usual flaked sweetened coconut, but coconut right out of the shell is good, so that might work. Maybe finely chopped dates or apricots. Maybe a touch of molasses to supplement that in the brown sugar. Maybe finely chopped walnuts? I think I will combine some or all of these and see how it works. Add some xanthan gum and maybe try it as bar cookies. No matter what, it has to be better than the Enjoy Life No-Oats oatmeal cookies - those are seriously disgusting. Thank you all for the brainstorming and I'll let you know how it comes out.

[celiac-mommy]

I tried your recipe using thin Poha (rice flakes) but, sorry the jury is out. I divided the cookie dough base in half and added 1 1/2 c. Poha to the first half and baked them. They completely flatted out. They became one. So, I added oats and 1/2 c. extra flour to the second half, and they held their shape much better. Both had good flavor, but the poha ones I had to break up into pieces. I will try the Poha ones again and add more flour and let you know if that works. I think it will. I also used sugar, but don't think that was the issue.

When mine spread out too much, I decrease the fat, that helps keep the shape as well.

[EmilyR83]

I made cookies with coconut flakes and it really gives it a nice chewy flavor!

[homemaker]

I can't eat oats. I'd like to replicate the chewiness they give to oatmeal cookies by substituting something else. I've heard people here suggest quinoa flakes, but I'm not shelling out that kind of money without trying them out first. I've been thinking along the lines of making something that resembles the chewy liquid-holding properties of rolled oats - soaked rice, white or brown? Partially cooked rice? Chopped dried fruit like dates or apricots (granted, that would change the flavor quite a bit)? Cooked or raw or partially cooked tapioca pearls? Grits? Buckwheat/kasha? Crushed uncooked rice pasta? Crudely mashed potatoes? Chipped dried beef? Okay, that's a little weird, but what do all you creative people out there suggest? I'm thinking of how each individual rolled oat kernel goes into the mix dry and soaks up moisture while being mixed and baked, leaving them chewy. I have a mock oatmeal cookie recipe using sliced almonds, and it's just not any kind of comparison.

I hear that some folks substitute quinoa flakes for oatmeal....