Goodbye Gluten, Hello Cookies!

Background Info 1: Mi Madre is going gluten free, and frankly, it seems like most of us should. Gluten is linked to more than one digestive disorder, not to mention sluggishness, headaches, and other "chronic" issues that can be resolved simply through avoiding it. This can be difficult and expensive, because anything containing wheat, barley or rye or made with wheat, barley or rye, is off limits. No Oreos or bread, certain sauces are off limits, pasta is often a no-no, goodbye crackers and munchies, and don't even think about dining out unless you've check ahead of time! Gluten is also found in body products like lotions and oils! So it's work to make the dietary/lifestyle change. But the rewards are worth it, as many have discovered. 

Cooking for my family, being an important part of showing love, now means making sure I'm cooking gluten free as well. I have no problems with this. Although it has given me problems. Some gluten-free flours are nasty. I tried making Chicken Pot Pie with a garbanzo bean flour (Bob's Red Mill), that tasted so strongly of the beans I couldn't eat it. And I'll eat most anything. It was vile. BUT! I have discovered Pamela's Baking Mix! Delicious and easy to use.

Background Info 2: Dropping off Kiefer at a friends house resulted in a happy encounter with freshly baked cookies. She had made the recipe for White Chocolate Oatmeal Crasins cookies on the back of the bag. So good. So tonight after work, I decided to make some myself. But, since I'm planning on surprising my mum with lunch on Friday, I knew I had to use Pamela's Baking Mix.

My spin on the recipe:

(This is a half-batch, because my waistline knows better than to unleash a full batch of cookies into my home. They will consume you.)

Oven to 375 degrees F!

3/4 cup oats

3/4 cup Pamela's Baking Mix

1/3 cup Crasins

- Measure into a bowl, and set aside.

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup softened unsalted butter

-Beat in mixer until fluffy

One egg

-Add egg and beat some more

Stir in the oat mixture. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Use wet fingers to shape the cookies into nice round pats. Flatten them a bit, because the high oat content means that they don't change shape very much, and you don't want a cookie that's unevenly baked. At least not these cookies ;)

Bake 375 for about 15 minutes, possibly more. Check them for golden brown tops! Remove from oven (turn off oven) and using a spatula, transfer to cooling rack. I let mine cool for about 15 minutes on the counter, and then transferred them to the freezer.

While cookies are getting chilly, melt 1/2 white chocolate chips over a double boiler. Add about 3 TB water, some cinnamon, and some vanilla. If the chocolate seems really dry, add a bit more water and/or a drizzle of vegetable oil. Sounds weird, but it worked for me. When all is melted into a delicious sticky mixture, pull those cookies from the freezer and dunk each one in the chocolate, coating the top. Allow to cool/dry on the cooling rack. 

Enjoy. They are so good, I could hardly keep my hubby from snitching them all!