Kitchen Sink Cookies

The basic recipe for these GF oatmeal cookies stays the same, but you can pick and choose add-ins based on your own particular tastes. There are notes concerning methods and additional instructions at the bottom. Before you jump in though, make sure you have either a food processor or a coffee grinder to grind up some of the oats.

Ingredients:

1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

5 cups uncooked GF oatmeal – divided (see instructions below)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup golden flax meal (can substitute regular brown flax meal if needed)

Optional add-ins: 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup raisins or craisins (dried cranberries), 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or other nuts, 1 cup shredded coconut

Additional kitchen equipment: at least one metal cookie sheet; parchment paper to cover cookie sheet(s); an extra large bowl or pot to mix the dough in (it tends to “grow”); aforementioned food processor or coffee grinder for oats; sturdy wooden spoon; wire whisk; and of course, an oven

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Melt the stick of butter either in a saucepan on the stove top or in the microwave.

A quick note about the next steps: it is important to add ingredients in this order. If you dump everything in at once it will be almost impossible to get it all mixed together.

In a large mixing bowl, use a wire whisk to combine the brown sugar, four eggs, cooking oil, vanilla and melted butter. Make sure the melted butter is not too hot or it will begin to cook the eggs. Whisk until all these ingredients are fully incorporated.

Take two cups of the oats and pulse them in the food processor or coffee grinder until they become a coarse flour – you should not see any whole flakes of oats left. Pour that into the sugar and egg mixture. Add the salt, cinnamon, flax meal, and baking soda. Use the whisk to stir well.

Next add in the remaining three cups of oats (which you have left whole – not ground up). At this point you will need to switch to the wooden spoon to stir. The batter will begin to get very stiff.

Choose ingredients from the list of “add-ins” and put them into the dough, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. My choices are almost always pecans, chocolate chips, coconut, and raisins. However, I have experimented with chopped figs, chopped dates, and sunflower seeds. You may come up with other ideas based on your own personal taste. The main thing to remember is to add these items one at a time and stir well after each. (I know I already said this, but it is important if you don’t want a big mess.)

Once you have all your ingredients stirred together, you can begin to drop them by the spoonful onto the parchment lined baking sheets. I usually use a tablespoon and bake 12 cookies per pan. Remember that the cookies will spread a little while they are baking. If you prefer flatter cookies, you can press down on them gently with either the back of the spoon or your fingers to spread the raw dough out just a little.

Depending on the size of cookies you are baking, they should take from 10-14 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Keep an eye on them and you will know they are getting done when the edges and peaked areas turn golden brown. Batches after the first one may take slightly less time because the pans will already be warm when you put the raw dough on them.

Once out of the oven, let the cookies cool for about two minutes before using a spatula to remove them to either a wire rack or a piece of waxed paper to finish cooling. I like to store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze extremely well in a zip-lock bag.

These are absolutely delicious with a cup of coffee – kind of a pre-breakfast treat. I’m not sure why I deserve a treat that early, maybe just for getting up. But with all the oats and flax meal, I consider these to be a tasty substitute for a granola bar.

If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments how it turns out and what add-ins you enjoyed.

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