Oatmeal & Sultana Cookies

My husband invented this recipe when we were in the Mentawais, struggling to find gluten free food that our youngest son could enjoy. Luckily he is able to tolerate oats just fine, so he threw together whatever ingredients we had available. It was a combination of oats, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, banana and sultanas. Surprisingly they turned out to be delicious, so he made about a hundred of them for our 48-hour transit home.

I have since tried them out at a home with a few more fancy ingredients including baking powder and bicarb soda. I would probably try adding a “flax egg” next time to bind the mixture a bit more, or you could add a normal egg, but of course that would mean they aren’t vegan anymore. It’s totally up to you. Have a play, they are pretty foolproof! They’re a great addition to lunchboxes being nut free, too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup white rice flour

1/3 cup coconut cream

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

Half a banana

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarb soda

Pinch himalayan salt

Small handful of sultanas

METHOD:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a large flat baking tray with baking paper.

Place the oats in a blender and pulse until you achieve a course texture, similar to that of instant oats. Transfer them into a large mixing bowl and add the rice flour, cinnamon (if using), baking powder, bicarb and salt.

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then add to the blender along with the banana, vanilla, coconut sugar and coconut cream. Whizz until smooth.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together to form a sticky dough. Stir through the sultanas.

Use your hands to roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and spread evenly across the baking tray. Use the back of a fork to press down slightly on the balls to form a cookie shape.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden on the edges and underside of the cookie. Let cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes before storing in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.