There are few things as comforting as the fresh oatmeal cookie in its natural habitat. You know what I’m talking about: It’s overcast outside, you’re wearing thick socks deep into a late Saturday morning, and as you put down your tea, you reach out to touch the cookies, checking if they’ve cooled enough to sink your teeth into their soft, inviting textures. When you do, their sweetness swaddles you in a whirlwind of warmth and wholeness. And then, afterward, you’re left thinking, “no, I shouldn’t.” But why not?

As a species, we’ve evolved to want sugar and fat to prepare ourselves for unsparing biospheres. Who are we to completely deny ourselves? Especially when, despite white many would have us think, you can have it both ways.

This is a recipe for chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I’ve adapted from a classic from Gourmet I found on Epicurious, here. It is gluten-free, low in sugar, and high in fiber and healthy fats. Happy eating!

makes around 2 dozen tablespoon-sized cookies

Prep-time: around 20 minutes, cook-time: 10-15 minutes per batch

Dry ingredients

1 cup dry oats

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup

1/4 – 1/2 tsp liquid stevia (depending on your tastebuds)

1/3 cup roasted applesauce or 1 medium-sized, mashed banana

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 egg

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or raisins/dried currants, if that’s more your scene.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

2. In separate bowl, cream together wet ingredients with electric beater until smooth.

3. Add to dry mixture, along with chocolate chips. Mix with a large spoon until all dry mixture is absorbed. It’ll likely take a few minutes, as nut flours are fattier than standard baking flours and dissolve differently. When everything appears to be a golden brown, uniform color and texture, place tablespoon-sized portions about 2 inches apart from one another on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet.

I find that some people prefer thinner cookies to mounds, so if that’s the case, be sure to spread them out slightly into the shape you want them to be with a spoon, or keep them rounded, as pictured below.

Bake each batch roughly 10-15 minutes, until bottoms are browned.