Granola Chocolate Chip (or Dried Fruit) Cookies

I must confess.  The weather here has been awfully snowy and pretty darn cold, and it has made me want to munch and munch on all sorts of treats.  Shovelling is good exercise, right?

Today's sweet snack is a crunchy delight of a cookie.  It starts with granola -- that's good for you, right?--and then has a cookie built around it.  The result is a nutty cookie without the nuts.  Perfect for a Welcoming Kitchen!

I used the granola from the upcoming Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.  (Sorry for the shameless plug!)  You can use whatever granola works for your family.  Since I'm sharing these with a family where the mom is gluten-free and the son has egg and nut allergies, this Welcoming Kitchen cookie is a fantastic choice.

In keeping with my snow-influenced, decadent mood, I used chocolate chips in my cookies.  If you prefer, though, I'm sure you could use dried fruit, like raisins or dried cherries, and they would be great, too.

We shared this recipe as part of Amy Green's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Cybele Pascal's Allergy-friendly Fridays  and Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.  We also shared this with Allergy Free Wednesdays.

Granola Cookies
Makes 36

Ingredients:
1 cup oat-flour (gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granola (nut-free, gluten-free, vegan)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light is ok)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking soda and salt. 
Mix in granola.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine applesauce and baking powder.
Mix in brown sugar and coconut oil.
Stir granola mixture into wet ingredients, one-half at a time.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Drop tablespoon-size dollops of batter onto cookie sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Let the cookies firm up for a minute or two before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.


Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available for pre-order now. Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.