Kitchen Sink Oatmeal Cookies

You might be wondering what I mean by kitchen sink. Ever hear the phrase, everything but the kitchen sink? That's kind of how I feel about these babies. Sometimes, our greatest creations come out of a need. At a wellness event last week, I was happy with how my brownies looked (everything needs to look cute, ya know what I mean?) So I decided I wanted to whip up some oatmeal cookies to bring too, with whatever I could find in my pantry. The outcome? Husband approved cookies from heaven. You're welcome in advance.

I love oatmeal cookies because you can literally put whatever you want in them. I love loading them up to give different textures and flavors. These oatmeal cookies have dried cranberries, dried apricots, walnuts, chocolate and a little coconut. Feel free to alter these however you like. Keep the base the same and change up the 'toppings' Similarly, I use both coconut oil and a little bit of ghee (because whats a cookie with out that buttery taste?) love using FarmTrue ghee - being lactose free means that my body doesn't react the same way it does to butter. But you could completely omit the ghee to make these completely dairy free.

I start always first by pre-heating my oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer, blend together sugar, coconut oil and ghee until smooth. Then add in one egg and vanilla. In another small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. I like to add my toppings in last, so leave these out for now. I also like to use a mix of instant oats and old fashioned, it helps to bind them together a little more. If you don't have instant, you can either do more old fashioned oats, or pulse a little old fashioned oats in your blender break them down a little. I also was lucky enough to find a bag of instant organic oats that HAD COCONUT ALREADY IN IT! It was a T.J. Maxx find - some off brand that otherwise I would link here, but finds like that come in handy for things like this.

Once your dough is formed, add in your toppings. I stick typically to around 2-3 cups of goodies to add in, this keeps promotions well in the dough. Alter as you need. I also found that putting this dough in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before baking helped roll them out better. In that time, I clean up, so at least you're not waiting.

After 10 minutes chilling, roll into desired size balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 16-18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool and store. They're sweet and crispy and chewy all at the same time. And filled with some great ingredients you won't feel so guilty chopping on a few of these.

Kitchen Sink Oatmeal Cookies (GF)

Prep Time: 15 minutes + 10 minutes to chill

Cook Time: 16-28 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats

• 1 cup gluten free flour (I love Bob's)

• 1/2 cup instant oats

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup coconut sugar

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 2 tablespoons ghee (I love FarmTrue)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup dried chopped apricots

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

• 3/4 cup dairy free chocolate (I love Enjoy Life's)

• 1 egg

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together sugar, coconut oil and ghee. Then add vanilla and egg.

3. In another small bowl, combine all dry ingredients (other than toppings) and slowly add into stand mixer until completely incorporated. Then add in toppings.

4. Once dough is mixed, place into refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.

5. Remove from fridge and roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on greased baking sheet.

6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Edges will be golden and crispy. Let cool and eat (best when slightly warm!)

xx

Rita