Gluten-Free Vegan Leftover Oatmeal Maple Cookies

I had some leftover oatmeal this morning from a lovely farewell breakfast with two dear friends of mine who are driving across Canada before moving to New Zealand. One of them is cursed with intolerances and candida, the other eats everything. Both are adventurous, and love to eat, so cooking for them was a total treat. After saying goodbye, I was feeling sorry for myself and envious of their journey as they move on to more visits in Montreal. My self-pity was amplified as I tried to study for an exam for a correspondence course I'm taking in statistics. As if to match my mood, an amazing amount of rain started coming down in sheets- and I was determined to do something comforting. 

I dream of the oatmeal cookies my mom used to make us. They were always so perfect, and before she could get through her batter, the yield would be reduced by about 1/3 from my brother and I sneaking into the kitchen and plucking them from the cooling trays to share with friends. I told myself I was "helping" since I would try and take the ones that looked a bit darker than the others or had broken edges- she probably wanted a really uniform-looking batch, and I was a very selfless child. 

Well, I "helped" myself through this batch, too, mostly from a lack of willpower and a considerable amount of time since my last freshly baked cookie. Plus, I have to review everything before I tell you about it. In this case, I reviewed a second cookie just in case I missed something when I had the first one. And then a third, in case I missed something in the second. 

       

Gluten-Free Vegan Leftover Oatmeal Maple Cookies      

Ingredients  

1 cup cooked oatmeal (from certified gluten-free oats, to be safe)

1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp coarse ground sea salt 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 apple, thinly sliced

1/4 cup raisins

1/8 cup diced dates

1/4 cup walnuts 

1/2 cup maple syrup 

1 tbsp vegan butter or equivalent (I used Earth Balance)

1 tbsp ground flax

3 tbsp water 

1 frozen and thawed banana, mashed 

Directions    

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Combine the flax and water in a small dish, stir and set aside. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and sift together. 

When the flax mixture has set after about 5 - 10 minutes, and is a gooey consistency similar to an egg, whisk together with the maple syrup, butter, and mashed banana. 

Stir the mixture in with the dry ingredients until completely blended. On a lightly oiled cookie sheet, spoon the batter about one large spoonful per cookie. Try and keep an inch or two between them - I found the batter to be a bit runny. 

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack before serving. Yields 10 - 12 cookies, depending on the amount of "help" you may have and sizes. 

Note: Because there is already moisture in the oatmeal, you may find it to be a runnier consistency than you are used to, but I kind of like them thin. They're also a bit cake-like on the inside, but so moist and tasty. I'm not sure if I would want them to be a bit thicker, though, and I can't remember from the third trial cookie... so I should probably go have a fourth...