Gwyneth Paltrow's Oatmeal Cookies (gluten-free)

I had heard good things about Gwyneth Paltrow's first cookbook. There are many great recipes in it including her oatmeal raisin cookies. She uses spelt flour, raisins and brown rice syrup which are ingredients I generally don't have on hand. The following recipe is my gluten-free version. Everyone loves them!

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic dried cherries (instead of raisins)
• ¾ cup walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup whole rolled oats (not instant and not steel-cut), divided. Make sure they are gluten-free.
• ½ cup sorghum flour
• ¾ cup gluten-free flour mix (my fave local brand is Cuisine Soleil)
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (you can use a little less)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I prefer organic, alcohol-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small pan (without oil), toast the walnuts until they are golden brown. Stir constantly so that they don't burn. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Place the cherries in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak while you work on other stuff.
4. Finely grind the toasted walnuts and ½ cup of the oats in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine this mixture with the remaining dry ingredients.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and add to the dry-ingredients bowl. Mix it all together. 
6. Drain the cherries and fold them into the batter.
7. Drop the mixture using a tablespoon onto the baking sheets.
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 18 cookies.
 

Notes

While delicious, the cookies are a bit crumbly. Use a bit of xantham gum to see if that holds the gluten-free flour a bit better. You can also try a bit of ripe banana too.