Anyone who knows me knows I am not a huge baker. I can hold my own with a few bowls of dry and wet ingredients, but I am not the most patient and I am certainly not a rule follower. So, baking and I don't get along. There are a few exceptions. I adore the comfort of making and eating a bread pudding, a fruit cobbler or buckle is a no-brainer, any custard dish from any culture is always a win, and a good cookie...woot woot!
A good cookie, by my definition, must taste so good that you cannot help but eat another. Cookies were made to be eaten in multiple. I am amazed (and a little annoyed if I am being honest) by anyone who can stand in front of a plate of cookies and say, “I’m just going to have one,” …and does just that.
I love a Milk Chocolate Chip cookie finished with some flaked salt. Or a less sweet Cardamom Pistachio cookie is delish.
My mom (a way more patient baker than I) makes a great old-school Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss cookie and a perfectly flaky Kolaczki. My husband’s grandma made the best Almond Crescent Cookies with just the right amount of powdered sugar.
A chef friend of mine does a spectacular Salt and Pepper Cookie. And you must eat more than one just to get your head wrapped around the fact that they really taste like salt and pepper.
In an effort to expand my list of "good" cookies I put my big girl baking pants on and headed to the kitchen to test and trial a cookie using our For Good Granola, Original Blend. I have to tell you...where I landed...woot woot…they are GOOD! Not only are they good, but they are super simple, and can easily be adapted for gluten-free. And if you have a bag of our granola in your pantry than you probably have everything you need to make them today!
Be sure to let me know how you like our For Good Granola Oatmeal Cookies. Or better yet, share a picture on Instagram or Facebook!
kiley@forgoodgranola.com
For Good Granola Oatmeal Cookies (see note for Gluten-Free)
Yields: about 32 cookies
note: This recipe was successfully tested with both a standard all-purpose flour and a gluten-free all-purpose flour as noted in the ingredients list below. If making the gluten-free version, don’t forget to use oats and baking powder that are labeled as gluten-free.
ingredients
2 cups (8oz) For Good Granola, Original Blend
1 1/2 cups (6.5oz) all-purpose or all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
3 cups (10oz) old-fashioned oats
1 cup (8oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (7.5oz) brown sugar, light or dark
2 eggs
1 t vanilla bean paste (can substitute vanilla extract)
1/4 cup (1oz) For Good Granola, Original Blend, for topping (smaller crumble from the bottom of the bag works best for topping cookies)
method
Prepare two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (i.e., silpads).
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat to combine butter and brown sugar, approximately 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. Add vanilla bean paste and continue beating until incorporated.
Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using firm spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in 2 cups of granola. Dough will be stiff but continue to fold until granola is evenly incorporated. Using a 1 tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, portion cookie dough on prepared baking sheets leaving about 1.5 inches between cookies. Transfer sheet pans to refrigerator and let scooped dough chill for one hour.
Arrange oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees if using convection). Place remaining 1/4 cup of granola in a small shallow dish. When cookies have finished chilling, remove from refrigerator. Using the heel of your hand, push down on dough to flatten slightly. You just want to press down the “dome” of the scooped dough. Lightly press the granola into the top of the cookies. Inverting the cookie and pressing it into the granola seems to work best here.
Bake for 9-12 minutes until toasty brown, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
additional thoughts: Too many cookies for one sitting? You can easily half this recipe, or portion scoop dough and freeze unbaked. Place frozen dough on baking sheet in refrigerator to defrost and then proceed with flattening and topping with granola before baking.