Chocolate, Cherry and Nut Adventure Cookies
Worthy of any adventure, these giant, gluten-free cookies are loaded with nuts, chocolate and cherries. We take them on almost every hike. Feel free to adjust the nuts, seeds and dried fruit to your taste, perhaps replacing the ones listed here with roasted hazelnuts, cashews, pecans and sunflower seeds. I purchase roasted nuts (except for walnuts, which I prefer to use raw), but if you have raw ones on hand, roast them along with the oats. This recipe was inspired by one created by Sohla El-Waylly for Bon Appétit magzine.
Ingredients
- ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups mixed coarsely chopped roasted almonds, roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped walnuts and roasted pumpkin seeds
- ¾ cup (4 ounces) dried tart Montmorency cherries
- ¾ (4 ounces) coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
- ½ cup gluten-free flour mix such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- Pinch of xanthan gum
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place the oats on a small baking pan and toast until golden brown, stirring once, about 10 minutes. Cool.
- Meanwhile, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Combine the cooled oats, nuts, cherries and chocolate in a medium bowl and toss to blend. Re-whisk the egg mixture, and then stir in the flour and xanthan gum. Add the nut mixture and stir until evenly coated with the batter. There will not be a lot of batter coating the nut mixture, but the dough will firm up as it chills. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
- Position one rack in upper third and one rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the batter by scant ⅓-cups, packing firmly. Tap the cup on a baking sheet to release the bater. Repeat with remaining batter, forming 6 cookies on each baking sheet. Using damp fingers, press the dough into ¾-inch thick rounds, about 2½-inches in diameter.
- Bake the cookies until your kitchen is filled with the enticing aroma of the freshly baked goodies, and the cookies are golden brown and no longer wet looking, reversing the sheets about half way through, for about 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. (If you can't resist tasting one fresh from the oven, and aren't opposed to getting a little melted chocolate on your fingers, I suggest enjoying a cookie as soon as they are cool enough to handle.) Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Take these gems on all your adventures for a yummy energy boost or snack.