Red Rice Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies |Healthy Gluten free Cookies
Oatmeal cranberry cookies with red rice – crumbly on the outside, chewy on the inside. Made of healthy, wholesome ingredients with zero compromise on taste. Perfect for your tea-time indulgence or as kids’ snacks, dunk them in milk and call it breakfast, even – these are THAT healthy and tasty too. Did I mention gluten-free?
These cookies were first made as a part of recipe testing. I made a batch of 12, sent across a few for testing, and the rest were devoured away by me and others around in sheer amazement of how delicious they were.
Red Rice Oatmeal Cranberry cookies – Wholesome and guilt-free indulgence
Over repeated batches, I’ve learnt that oatmeal to cookies is what miso is for soup! Oats render this rather obvious crumble and crunch to the cookie, while keeping the insides soft and slightly chewy, just like a cookie ought to be. The gluten-free part is also a by-product of recipe testing! I was looking for ways to substitute the glutinous ingredients like whole wheat flour.
The best part about these cookies – these are free from refined flour/ gluten/ xanthan gum or any additives. You can make this dairy-free as well if you so wish, by substituting butter with oil or applesauce. Devour them on the days you have a sweet cravings or even make these a part of your child’s lunchbox. These are packed with nutrition, and have less sugar content. Also,the high fiber content serves to keep you satiated for a longer time. Something we can’t say about the typical store-bought variety that’s saturated with refined sugar and hardly offers any real nourishment.
Ingredients in my Red rice Oatmeal cranberry cookies
Oatmeal – Rolled oats help hold the cookie’s shape better. What’s more, the high beta-glucan fiber content in oats, along with their antioxidant content helps boost heart health. Oats also aid in improving metabolism and keep one sated for longer.
Red rice – The peculiar red color can be attributed to anthocyanin, rich in antioxidants. Partially hulled red rice variety can provide up to 10% of your daily fiber content. It also has a host of B vitamins, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Potassium, Molybdenum and Magnesium. Red rice can be hailed as a wonder food for keeping heart diseases at bay due to rich mineral content. Red rice can work wonders for body weight management too. A small portion can keep you fuller for longer hours, saving you from unhealthy cravings.
Cranberries – Aside from adding the much-needed zing and balancing out the sweetness, cranberries are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Thus, a nice way to pack in some more nutrition in these gluten-free cookies.
Palm Sugar – I use palm sugar instead of refined/ white sugar for its lower Glycemic Index. However, it does render slightly golden brownish color to the final product. If you prefer your cookies to be of a lighter hue, you can use white sugar instead.
Butter – For perfectly crumbly-chewy cookies! Room temperature butter works the best. Check Notes for more info.
Baking powder and baking soda – To make the cookies perfectly chewy-yet-crumbly, and to kickstart the baking action.
Arrowroot flour – helps add structure to gluten-free baking recipes.
Cinnamon powder– mandatory for the divine- tasting cookies. Oats and cinnamon form that classic combination, don’t you think?
Want more healthy dessert recipes?
Try my
- Orange Upside Down Cake
- Easy Wholegrain Persimmon Scones
- Wholewheat Banana Bread
- Mango Saffron Oats Whole-wheat Muffins
Now, let’s move on to my Red rice Oatmeal Cranberry cookies recipe:
Red Rice Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies |Healthy Gluten free Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rolled oats you can use instant oats as well
- ¾ cup red rice flour check notes for substitutions
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp arrowroot flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- ¾ cup palm sugar check notes for substitutions
- 1/5 cup dried cranberries chopped
- ¼ cup butter/ coconut oil softened at room temperature
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 175° C (nearly 350°F).
- First, sift all the dry ingredients, i.e. flours, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon powder in a bowl. Mix well.
- Next, whisk butter at medium speed in stand mixer or using handheld mixer, until fluffy and airy. Now add sugar and whisk at low speed for about 5 minutes until fluffy. Lastly add dry ingredients in parts as you whisk.
- Now, scoop the batter onto tray, keeping optimal distance between each cookie. Roll into cookie balls with very light hands.
- Next, transfer into the oven immediately. Bake at 175°C for about 15-20 minutes, until they’re firm on the outside and golden-brown.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for an hour.
- Transfer into an airtight jar.
- Pair with your cuppa tea or coffee, or munch on just the cookie!
Notes
- To soften the butter, leave it outside the fridge overnight. Alternately, microwave water in a ceramic mug for a minute, transfer the water to another container, and place the empty hot mug over the cold butter cubes.
- I’ve tried this recipe with brown rice flour, plain rice flour as well as with quinoa flour in the place of red rice flour. The texture and flavors are beautiful with both these substitutions.
- If you don’t have palm sugar handy or don’t appreciate the same, substitute with 3/4th cup brown sugar and 1/4th cup sugar. While the usual sugar or table sugar offers the much-coveted crispy edges to the cookies, brown sugar offers the chewiness we desire.
- These cookies can be stored for up to a week in an airtight jar.
