Allergy-friendly cookies

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OK so a quick background: I did my culinary externship in a test kitchen. I also like to share food, and I think it’s sad to go to a party where food is being shared but you can’t eat anything there, for whatever reason. So I’m on a mission to adapt/develop a stack of recipes that are food-allergy-friendly and don’t suck. This cookie recipe is the first.

Also I totally started with the recipe on the Quaker Oats box, which you can find here. That recipe is pretty tank proof, which I’m about to demonstrate by swapping out almost every ingredient. Other notes at the bottom, but let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups buttery vegan spread or sticks (I use Earth Balance)
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg worth of egg replacer (I use Bob’s Red Mill, which calls for 1 Tbsp replacer and 2 Tbsp water)
vanilla - measure with your heart but mine says about 1 Tbsp
1 1/2 cups rice or oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
spices - again, measure with your heart. Default for me is about 1 Tbsp cinnamon but allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, whatever sounds good to you
3 cups oats - use what you have, but I always have a big box of old-fashioned style around so that’s what I use
Optional: 1 cup of your favorite mix in - see notes below.

Gear
Small bowl for egg
large bowl for mixing
cookie sheets
teaspoon or tablespoon for dropping cookie dough onto sheets
parchment paper, optional but it will make your life simpler
offset or fish spatula, optional

What to do

  • Preheat oven to 375 or 350 with fan if you have a convection oven

  • In a small bowl mix the egg replacer with the instructed amount of water and set aside to gel.

  • In a large bowl beat the not-butter until it’s kind of fluffy then add the sugars and beat all that together until everything has a creamy texture and there’s no sugar grit

  • Add the egg replacer and vanilla and mix thoroughly again

  • Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices all together and mix until everything is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth

  • Add the oats and mix well. I find this easier in to do in batches rather than dumping all the oats in, but there’s no difference in output as long as you mix everything together well.

  • If you’re adding any mix ins, do that now and make sure they’re well-distributed through the dough.

  • Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart

  • Bake for 8-12 minutes
    8-9 minutes will give chewy cookies
    11-12 minutes will give crisp cookies
    10-ish minutes with a close watch after 8 minutes will give you crispy edges and chewy middles

  • Leave on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes then turn them out onto a rack to cool the rest of the way. This is where the offset spatula or fish spatula will be handy if you have either of them.

Some Other Thoughts
Allergy friendly: This recipe has none of these common allergens
wheat/gluten, corn, nuts, dairy, soy, legumes, and fish (haha fish cookies) It’s also vegan, including the sugars. If you want to go into a rabbit trail of what makes sugar vegan, the internet awaits you. But Wholesome makes sugar that’s both organic and not processed with bone char.
Mix-ins: You can use anything that you would want to put in an oatmeal cookie. I tend to stay away from nuts or chocolate chips because the whole vegan / allergy friendly thing. I like dried fruits - my favorites are unsweetened cranberries but truly anything in the raisin/currant range would be delicious, and I’ve had good luck with chopped dried apricots. If you do variations of the recipe you can make them visually distinct with different fruits.
Sourcing: Mostly I use things we used in the test kitchen, or I search the internet and try things until I find a blend I like. I’ve put brand names in above for things where I have a preference, but again - feel free to do whatever works for you.