How have I never owned a silpat before??? With all the baking I do, especially cookies, it’s a wonder I have never invested in one of these magical baking contraptions.
It’s a good thing I have dear friends that look out for my well being by buying me birthday gift that will make my life easier. Katie, you are the BEST!
For my birthday back in August, one of my best friends Katie bought me a silpat and stated it would change my life. I couldn’t wait to use it the next morning with a batch of cookies.
I had been craving oatmeal raisin, so I texted Katie to let her know I was going to get working on a batch of goodies. Expecting an excited reply that I was putting her birthday gift to good use, instead I got a reply along the lines of, “Oatmeal raisin? You can do better than that!” Haha! Well okay, Katie, I will do better than that. How about some Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Craisin Cookies with drizzled chocolate and toasted coconut?
Her next reply, “Now that’s more like it!”
It’s nice to have friends that motivate you, especially when it involves chocolate and sugar.
These cookies are a basic oatmeal cookie loaded with craisins, chocolate chips, and sweetened coconut. Once cooled, I drizzled them with some dark chocolate and sprinkled toasted coconut on top. The dark chocolate really enhanced the flavors of the sweet coconut and tart craisins. These would even be good with dried cherries as well. These can also very easily be made dairy free by substituting dairy free chocolate chips for regular in the recipe. Do what you gotta do!
In tribute to good friends, I think you need to make a batch of these and share them with those who got your back. Life is no fun without your girlfriends by your side.
How do you let your friends know you care?
- 1 cup coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup amaranth flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup almond milk (or milk)
- 3 cups gluten free oats (not instant)
- 1 cup craisins
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Topping:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Beat together coconut oil, sugar, dark brown sugar, and eggs until pale and smooth. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add milk and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together amaranth flour, tapioca starch, coconut flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, flaxseed meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix dry mixture into wet mixture. Beat additional two minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl. Let sit 5 minutes and beat 1 minute more. Using a wooden spoon, mix in craisins, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop drop 1" balls about 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Gently remove from silpat onto cooling racks to finish cooling. If using parchment paper, you can immediately slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto the cooling rack to cool.
- Prepare drizzle by melting chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Remove and stir for 1 minute. Return to microwave, if needed, for 15 second intervals until smooth. Stir for 1 minute between each set of heating. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil to melted chocolate to thin and give additional coconut flavor. Pour melted chocolate into sandwich size Ziploc bag. Cut a tiny corner off and squeeze chocolate out for drizzling.
- While chocolate is still warm, sprinkle toasted coconut on top. To toast coconut, spread on a baking sheet and let bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes, stirring after about 3 minutes and each minute after until golden brown.
- Place cookies in fridge for 5-10 minutes to allow chocolate drizzle to harden. Remove and serve room temperature.
