Recipe Makeover: Delicious Gluten Free, Vegan Cookies (Monster cookies)

My daughter, as you may know if you have been reading this site for awhile is gluten free. My older daughter’s friend’s mother makes these monster cookies based off a recipe published by Bob’s Red Mill. They are gluten free, but they aren’t vegan. They are loaded with butter and sugar and eggs. But according to my children, they taste like crack cocaine, not that they know what that tastes like either. I bet it does, literally since sugar and the like are more addictive than cocaine. Anyway, off my high horse. I decided in this week’s batch cooking during a snow day (yes, we have ANOTHER snow day in Dallas) that I would attempt to recreate these little fan favorites. We shall transform these monster cookies and they shall become the belle of the ball. Let the transformation commence!

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Original Recipe published by Bob’s Red Mill
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You can find the recipe by clicking here

Ingredients

1 c. Peanut Butter
3/4 c. unsalted butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 & 1/4 c. gluten free rolled oats
3/4 c. Gluten free all purpose baking flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. peanuts
1 & 1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. raisins

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine rolled oats, flour, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the peanuts, chocolate chips and raisins.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes turning pan around at 5 minutes.

Ok, so that was it. These delicious monster cookies that literally disappear before your very eyes if my daughter brings home a batch. I actually made a batch sans eggs using egg replacer and earth balance, and they were amazing. Like OMG amazing. Of course they were. Did you see how much sugar and butter are in those things?! So, the quest began, and here it is. The monster cookies 2.0. But monsters are cool, so I’m not changing the name. Boogey monster cookies.

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Boogey Monster cookies
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Ingredients

1 c. peanut butter
1 c. mashed ripe banana
.5 c. maple syrup
.75 c. unrefined sugar
.5 c. milled flax seeds (or 6 TBSP. ground chia seeds)
4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 c. rolled oats
1 c. all purpose gluten free flour
3 tsp. baking powder
.5 c. vegan chocolate chips

Directions

I’m lazy. Super lazy. Ain’t nobody got time for dishes. So behold the wonder of one bowl cookies. Preheat oven to 350° F. Put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet. In a big ‘ol bowl, mash the bananas. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, flax seed, and vanilla extract and stir until mixed. Add in the rest of the ingredients. The key is to distribute the baking powder, so I add that first and sprinkle it evenly over the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is wet. This is a very, very wet batter.

Spoon onto  your baking sheet and flatten with the back of your spoon. They won’t spread out because of the oats, so you have to flatten them. Bake for 11-13 minutes. They will still look tan on top but be browning on the bottom. They will still be soft. They will firm up as they cool, I promise. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then transfer to a cooling rack. Don’t have a cooling rack? Just set them on a cool counter or plate.

I seriously believe cookies should be no fail and the only time ingredients should be mixed separately is if you are making a cake (or cupcakes) and they really matter because you are taking them to your kids’ school or a wedding or something. These cookies aren’t going to mess up. The best part . . . My daughter’s friend was over from across the street building snowmen in the yard. She said the cookies are amazing. She asked how I make everything taste so good. So yes, they still have sugar. A little bit. Quite frankly, you could cut the white sugar in half or probably eliminate it. I am going to work on the sugar and keep cutting it back. I will update the next time I make these on how less sugar works.  Anyway, these cookies are a win!