THE BEST Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies EVER

It all started with a trip to the last farmer's market of 2022. I'd gone to find the gluten-free baker to snag a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies for my girlfriend and me, but he wasn't there.

I was sad.

I told her about it, and she pointed out that we could make them ourselves — how hard could it be? I already had lots of different kinds of flours on hand to try, and the rest of the ingredients were easy enough to come by. She started researching recipes, and we put a grocery list together.

None of the recipes took all of my personal cookie requirements into account (and, why would they), so we did some substituting until we came up with something that worked well enough. The first batch was a bit dense, without enough raisins, and we'd skipped the nuts in the first go around. It definitely needed nuts.

A few more tweaks, and several batches later — we have arrived at the following final ingredient list:

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup softened salted butter
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup tiger nut flour
• 2 cups gluten-free quick oats
• 1 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dry toasted pine nuts

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together

We didn't want to wait for the butter to soften the first time, so we found an ancient hand mixer in the cabinet to cream the butter and sugar. It wasn't smooth enough, and we didn't have more butter, so I eyeballed a bit of coconut oil to throw in, figuring that would help.

It was at this moment that I learned how well my girlfriend and I worked together! Without missing a beat she got back to mixing, and we maneuvered around each other the whole rest of the time with ease! I'm a relationship counselor and this was such a big green flag moment I was grinning from ear to ear while I gathered the ingredients for the next step.

Step 3: Add in eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

Note: If you eyeball the salt (a big pinch), and add the baking soda before the vanilla, you save yourself the tiniest bit of cleanup by only needing one measuring teaspoon.

Step 4: Mix in flours and oats

Now, there's absolutely no reason you need to use tiger nut flour. It's freaking delicious, and very high in fiber, but there's no reason you need to use it. The original recipe definitely didn't include it, but I had some and wanted to use it up, so I added some. For that matter, there's also no reason you have to use almond flour, butter, coconut sugar, or eggs either — if you have experience with baking, or want to experiment, you do you! All these things can be substituted. I actually have applesauce in the fridge for the next time I make a batch, I'm going to try substituting it for the butter.

The quick oats, though, make more easily digestible cookies than using old fashioned oats — and I think it tastes better.

Step 5: Fold in raisins and nuts

I've tried this recipe with walnuts and I think it's almost as good. My girlfriend strongly prefers the pine nuts, though, and she's cute, so I made these with pine nuts to watch her yum face. I really like that we always seek to make life more wonderful for us, and that we never want the other to do things that don't work for us. It's wholesome and yummy, just like these cookies.

Step 6: Make cookie dough balls and lay them on a baking sheet, pressing each down lightly, leaving enough space for them to spread a bit.

I think the easiest way to get them on the sheet is putting on a pair of disposable food-safe gloves and hand forming the balls. This recipe makes 16-17 cookies of this size. A cookie scoop probably works just fine, too. Just be aware it is super sticky, goopy dough that doesn't want to be overworked, and does need to be pressed down a bit before you bake it.

Step 7: Bake for 10 minutes.

Step 8: Remove pan from oven and bang on countertop 2 to 3 times. To do this, gently drop your pan a few inches onto the countertop. This removes air bubbles and allows the cookies to spread. (It also breaks some of the cookies — they are more dense when this step is skipped, though.)

Step 9: Return to oven. Bake another 3-6 minutes or until cookies are set in the middle.

Note: The raw and undercooked dough is pretty delicious, but gives me a bellyache. Therefore, I highly recommend making sure they are set in the middle.

Step 10: Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to help keep them from falling apart further.

Step 11: Enjoy!

I only have one cookie sheet, so I had an extra step of making the second batch:

The full recipe with directions:

Makes 16-17 cookies

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup softened salted butter
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup tiger nut flour
• 2 cups gluten-free quick oats
• 1 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dry toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together
3. Add in eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
4. Mix in flours and oats
5. Fold in raisins and nuts
6. Make cookie dough balls and lay them on a baking sheet, pressing each down lightly, leaving enough space for them to spread a bit.
7. Bake for 10 minutes.
8. Remove pan from oven and bang on countertop 2 to 3 times. To do this, gently drop your pan a few inches onto the countertop. This removes air bubbles and allows the cookies to spread. (It also breaks some of the cookies — they are more dense when this step is skipped, though.)
9. Return to oven. Bake another 3-6 minutes or until cookies are set in the middle.
10. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to help keep them from falling apart further.