Inaugural Post AND Delicious Gluten-Free Cookies

So here's the deal. My darling husband, who never forgets, frequently makes comments that are too charming, clever, or ridiculous for me to keep to myself. In this space, I will from time to time share some of the gems.  

My husband recently learned he has a gluten allergy, giving my baking skills a new challenge. So I will also present evidence of my baking triumphs, like today. Although I need to take more pictures next time - could be a persistent problem since we devour everything I make immediately. 

I might even share some of my thoughts on teaching math. Thanks for reading my first attempt!

And now I present...

Gluten Free Relatively Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I adapted this recipe from The Skinny Fork, making it slightly less healthy. I added an egg, because gluten-free cookies can sometimes be so dense (and just because gluten hurts his stomach doesn't mean the poor man needs to eat vegan). And I added a bit of brown sugar, because you can't really go wrong with adding brown sugar.

These cookies are downright delicious, with no modifiers like "...for gluten free cookies" or "... for healthy cookies." They're just yummy. I can't speak to how they taste at room temperature, because we didn't let them get that far. (Knowing how we are, I only made a half batch.) But with the chocolate warm and melty, and the outside toasted and the inside soft, they are fabulous! My husband has declared that they should be a regular part of my baking rotation.

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Mashed Bananas
1/3 cup Peanut Butter (I used smooth)
2/3 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Egg
1/8 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 cup Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 cup chopped Nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Shredded Coconut (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º and grease 2 cookie sheets, or line them with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and spices. Then mix in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips and shredded coconut.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheets, about an inch apart. (They don't spread very much.) Bake until the tops just start to brown, 20-25 minutes. Makes a solid two dozen.

Enjoy!