Chocolate Afghan & Oat Cookies (Gluten-Free)

I love my Bakels gluten free baking mix. But there are some things it is not great for... like cookies.
The first time I tried to bake GF cookies they spread across the baking tray like a flood.

But did I give up??
Did I say, oh well, no cookies for us? Did I surrender to store-bought blandness? or complicated concoctions with guar gum and potato/rice/xanthum goo??
Ahh come on, you know me! The Lazy Cook! As if!
I just had to find a few regular recipes that would work for my Bakels one-stop-baking mix.

So I experimented. And figured out that the trick is to have another ingredient to bind the mixture.
So I tried Oat cookies... delicious! Perfect! The oats are the perfect foil for the spready bakels.
And... Chocolate afghans. Again, it's the cornflakes that stick it all together.
So, welcome to gluten-free cookie heaven.
Where we bake easy yummy cookies and they don't run all over the tray...

Chocolate Afghan Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
200g butter
1/2 cup sugar, softened
1 1/4 cups gluten free Baking mix (Bakels or Healtheries)
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups cornflakes (GF)

METHOD:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
• Sift flour and coca into butter mixture, then add cornflakes (you might need to mix with your hand as the mixture is quite stiff)
• Put spoonfuls onto a tray lined with baking paper. 
• Press down with your hand until approx 1.5 cm thick. 
• Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes on fanbake (or 15 minutes in a regular oven). 
• Allow to cool and harden, then ice with the topping below  (or just plain chocolate icing)

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
2-3 handfuls of chocolate buttons
1 teaspoon kremelta (vegetable shortening)
melted together in microwave

Pop half a walnut on top if you have some handy. Makes 16-18 cookies

Golden Oat Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup GF flour (i.e. Bakels or Healtheries baking mix)
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
50g butter
1 Tablespoon golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons boiling water
chocolate chips (optional)

METHOD:

• Mix together GF flour sugar, coconut and rolled oats (and choc chips if you like). 
• Melt butter and golden syrup. 
• Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to the butter and golden syrup. 
• Stir liquid into dry ingredients.
• Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls and then press down onto a tray lined with baking paper.
• Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minute or until golden. 
• Allow to cool and then feed 'em to your hungry kids! Makes 16-18 cookies

xx

A Note about Oats: My Coeliac friend Leonie told me: Oats don't have gluten but because they get cross contaminated in growing and processing it means that Coeliacs can't have them unless they find some that are certified "not contaminated".
However for us non-coeliacs who are just gluten intolerant, regular old rolled oats are fine.