Oatmeal Date Cookies

Oatmeal Date Cookies

Vegan and Gluten Free – 8-9 Dozen

Ingredients:

  • White sugar – 1-1/3 cup
  • Brown sugar – 1-1/3 cup
  • Margarine, softened – 1 cup
  • Shortening – 1 cup
  • Egg replacer – equivalent of 4 eggs
  • Vanilla – 2 teaspoons
  • Rice flour – 2 cups
  • Baking soda – 2 teaspoons
  • Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Salt – 1 teaspoon
  • Cinnamon, ground – 2 teaspoons
  • Rolled oats, quick-cooking or old-fashioned – 6 cups
  • Dates, chopped – 2 cups
  • Nuts, any kind – 1 cup (optional)
  • Chocolate Chips, semisweet – 1 cup (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Sift flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
Add oats, stir to blend well and set aside
In a separate, extra-large bowl, cream shortening and sugar
Add egg replacer and vanilla (feel free to use an electric mixer)
Add dry ingredients to creamed shortening, sugar, egg replacer, and vanilla
Mix well without over-stirring, using a spatula
Fold in dates, and if applicable, nuts and/or chocolate chips
Refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes until it sticks to itself
Allow about a tablespoon of dough, rolled between your palms and flattened, for each cookie – they will spread
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown

Tips and Notes:

  • Line cookie sheets with parchment paper to minimize sticking and facilitate easy clean up.
  • If using multiple cookie sheets, load them with dough and chill in refrigerator or freezer before baking.
  • When cookies are firm enough to move (several minutes after taking them from the oven) move them using a flat spatula from the cookie sheet to a wooden cutting board and/or steel rack to cool completely.
  • This method makes a crispy/chewy cookie.
  • It’s best to bake the entire recipe as soon as possible after combining the ingredients to capture the full effect of the baking powder and soda rising action.
  • Store extra cookies in the freezer. Freezing does not compromise the cookie, if anything they are better straight from the freezer.
  • Set aside 2 1/2 hours to bake entire recipe.
  • If you don’t have time to bake all of the dough, cut the recipe in half.
  • If you run out of time while baking you can freeze the leftover dough – a workable solution, but not ideal. The thawed dough will be harder to pull into a ball, but still ends up making a fine cookie. If you think you’ll get back to baking later in the day you can refrigerate leftover dough.
  • To save time, mix your dry and wet ingredients separately before baking day and set aside in covered bowls. You won’t have to find refrigerator space for the big bowl of the wet ingredients because no animal products are involved.