Gluten-Free Chock Full Rounds

Guest Post from Sara of Your Thriving Family

I made a version of the Lactation Cookies Erin has here on The Humbled Homemaker a while back.  They were and are good, but I have refined them a bit since then.  Actually the first night I made them we had those and fruit for dinner.

At the time I was also fiddling around with granola bars to replace the ones I was no longer buying.  Then I realized these had the basic ingredients and a whole lot more!  So these have become our new go-to for some on the go energy, amongst a few other things.

We also do a lot of dried fruits, Lara Bars and all sorts of nuts.  But these are a little extra treat.  They can be a mid-day snack or healthy dessert.  I will also put one in my daughter’s lunch box.  They go with us in a bag when I am not sure how long we will be out – and are sometimes my grab and go breakfast.

Our neighbor’s little girl can’t have wheat and neither can my sister-in-law, as well as a few other close friends.  So I have begun trying a few recipes out without it.  Coconut flour has been a good alternative for me since it isn’t a mixture of a bunch of different flours.

The thing to keep in mind when using coconut flour is that it really soaks up liquids.  So in converting this recipe I upped my egg count.  It is also very forgiving – to a point.  These can be “under cooked” and still be super yummy.  But don’t over cook them or you’ll need a big glass of milk.

I bake these on a baking stone.  The virgin coconut oil gives a slight coconut flavor.  If you don’t like that just switch it out for expeller pressed or softened butter.  I have heard some people with gluten allergies can’t have oats either – so omit those and these still turn out good, another cups of freshly ground flax can make up the difference. (Note from Erin: Also make sure your Brewer’s Yeast is a gluten free version.)

Once your batter is ready, scoop onto the baking sheet.  They will pretty much stay the shape they are when uncooked.  So you can leave them as balls.  Or use the palm of your hand to flatten them a little.

This batter is VERY thick, so when you get to the end the chocolate and nuts are a little hard to incorporate.  The last time we made them my daughter had the job of squashing chocolate chips into the top of the cookies.  She said there were domino cookies now!

I usually make a double batch and keep some out for the week and stick the rest in the freezer.  Which they stand up to really well.  Over the last two weeks I’ve made dinner for four families at church with new babies or family emergencies – so these have been the go to dessert.

What’s your favorite go-to snack?