Baking cookies without eggs and flour

With many families with young children looking to bake during the weeks ahead, some of us might not have or be able to buy the ingredients that we usually would. Second–year student Malandra (Set 42) shows how resourceful Norland students can be with her gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe that doesn’t require eggs or flour, and can be adapted to be dairy-free too.

I love to bake and decided to bake chocolate chip cookies as a sweet treat for my family, but when I looked in the cupboard I realised we had very little flour. This recipe is great for the current circumstances when it might be more difficult to get hold of certain ingredients. Blended oats make a creative substitute for flour and this recipe replaces the eggs with oil. I used olive oil, but sunflower or rapeseed should work just as well. Unrefined sugar such as honey could be used if you don’t have sugar. Chopped nut or dried fruit can replace chocolate chips and a dairy-free milk alternative such as soya milk could be used instead of cow’s milk.

“How can children get involved?
These cookies are great and simple to make. Children can get involved with measuring out the oats, pouring ingredients, mixing the ingredients together, and even rolling the mixture into balls before pressing gently onto a baking tray. A simple and delicious recipe, suitable for children and adults!”

Recipe
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt (left out if baking for children)
½ cup sugar (any type of sugar should work)
¼ cup chocolate chips (could be replaced with nuts, dried fruit or a mixture)
2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil; however any should work)
2 tbsp milk (you could use a dairy-free alternative such as soya, to make dairy-free)

Makes 15 cookies
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas mark 5
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes

Method
Prepare a lined baking tray and set the oven at 190C/fan 170C/gas mark 5.

Combine the oats, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse until it resembles flour texture.

Pour this over the remaining ingredients, mix until combined.

Using a scoop for your hands, form mixture into small balls. Place them onto the baking tray and flatten slightly. Make sure the cookies are spaced well apart as they spread dramatically in the oven.

Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on baking tray. When they’ve cooled slightly and aren’t as soft, remove to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.