Can You Bake a Yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie that is Low Fodmap?

Can you make low fodmap oatmeal raisin cookies that taste as good as cookies made with AP flour? I am using AP flour here, but I called King Arthur’s help line and their baker said that using their GF Measure for measure flour would result in cookies that are as good as the original recipe. So here is the best low fodmap oatmeal raisin cookie recipe ever in spite of my substitutions.

What About Covid and Social Occasions?

Can I celebrate Valentine’s Day with my family while social distancing in the back yard? But more to the point, can I make my fav cookies in spite of the shortages in every store I went to this week? In the grand tradition of my mom during WWII, who used some hideous substitutions, such as orange colored margarine, as well as the IBS folks who must substitute every day of their lives, I intend to make a great oatmeal raisin cookie no matter what! It’s not a typical valentine cookie, but it’s what my grandkids like

What About Ingredient Shortages?

No oatmeal except instant packets? Use the packets. No vanilla on the shelves? Eke out the last few drops in the bottle by adding a few drops of water. Not enough raisins or chips, just use what you have or make fewer cookies or add more coconut and nuts. Nothing can deter me!!

Even before Covid, this recipe originally came about by chance. I lost my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe-the one that made chewy, short, crumbly, buttery cookies with a hint of coconut and the roasted flavor of pecans. I tried a million recipes hoping to find it. OK, not a million, but certainly too many to count and each one promised cookie nirvana, but never delivered.

Then one day, in my own family cookbook, I came across my cousin Carol’s cookie recipe. When I made it, her cookies turned out exactly like my fabulous lost oatmeal cookie. However, I did have to make sure this recipe was IBS safe.Here is how I did it:

swap out GF flour for AP flour (if you can’t tolerate wheat)
stay within a safe amount of raisins (Monash App says 1 Tbsp. is safe and no cookie has that many raisins)
stay within a safe amount of nuts. Monash says 10 halves is safe and certainly no cookie has that much or even close to that.
use safe shortening such as solid coconut oil, if you can’t tolerate butter

I use my own step by step instructions because I like using a stand mixer. I use the paddle because the whip on a stand mixer is too strong.

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups AP flour (or KA Measure for Measure GF Flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup white sugar

1 and 1/2 cups oats (use gluten free)

2 sticks salted butter, softened (I deduct 2 tbsp butter and substitute 2 tbsp Crisco to make my cookies really short)(or use your favorite alternative butter that works in baking.)

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisins (1 Tbsp. is fodmap free and even two cookies would not have that many) or use GF choc. chips if you prefer

1 cup sweetened grated coconut (1/2 cup is fodmap free)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (10 pecan or walnut halves are fodmap safe)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take out two baking sheets and line with parchment paper. Bake them side by side.

•In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

•In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, on medium speed, beat the butter and Crisco (or alternative shortening) until it’s soft and creamy.

•Add the sugars slowly and cream until soft and fluffy. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer back on to medium and beat in the egg and the vanilla.

•Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time, making sure each increment of flour mixture gets incorporated before adding more.

•Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Take off the paddle and swipe down the batter on the paddle, putting it into the bowl with the rest of the batter.

•Add the raisins, coconut, oats and pecans or walnuts (or chocolate chips) and stir everything together using a big wooden spoon or rubber spatula. When all is combined, set aside.

•Place your parchment lined baking sheet next to the batter bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out a slightly rounded scoop of batter and place it an inch apart on the baking sheet.

•When you have 15 scoops of batter on the baking sheet, flatten each one with the back of a fork or the bottom of a small juice glass that you dipped in sugar to keep it from sticking, before pressing down on the cookie.

•Set the timer for 12 to 14 minutes and bake the cookies on the center rack of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Take them out of the oven when the edges are nicely browned and the top is slightly golden.

•Using a spatula, slide the cookies onto a cooling rack and let them cool before storing them in a cookie tin or freezing them in the freezer.