Craving Something Sweet? Try These Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

More and more people are being told by doctors across the country that living gluten free may be a good choice for them. Some of them are diagnosed with celiac disease; some have issues with ADD etc. At first glance this may mean no more pizza, bread, pasta and even cookies. We've come a long way since the early days of living gluten free. There are now hundreds of delicious products and thousands of gluten-free recipes out there that allow you to enjoy all your favorite foods - just in a slightly modified way. Here's one of my favorites, for a delicious gluten free oatmeal cookie.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup table sugar
* 1/2 tsp vanilla
* 3/4 cups gluten-free flour
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* dash of salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
* 1 1/2 cups gluten free oats
* 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Start by preheating your oven to 350F. Soften the butter on the counter so it will be easier to work with. Get out a large bowl. Add the butter and both types of sugar to it and use a hand-mixer to cream everything together. Next it's time to beat in the egg and vanilla. Be sure to keep mixing until everything is smooth and well combined.

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and gum in another bowl. Stir it together until well combined, then work the flour mixture into the butter and egg one. Finish the batter by adding the oats and raisins and mixing everything together.

Get a large cookies sheet and drop the cookies on, using approximately one tbsp of batter for each. Using tow large spoons or a melon baller works well to scoop out the batter.

The cookies will need to bake for about 12 minutes. A golden brown color will let you know that it's time to take the oatmeal cookies out of the oven. Let the cookies cool for a good five minutes on the sheet, then move them to a wire rack. The cool cookies can then be stored in an airtight container.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Of course you don't have to bake all your cookies and other gluten-free treats from scratch. You can get all kinds of baking mixes and even finished gluten free products at local grocery stores and online at websites that specialize in gluten-free products. They are the perfect alternative. You can even find some gluten-free cookies, already baked and everything that taste pretty good.

In short, you do not have to give up on your favorite treats when you have to switch to eating gluten free.