I have made this cookie so many times lately and altered them in so many ways I realized I have got to write this down to remember all the variations.

The original recipe comes from GFF MAG for their Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies. It popped up on my instagram feed and looked like an interesting “healthy” free of refined sugar, hearty cookie I could take with me to work.

For the last few months I’ve definitely been stress eating, like many. I needed to replace the pies and cookies I’ve been making with something a little healthier which could also potentially satiate me longer than the usual sweet treat. I’m not going to the store nearly as often as usual and I’m not going to pick up food while at work. Each time I make a batch of these I store half in the freezer and take a baggie with me to work since I can’t leave during the day.

They’re not calorie-free but they’re a great not-too-sweet-cookie alternative. Plus, I put basically anything I have into them so if I don’t have an ingredient I still don’t need to go to the store. One batch I was running low on rolled oats so I used half oats and half instant oatmeal, still worked great. It seems to be fool-proof so far.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (such Mochiko)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup smooth unsalted almond butter*
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional (use as many or as few of the following ingredients as desired):
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup salted pepitas/pumpkin seeds

Extra oats for garnish
1/2 Tablespoon flaky salt like Maldon Sea Salt

*I have used almond butter, chocolate hazelnut butter, peanut butter, and a combination. All worked well with very little difference in the taste. If using something sweetened (like honey almond butter), eliminate the additional 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup.

Instructions:
Preheat to 375ºF. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, buckwheat flour, oats, baking soda, and sea salt.

In a large bowl, stir together the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture. Stirring until combined and then beat with a wooden spoon for 20 seconds more to create a chewy texture. Stir in any or all of the optional toppings.

Measure out approximately one tablespoon per cookie. Form it into a ball with your fingertips and place on the parchment paper. Space balls about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down with your thumb to flatten just a bit. I found these stayed in the ball shape unless I flattened them out myself.

Add a sprinkle of oats and a couple of flakes of salt onto each cookie.

Bake until they begin to crack a bit on top and are puffed a bit- about 10 minutes. They will stay soft until they begin to cool.