These delicious, low sugar oatmeal and rice flour cookies are a great way to give allergic kids (or adults) a tasty, gluten-free treat!
Making tasty recipes that are healthy, gluten-free, AND low in sugar can be difficult to achieve.
These cookies, however, made the cut with everyone here! All of my kids love them, making for one delighted mama.
This recipe makes a small batch (about five cookies), but it can be doubled.
Jade always says, "why do you only make FIVE cookies, mama?!", hehe.
I don't entirely know, but they are delicious!
Is rice flour good for baking cookies?
Rice flour can be used much the same way as all-purpose flour. I like the taste and texture it brings to a cookie recipe, as it adds a 'crisp' to the treat.
The biggest downfall with rice flour is that it doesn't bind very well.
That's not an issue with this recipe, however, because the combination of egg yolk and peanut butter holds the cookie together nicely.
What's the difference between brown rice flour and white rice flour?
I always want the flour that will give me the most nutrition, NOT the white stuff. I only use brown rice flour, as it has more fiber and nutrients.
The upside of both flours is that they are gluten-free, which is important if you're making these for someone who is sensitive.
The downside to rice flour, in general, is that it is higher in carbs and calories than some other choices. While gluten is almost universally shunned among health advocates, it is a rich source of protein that you won't receive using non-gluten flours.
Ingredients needed
Rice flour - I like to use brown rice flour, but white rice will work as well. White rice is a bit higher in carbs and less nutritious.
Oats - Rolled or quick oats both work well. I'd say the quick oats disperse the texture a bit better.
Baking soda - Helps the cookies bake and puff.
Sea salt, vanilla extract - Both ingredients add to flavor.
Butter, peanut butter - These fats offer richness to the cookie. If peanut butter isn't tolerated, try a nut or seed butter that you can eat (and like!). If you use Sunbutter, the cookies will take on a green color, fyi!
Maple syrup - This is the cookie's sole source of sweetness. Don't substitute a granulated sugar or the cookie will be dry. (Note: These cookies are modestly sweet.)
Egg yolk - Helps to bind the cookie together and offers nutrition. I love adding egg yolks to my smoothies, as it makes them nice and thick! I think a tablespoon of Greek yogurt or applesauce (per readers' suggestions) would make a decent substitute.
Of course, you'll also add chocolate chips, though I often chop up a dark chocolate bar instead.
How to make rice flour cookies
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Stir everything together until a batter forms. Divide the batter into five equal cookies and place the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Recipe notes
I have tried doubling this recipe by using a whole egg (in lieu of two egg yolks). The result is still good, though I like the egg yolk version more. Using the entire egg makes the cookie a bit softer and takes about 1-2 minutes longer to bake. I would add two yolks if you're looking to recreate the exact cookie. You can use the leftover whites to make an Egg White Omelette!
If you're looking for a good baking sheet, these stainless steel pans are awesome and non-toxic.
Other cookie recipes
One of my personal favorites is this Low Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
If you like the idea of using multiple grains, you might enjoy this Multi-Grain Cookie recipe (it's Sam's favorite!).
Looking for a nut-free, gluten-free, AND dairy-free cookie? Try Jade's all-time favorite cookie!
Oatmeal and Rice Flour Cookies
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup oats (rolled or quick)
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
WET INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Tbsp softened (not melted) ghee or butter
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- chopped chocolate or chocolate chips as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: ghee (or butter), peanut butter, maple syrup, yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry mix into the wet ingredients bowl and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the chocolate, if using.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into five equal-sized cookies and place them onto the baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Cookies are best once cooled completely (they hold together the best, too!).
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Aeryn
Hi! Can these be made without the peanut butter?
Thanks!
Lauren
Hi Aeryn,
You could substitute it for almond or cashew butter, but I wouldn't leave it out completely.
Mary Quiroz
Thanks for developing and sharing a great recipe! I am curious, however, why the yield is 5, especially given that you are a family of 6. My family was wondering who didn't get any!
Lauren
Ha, my daughter asked me the same question. The main reason was the use of the egg yolk. At the time, I didn't want to waste the whites by doubling and tripling the batch. Now, we make a larger batch, and I use the whites for meringue topping on our mug cakes or as a face mask. 🙂
Emily
I would love to try this recipe but we can’t eat egg yolks or flax eggs. Are there any substitutes we could try?
Lauren
Hi Emily,
You might try a chia egg, though I haven't myself.
Emily
I’ll give it a try - thanks Lauren!
Chris
Hi Emily,
I just made these tonight and I used a heaping tablespoon of fat free Greek yogurt instead of the egg yolk. They turned out soft and moist with a good cookie texture. I cooked them a few minutes longer than the recipe called for. Best wishes! They are quick and easy to make and very yummy.
Emily
Good to know. Thanks for the recommendation Chris!
Jo
Tried this today with raisins instead of chocolate chips and they were spectacular. Extremely easy and 5 cookies was exactly what we needed for 2 of us - note that they are a nice size using this recipe. I've had rice flour sitting around for a long time because I've been experimenting with flours as of late, and this was one of my best flour experiment outcomes. Thank you, Lauren. Absolutely delicious. And pretty looking, too. Not the only time I will make these.
Lauren
Thanks, Jo! I'm so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Diann
Really tasty cookies. You will definitely want to double this recipe
Susan E Vee
I quadrupled the recipe using crunchy peanut butter with salt. My kids said the cookies were too salty, not sweet enough and some what dry. So I added some brown sugar and coconut oil for the 2nd batch and they said they were much better. I didn't eat them because I don't eat eggs or peanuts, so I don't really know.
Not sure I will try them again. Thank you though!
Meryl Lande
I used Arrowhead Mills brown rice flour and Sunbutter instead of peanut butter. They didn't crisp and were green in the middle!
Anybody have an idea what happened??
Lauren
Sunbutter reacts with baking soda to make the green color. For the texture, it sounds like you didn't let them bake long enough. Ovens can vary in how hot they are, so just pop them back in for a bit.
Eryl
Healthier St Patty's cookies.... (:
I have doubled the recipe + added 1/4 cup Organic Almond flour; adjust wet ingredients accordingly... nice nutty flavour. A coffee grinder will make nut flours out of chopped nuts; whole nuts tend to leave some round balls.
Meryl Lande
Thanks, Lauren. They tasted okay. I wanted them crispy. Next time!
SUSIE
These are so yummy! I love that I can enjoy them despite various allergies and had all the ingredients on hand.
Thank you so much for sharing.
SAN
I loved these cookies!
I used what I had: vegan egg, swapped peanut butter for coconut mousse and left out the chocolate. The recipe still worked perfectly. Thank you!
Libby
Hello, I just wanted to ask what sort of texture the cookies are, whether their soft or crunchy cookies? Thanks
Libby
Made them in the end, and there delicious! Lovely and crumbly and crispy on the outside. I’ve been looking for a gluten free and low sugar cookie for a while and these are definitely my new go to 😋
Lauren
I'm so glad you were able to try (and like!) them, Libby. Sorry for not responding sooner!
Rubina
I love that your recipe makes only 5 cookies...but it makes sense that you were testing in small batches. I appreciated your honesty & wanted to let you know that a simple doubling works just fine to make 10 cookies! I really like the depth of flavour that the peanut butter & maple syrup give to the cookie...it's delicious! The texture is also nice with the oats & rice flour, and not as cake-y as some other rice flour cookie recipes I've tried. Thank you for your experimenting & for sharing the recipe!
Rubina
If possible I’d love to change my rating to 5 stars after making them a few times & trying others. Yours is the best!
Tony
Hi, I quadrupled this recipe (we have 5 kids), and it seemed to turn out fine. The cookies didn’t flatten during cooking like I expected, but they taste fines none the less. It’s so hard to get good cookie recipes without sugar these days. Thanks for sharing this!
Lauren
Haha, yes, without the sugar or tons of fat, cookies don't really spread like they do with the former. Glad you enjoyed these despite that!
Lynne Stephens
Do you have a particular brand of brown rice flour that you like to use? I have not seen that in stores. Thanks!
Lauren
Hi Lynne,
I usually use Bob's Red Mill brand, which I get off of Vitacost or at Sprouts. 🙂