Hermit Cookies Recipe is Gluten-Free, Healthy, Vegan and So Yummy

These delicious gluten-free hermit cookies are not overly sweet which is why we like them. The best thing is that they are full of very healthy ingredients and are vegan too as I use an egg substitute which is chickpea flour in this recipe.

They do have a bit of a drier texture than the ones with wheat in them but don’t be concerned as are still yummy.

Ingredients for the Hermit Cookies Recipe

All of the ingredients have great health benefits too.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is good for us. In tropical climates like Polynesia, Sri Lanka, and the Yucatan where they have a diet high in coconut oil, the people are healthier and have less heart disease, cancer, and colon problems than unsaturated fat eaters. It is now accepted that there is good cholesterol and there are good saturated fats. Learn the 12 benefits of  Coconut Oil, this newly declared Amazing SuperFood.

Brown Rice Flour

Brown Rice Flour has become a staple in my baking adding fiber and nutrition. It assists in weight loss, helps reduce cholesterol, and balances energy.  It is low-cost and adds a dry gritty crumbly texture to these hermit cookies.

White Rice Flour

White Rice Flour is what I use this flour for shortbread and pastry making as it adds a lightness and texture.  It works best when combined with high protein flours to balance texture and build the structure. Caution: Use only small amounts as it has less nutrition than brown and tends to be starchy.

Potato Flour

Potato Flour is high in fiber and protein and is a fine creamy white-yellow powder.  It is made from dehydrated whole potatoes and is a healthy substitute for xanthan gum or guar gum. Cautions: Don’t confuse it with potato starch. Use much less.

Walnuts

I love walnuts as they add nutrition, flavour, and crunch to any recipe.  They are full of good protein, are a rich source of minerals, have no trans fats or cholesterol, and have some of the highest antioxidant content of all tree nuts.  Now that I know that walnuts are so highly nutritious, so much so that I consider them a superfood.

Chickpea Flour

It adds moisture, good texture, high protein, and high nutrition to these hermit cookies.  Chickpea flour is creamy colored with a slightly sweet bean taste. Caution: Never use more than 30% of the mixture due to the bitter aftertaste.  Learn more: Chickpeas are Full of Amazing Health Benefits

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is the healthiest sugar made from the sap of coconut flowers boiling it down to dry sugar blocks a soft paste or a granulated form. It contains a higher amount of nutrients compared to brown sugar as it has some amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorine, magnesium, sulfur, and micronutrients.

Himalayan Salt

For this recipe and all my recipes, I use Himalayan salt which is good for you!

Stevia

As I don’t use sugar for my baking I often use stevia which is the healthy option.  The stevia plant is incredibly sweet and also incredibly good for you.  The leaf is 30 times sweeter than sugar while extracts are 300-400 times sweeter.  The best stevia will, therefore, be the one that retains some whole-food value and is water-based.  Liquid forms will be less processed.  Go here to learn How to Get the Best Stevia Without the Bitterness

Raisins

Adding a few raisins or sultanas that are unsweetened and unsulfured adds some more sweetness to these hermit cookies. Raisins are a healthy, tasty food when eaten in moderation. They are a good source of nutrients and add a tasty sweetness to desserts and snacks. According to Medical News Today, they have many health benefits.

Blackstrap Molasses

Thick, dark, syrupy, sweet blackstrap molasses is more than something to make candy or cookies with; it has many benefits, from helping prevent cancer to getting rid of grey hair. It is a superfood full of health benefits. Learn the 7 Blackstrap Molasses Health Benefits.

Cinnamon

When we think of cinnamon we usually imagine delicious pastries or a hot drink but cinnamon is also full of health benefits.  These benefits are backed by valid scientific research.  It is helpful from lowering “bad” HDL cholesterol levels to lowering blood sugar levels. This is for sure a valuable superfood to be included in our diet. Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices. The darker the cinnamon the better it is.

Nutmeg and Cloves

These spices add an extra tasty zing to the hermit cookies.

Print Pin

Gluten-Free Hermit Cookies

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword cookies, Gluten-free, hermit cookies, Vegan, vegetarian

Author Diana Herrington

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp coconut sugar the coconut sugar will give them a slight coconut flavour
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1/4 tsp liquid stevia
• 4 Tbsp chickpea flour* helps hold the cookies together
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup sultanas or raisins

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Combine the oil, coconut sugar, stevia, and molasses until creamy.
• Stir in the chickpea flour and water
• Then mix in the other flours, baking powder, salt, and spices.
• Mix in the fruit and nuts.
• Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten with a fork on a greased baking sheet.
• Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and gently take the hermit cookies off the baking sheet. Put them on a rack for cooling.

* This is for an egg-free vegan recipe, learn more about Egg Substitutes.

Enjoy your Hermit cookies that are gluten-free once they have cooled down. YUM!

More cookie recipes for you:

 Fancy Sunflower Seed Cookies – Gluten-Free – These cookies are easy to make.  These sunflower seed cookies really are fancy, delicious and healthy too! They are gluten-free and vegan which means there are no eggs used. Often cookies are made with lots of butter, white flour and white sugar which are not healthy ingredients. I have developed them with healthy ingredients and no starch.

 Pecan Shortbread Cookies – the best shortbread cookies that are vegan which means no butter. These gluten-free vegan shortbread cookies are awesomely delicious! They even melt in your mouth like regular shortbread and they are vegan too. I was determined to keep out the unhealthy starches, adding only a little healthy arrowroot and of course no white sugar.

 Yummy Molasses/Tahini Cookies Are Good for You – These molasses/tahini cookies are Middle Eastern-inspired, delicious, and easy to make! Also, they are vegan, and gluten-free too! And they are so very yummy. They are a very healthy cookie full of nutrients from molasses, tahini, stevia, and coconut oil.

Note: If you are considering going gluten-free

1. Read: Can a Gluten-Free Diet Help You Lose Weight?
2. Learn how to make sinfully delicious gluten-free treats and desserts that are still healthy for you. Health GF Baking Training
3. Read 11 Gluten-Free Grains to learn some of the alternatives and the many benefits.
4. Check out: Diana’s Gluten-Free Recipes Make sure you are subscribed to the newsletters for the latest recipes.
5. Consider doing one of my Healthy Online Courses. All of the recipes for the courses are gluten-free.

Healthy Baking Class Online – Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy & Sugar-Free

• Learn to Bake Healthy Sweets
• Gluten-Free Healthy Baking that is Soy-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-Free, & Wheat-free
• Sinfully, Delicious, and Healthy Too!
• Wouldn’t it be great to eat cookies and tarts like you did as a child, innocently enjoying the sweetness and textures without worrying about the downside?

Get the skills and knowledge to create healthy baking with the Healthy Baking Course. Go here Healthy Baking Course to check it out.

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