Red Rice Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Oatmeal cranberry cookies with red rice – crumbly on the outside, chewy on the inside. Made of healthy, wholesome ingredients with zero compromise on taste. Perfect for your tea-time indulgence or as kids’ snacks, dunk them in milk and call it breakfast, even – these are THAT healthy and tasty too. Did I mention gluten-free?

These cookies were first made as a part of recipe testing. I made a batch of 12, sent across a few for testing, and the rest were devoured away by me and others around in sheer amazement of how delicious they were.

Red Rice Oatmeal Cranberry cookies – Wholesome and guilt-free indulgence

Over repeated batches, I’ve learnt that oatmeal to cookies is what miso is for soup! Oats render this rather obvious crumble and crunch to the cookie, while keeping the insides soft and slightly chewy, just like a cookie ought to be. The gluten-free part is also a by-product of recipe testing! I was looking for ways to substitute the glutinous ingredients like whole wheat flour.

The best part about these cookies – these are free from refined flour/ gluten/ xanthan gum or any additives. You can make this dairy-free as well if you so wish, by substituting butter with oil or applesauce. Devour them on the days you have a sweet cravings or even make these a part of your child’s lunchbox.  These are packed with nutrition, and have less sugar content. Also,the high fiber content serves to keep you satiated for a longer time. Something we can’t say about the typical store-bought variety that’s saturated with refined sugar and hardly offers any real nourishment. 

Ingredients in my Red rice Oatmeal cranberry cookies

Oatmeal – Rolled oats help hold the cookie’s shape better. What’s more, the high beta-glucan fiber content in oats, along with their antioxidant content helps boost heart health. Oats also aid in improving metabolism and keep one sated for longer.

Red rice – The peculiar red color can be attributed to anthocyanin, rich in antioxidants. Partially hulled red rice variety can provide up to 10% of your daily fiber content. It also has a host of B vitamins, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Potassium, Molybdenum and Magnesium. Red rice can be hailed as a wonder food for keeping heart diseases at bay due to rich mineral content. Red rice can work wonders for body weight management too. A small portion can keep you fuller for longer hours, saving you from unhealthy cravings.

Cranberries – Aside from adding the much-needed zing and balancing out the sweetness, cranberries are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Thus, a nice way to pack in some more nutrition in these gluten-free cookies.