RECIPE: Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Peanuts

I love these cookies.  They have a wonderful consistency, amazing texture complexity and an incredible flavor.  The presence of cinnamon, in particular, makes all of the other flavors zing.

I made my cookies small so that I wouldn't feel guilty about eating four of them at once (true story) but feel free to make yours as large or as small as you'd like.  Just make sure and check on them in the oven, as you may need to adjust the cooking times.

Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Peanuts

Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 c. teff flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 3/4 c. peanut butter (preferably organic)
- 1/2 c. organic applesauce
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 c. agave nectar (if you eat honey, a great alternative is 1/4 c. agave and 1/4 c. raw honey)
- 1 prepared Ener-G 'egg'
- 1 1/2 c. gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 c. organic dried sweetened cranberries (I HIGHLY recommend sweetened cranberries in this recipe because the cookie dough is not overly sweet to begin with)
- 1/2 c. organic peanuts

Directions:
1.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2.  Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to wet.  Fold in oats, cranberries and peanuts.  Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
3.  Preheat oven to 350' and drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared sheets.  Press down on dough slightly.  Cookies won't spread a lot but they will puff a little bit so you want to have a nice cookie shape to start with!
4.  Bake for 14-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even baking*.
5.  Remove cookies from oven and allow them to sit for five minutes before transferring to wire racks before removing to wire racks to finish cooling.
6.  Store cookies in an airtight container.  Will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, assuming they last that long!
*Note: When you rotate the baking sheet halfway through, press down on the tops of the cookies a little bit.  I know this is a little unorthodox but it makes for a nicer-looking cookie :)

My cookies at work :)