These Gluten-free, dairy-free, cookies are filled with cinnamon, dried apple chips, and vanilla – they not only smell delicious but taste heavenly, and, without the icing, they can even be breakfast!
These gluten-free cinnamon vanilla apple cookies are such a simple joy. They are easy to make. Somewhat on the healthy-ish side. They are such a delightful blend of flavors. And, they smell absolutely amazing.
What are the ingredients in these cinnamon vanilla apple cookies?
These cookies are made with the following 12 ingredients, and they are:
- Rolled oats
- Gluten-free flour
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Almond extract
- Apple chips
- Confectioners sugar
- Almond milk
Inspiration for these cookies…
There are those people that will look up at a clear blue sky and manage to find that spec of gray, that one lonesome, tiny cloud. Then there are those people that will look up at a cloudy gray sky and manage to find that one ray of sunshine – that one spec of blue!
My dad fell into that latter group. He was a joy-seeker and very often a joy-finder – in just about everything. I think it was this spirit in him that led him to bake us a cake, even when he had a reputation of being a “water-burner”.
Way back in the day when I was a kid, my mom, sister, and I went off on a short vacation to visit my uncle. Back then, my mom did all the cooking and baking, and she made sure my dad had enough meals in the fridge before we left, so he wouldn’t rely on coffee and cookies.
However, when we got back from our vacation, the front door wasn’t fully opened when the smell of vanilla with accents of apple and cinnamon assailed our nostrils! Apparently, my water-burning-not-a-culinary-pro dad had baked us a cake! A fresh vanilla, cinnamon, and apple cake!
At first, we were skeptical – maybe he bought it or had help from a cousin or friend; but there was no denying the scent of apples, cinnamon, and vanilla that clung to the kitchen.
And the cake was still warm! Other than a “golden brown” rim on the bottom outer layer of that cake, it was perfect AND delicious!
My dad is not with us this Christmas, but he passed his love for all things sweet on to me and his granddaughter.
So, in honor of the cake my dad baked and his love of cookies, I decided to come up with these gluten free, Cinnamon Vanilla Apple Cookies!
How to make these cinnamon vanilla apple cookies?
I used a combination of my adapted gluten-free blend, but you could use any gluten-free flour and oats and apple chips in these easy steps:
- First, I preheated the oven to 350
- Then, I added 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup gluten-free flour blend, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to a bowl and mixed them up.
- Next, I added 1/8 cup of melted(not hot) coconut oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to the dry mix and stirred it well.
- Then I added in 1/2 cup of roughly crushed apple chips (you could also use dried apples or freeze-dried apples).
- I formed this mix into 8 balls and baked them for 12 minutes on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- When cooled, I glazed some of them with a glaze of 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a few splashes of milk to make it an “icing” consistency.
I hope to make these cookies for our Christmas cookie platter this Holiday season. And when my mom, sister, daughter, and I get together for Christmas, we will enjoy these in memory of my joy-filled dad!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup gluten-free flour I used this blend
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 cup of melted coconut oil not hot
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup of roughly crushed apple chips you could also use dried apples or freeze-dried apples
GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- a few splashes of almond milk
Instructions
- First, I preheated the oven to 350
- Then, I added 1 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup gluten-free flour blend, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to a bowl and mixed them up.
- Next, I added in 1/8 cup of melted(not hot) coconut oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to the dry mix and stirred it well
- Then I added in 1/2 cup of roughly crushed apple chips (you could also use dried apples or freeze-dried apples)
- I formed this mix into 8 balls and baked them for 12 minutes on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- When cooled, I glazed some of them with a glaze of 1/2 cup confectionersâ?? sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a few splashes of milk to make it an icing consistency.
Nutrition
Great flavor combo – I love the cinnamon glaze!!
I love these cookies. The apples and the oats sounds yummy!
Your dad reminds me of my mom – always able to find the bright side of things. What a special gift 🙂 These cookies look absolutely amazing!!
Such a lovely story you’ve shared about your dad, Shashi. My dad is not here for Christmas either but his spirit always is and we make sure the kids in the family know him through us.
I’m a big fan of apple cinnamon and these cookies are a great tradition to share. Thank you!
What a lovely cookie recipe!!! Screaming fall all over!! Thanks for sharing with us Shashi 🙂
Aww, I loved reading that story about your dad (hehehe, “water-burner”)! Those cookies look delicious! :] I love how you made the icing!
Yummy cookies, I like the addition of apple and vanilla. Perfect for Holidays! Pinning:)
How precious that you have these wonderful memories of your father, Shashi, and that you can remember him through your cooking!
I love this combination of healthy cookies with a simple flavoured glaze. It’s the kind of thing I’m always looking for for healthier after-work snacks 🙂
Those candles sound amazing. I love the names of them – excellent for Christmas. I’m so sorry you won’t have your beautiful dad with you this Christmas. He certainly sounds like he was an outstanding father with a fantastic attitude xx
I bet your dad would have been lots of fun to hang out with. I tend to err on that side while my husband goes to the other side! What a lovely way of remembering him!
Awww…your sweet Dad! What a wonderful story and memory of his baking you a cake. When I was 16, my mother, sister and I went on a 2 week trip to Texas to visit my uncle. My mother packed the fridge and freezer with meals for him to heat up.. we even bought our first microwave so he could heat them up easily. It sounds just like your story.. except my father did not master any baking or cooking while we were gone. He hardly ate the food my mother took so much time to cook and label for him. He ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches instead! So Kudos to your Dad!! Love your cookies honoring his apple cake. Sending you a hug! 🙂
Yum! The best flavors of fall all mixed together! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’d like to try them!
Thank you for sharing your story about your dad with us 🙂
The combination of vanilla, apples, and cinnamon is seriously one of the best there is! And adding cinnamon to that glaze is just a stoke of genius. I adore having scented candles at home, even if some of them just make me want to scoop up the air with a spoon and eat it 😛
What a great memory of your dad. He must have been an awesmazing person!
Also these oat cookies are awesmazing in their own right, and that cinnamon glaze is to die for!
Have a great weekend my friend!
The cookies look delicious. The pics are so beautiful and I can smell the fragrance right from my screen 🙂
Oh Shashi, what a lovely story. I love oat cookies and these look so divine. Apple and oat must be an awesome combo.
I seriously want 5 of these right now! What a fabulous flavour combo!
Cinnamon, apple and vanilla belong together. Thanks for sharing with us memories of your dad. He would be proud of these cookies, I’m sure. 🙂
Shashi, these cookies look and sound amazing! I love it when smells evoke found memories 🙂 And what a sweet story about your dad. I love that he was an optimist. I’m one of those joy-seekers to, and I’m so glad that I am. It makes life so much easier 🙂
Yummy! These looks look great, I love that glaze! I especially like that shot you took drizzling it on. I could eat it with a spoon, haha. Yum!
I love how rustic these look! So cute and delicious!
Light some candles, bake some of these, and the house must smell like pure love and joy!
Awww! This is such a sweet post, Shashi!! <3 I bet that cake tasted fabulous, and all the better because it was specially baked with a ton of love! I hope that memory and the smell wafting through the house stays present in you forever. I'm coming up on the 3 year anniversary of my father's death, and I get nervous one day I will wake up and forget the little things about him and the precious memories. So, I absolutely LOVE reading yours. It hits home. Anyways, these cookies – I love them! Love that they are a smaller version of your fathers cake! Love the flavors! Love the glaze! Just Pure LOVE! 🙂 Pinned! Cheers, my dear – to memories. xo
Yummmm. You know my love for cookies run deep, Sashi! <3 And I adore that your dad sought out the positive side of things. It is definitely something I strive for! But it doesn't always come natural to me, so I am working on it! Happy almost Friday 😉
I love that your dad was a joy seeker – that’s something I’m trying to be better about! And these cookies sound amazinggg.
Whoa these sound so good. That glaze has me drooling already! Anything with apples and cinnamon is a go-to in my mind!
What a lovely memory of your dad!
Best welcome home smell ever! Love that! And I want to bottle it up. And eat of course haha
Shashi! I love this flavor combination!!! these are the perfect holiday cookies!!! and love the cinnamon glaze!!!
See! You had food blogger genes in you all along, Shashi…your Dad sounds like an incredible guy! I mean, he burns water but managed to bake you guys a delicious cake. I love that this inspired you to make these cookies! And cinnamon + vanilla + apples is one of my favorite combinations! These sound almost like apple pie cookies…and I think they would disappear around here quickly. Oh, and I love those candles, too…we always have candles burning during the holidays!
Awww…I love it Shashi. Your daddy baked you a cake. Now THAT, my friend, is sweet sweet sweet. I can see how the candle scent carrie you back to that night. Light lots of candles this season, my friend, bask in the glow. Because beautiful memories are worth cherishing. And munch a few of these cookies while you’re at it. I’m going to. xo
Your dad sounded absolutely wonderful Shashi, thank you so much for sharing such a lovely story with us! <3 These cookies look delicious, and I love the combination of flavours. Cinnamon and vanilla both taste so amazing with apple! Love the glaze on top too!
Shashi, that was such a sweet and heartwarming story about your dad. I love that we both made apple cookies this week, so often we’re on the same wavelength. Needless to say, these look absolutely wonderful 🙂
My dad is the same way, high spirited and loves life just like your daddy. I am sure my dad would love these cookies just as much as yours did and I will make him a batch or 2 while I am back home visiting. I will let him know its my buddy, Shashi’s recipe. Sharing, pinning, sending smoke signals..
That glaze!! This flavor combination is amazing and I wouldn’t be mad if you want to make these for me 🙂 Your dad sounds sweet–we need more positive people like that.
What a lovely smell to come home to, vanilla, cinnamon and apple. Thanks for sharing this enchanting story about your dad.
I love those candles and always stop to smell them at Target! 🙂 These cookies look amazing!!! Everything I love in them.
These look beautiful. I love the sound of the cinnamon glaze too.
I am a sucker for oat cookies! These look fantastic, Shashi.
Apples and cinnamon, you know I love that combination Shashi.
I loved reading about your Dad. I want his vanilla, cinnamon and apple cake! People that look up into a grey sky and find that one ray of sunshine are those that I prefer to spend my time with. There’s enough problems in the world and in daily life in general without trying to find more, don’t you think? 🙂