Chai Spiced Persimmon Oatmeal Cookies

I’m not feeling particularly loquacious today.  My back decided to give out on me this morning for no rhyme or reason amidst the rainy weather and last minute Thanksgiving planning.  An evening of much needed yoga is probably going to turn into an evening on the couch with a mug of tea and not a hell of a lot of movement.

I meant to share these cookies earlier, but they got pushed back a bit when the cranberry upside down cake didn’t post when it was scheduled to.  They are relatively simple and unpretentious and they go quite well with a cup of tea.  I added my chai spice mix to these because honestly, I’ve been throwing it in everything these days.  The recipe for it is below the cookies, but if you feel a bit lazy, you could just sub in some cinnamon.

Rustic Chai Spiced Persimmon Oatmeal Cookies
You can try subbing in 1 cup of an all purpose gluten free flour mix if you don’t have the flours listed below.  Cookies inspired by this post. 

1/2 cup solid coconut oil
scant 1/2 cup sucanat or coconut sugar
1 tbsp flaxmeal + 3 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup oat flour
good pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp psyllium or xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp chai spice mix **
3/4 cup rolled oats
flesh of 2 small ripe persimmons, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a large baking sheet with parchment.  Combine the flaxmeal and warm water in a small bowl and set aside to gel.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the coconut oil and sucanat and cream them together.  Once the sugar starts dissolving into the coconut oil, add the vanilla and your flaxmeal mixture and mix until smooth and thick.  In a small bowl, mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, chai spice, and oats until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the dough forms it will be thick and a bit sticky.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the diced persimmon.  Let the dough sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken up, then mix it once more.  Place heaping spoonfuls of the dough on your lined sheet spacing them at least 1 1/2 inches apart as they will spread a bit.  Using damp fingers, gently flatten the tops of the cookies a bit, then place the sheet in the oven.  Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until the tops are firm and the edges are golden.  Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 15 minutes before moving them to a rack.  Store leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container.  Makes 13 to 14 medium sized cookies.

**my trusty chai spice mix:
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Mix all of the spices together until evenly distributed.  Store the mix in an airtight container.