Kids in the Kitchen Series
It is no secret that I enjoy having children in my kitchen. I love being a part of their eagerness and excitement when I suggest that we do some baking together. Today, we were presented with a different type of baking challenge. Their grandfather requested cookies that included some of his most favourite ingredients. Additionally, we had to consider several dietary restrictions: the cookies had to be healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free and low in refined sugar. Together we came up with a delicious cookie recipe that the children appropriately named, “Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies.” Skip to Recipe

Junior Chef’s Best Cookies are Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low Refined Sugar and delicious!
Baking is a great opportunity to teach children all about measurements such as fractions, weight, volume and calculating yield. These are skills that they need to learn and it sure is a fun way to create memories that will last a lifetime.
“Always eat something that the farmer grows as part of your snack” was the standing rule that we had with our daughters and now that same rule applies to our grandchildren. Okanagan apricots are in season. We really enjoy this fruit, which is juicy and sweet and always creates a drippy mess on our fingers. The rewards for eating what the farmer grows are these delicious healthy cookies! How great is that?
Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies – GF, DF, Low Refined Sugar
CHEF TALK: The recipe for Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies is very much like a breakfast cookie, loaded with dried fruit and nuts, whole grains and coconut. I have used a gluten-free flour blend in the recipe. However, the recipe also works well with all-purpose flour. In that case, omit the xanthan gum (this is used as a binding agent in gluten-free baked goods because it helps to hold onto moisture, and gives the baked goods some structure). I use whole oats in this recipe because I prefer the texture and appearance, although you can substitute quick oats (not instant).
Yield: approximately 3 dozen (32 to 36 Cookies @ 25 g each)
INGREDIENTS:
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (120 g)
- ½ cup coconut butter (100 g)
- ½ cup coconut sugar (70 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (10 ml)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend (150 g)
- 1 cup whole oats (110 g)
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut (70 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (3 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (4 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (2.5 ml)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3 g)
_______________
Garnish Ingredients:
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (95 g)
- ½ cup golden raisins or Thomson raisins (75 g)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (70 g)
- ½ cup chopped pecans (65 g)
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 350oF/325oF Convection setting. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter, coconut butter and coconut sugar until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the vanilla extract.
- In another medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, whole oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Mix to combine the dry ingredients well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine until well mixed.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients to the bowl and mix to combine: chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries and pecans.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough (approximately 1 oz.) and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet. Keep them well spaced. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the cookies appear to change colour. CHEF TIP: Gluten-free flour does not brown the same as wheat flour. Press the centre of the cookies after 10 minutes. The cookies should feel slightly firm as they bake. If they are still soft in the center, bake for a further 2 minutes. I typically spin the trays halfway through the baking time for even baking. Remember, all ovens are not the same, which is why oven temperature accuracy is so important – please see LEARNING TIPS.
- Cool the cookies on the trays. Enjoy them with a large glass of milk and something that the farmer grows!
Here are the visual steps in photographs that the children took to make the Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies:

Wet and Dry Ingredients ready to be combined

Combining the garnish ingredients into the cookie dough

Scoop 12 cookies to each tray and flatten them slightly before baking for 10 – 12 minutes.

The Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies
STORAGE:
- The baked cookies will keep for a few days at room temperature in a cookie jar. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in an airtight container.
- CHEF TIP: Another alternative is to freeze the unbaked cookies portions. Flatten the scoops of cookie dough slightly as directed above, and place them on the parchment-lined baking tray, spaced closely together. Freeze the cookie dough until firm and then transfer the frozen cookie nuggets into an airtight container or zipper bag in the freezer. Bake as needed, adding a few minutes to the baking time if you are baking them from frozen.

For longer storage, scoop all of the cookie dough, flatten them and place them close together on a tray, wrap, label and freeze.
Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:
- Creaming
- Gluten-Free Flour Blends
- Oven Temperature Accuracy
- Parchment Paper
- Vanilla Extract
- Favourite Kitchen Tools – Scoops for Portioning
__________
You Might Also Like:
Nut Butter and No-Nut Butter Cookies
Twice Baked Nutty Meringue Cookie Crisps
How to Make Aquafaba Meringues
Vanilla Bean Poppers – An Award Winning Cookie Recipe
If you try our recipe for Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!
Denise Paré-Watson
The Urb’n’Spice Chef
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Junior Chefs' Best Cookies - Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Refined Sugar Free
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 32-36 cookies
"Kids in the Kitchen" had a different type of baking challenge. The cookies needed to have certain favourite ingredients as well as they had to follow some dietary restrictions: gluten free, dairy free and low refined sugar. The children appropriately named them, "The Junior Chefs' Best Cookies."
Ingredients
Yield: approximately 3 dozen (32 to 36 Cookies @ 25 g each)
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (120 g)
- ½ cup coconut butter (100 g)
- ½ cup coconut sugar (70 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (10 ml)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend (150 g)
- 1 cup whole oats (110 g)
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut (70 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (3 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (4 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (2.5 ml)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3 g)_______________
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (95 g)
- ½ cup golden raisins or Thomson raisins (75 g)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (70 g)
- ½ cup chopped pecans (65 g)
Instructions
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 350F/325F Convection setting. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter, coconut butter and coconut sugar until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the vanilla extract.
- In another medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, whole oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Mix to combine the dry ingredients well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine until well mixed.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients to the bowl and mix to combine: chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries and pecans.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough (approximately 1 oz.) and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet. Keep them well spaced. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the cookies appear to change colour. CHEF TIP: Gluten-free flour does not brown the same as wheat flour. Press the centre of the cookies after 10 minutes. The cookies should feel slightly firm as they bake. If they are still soft in the center, bake for a further 2 minutes. I typically spin the trays halfway through the baking time for even baking. Remember, all ovens are not the same, which is why oven temperature accuracy is so important – please see LEARNING TIPS.
- Cool the cookies on the trays. Enjoy them with a large glass of milk and something that the farmer grows!
Notes
STORAGE:
- The baked cookies will keep for a few days at room temperature in a cookie jar. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in an airtight container.
- CHEF TIP: Another alternative is to freeze the unbaked cookies portions. Flatten the scoops of cookie dough slightly as directed above, and place them on the parchment lined baking tray, spaced closely together. Freeze the cookie dough until firm and then transfer the frozen cookie nuggets into an airtight container or zipper bag in the freezer. Bake as needed, adding a few minutes to the baking time if you are baking them from frozen.
For learning tips and techniques, including step-by-step photographs, please refer to the original Urb'n'Spice Junior Chefs' Best Cookies post.
Follow me on Social Media
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Did you Make my Recipe?
Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice
Courses Snack; Dessert; After School Snack
Cuisine Canadian; American
Kids in any kitchen is a joy. I’ve fond memories of working with my kids in the kitchen.
That Okanagan apricot radiates from that image and the cookies would work just fine with this grandpa…
Thanks for your comments, Ron. Those apricots sure are tasty. We had to make another batch of cookies together because Grandpa wanted more. I think you would too. They are delicious! Cheers!
I love that you cut back on the sugar, I love cookies but I’ve been trying to limit white sugar as it just sends me on a full day of snacking.
So true, I hear you, Ayngelina. We have to watch sugar intake for one of our little guys too because it affects him hugely – and not in a good way – lol. The same little guy was quite involved in creating these cookies and he gave it the thumbs up and also named them. A win-win for all involved. ?
I’ve been craving cookies for a while now. I’m going to have to make these ones! They look super yummy. 🙂
Oh, I am so glad, Jo and Sue! They are very good cookies! And they ticked all of the boxes for their grandfather’s request ??.
Aren’t those grandfathers great at dreaming up specific cookie requests! This is a great solution!
This grandfather sure is, Cathy! He likes to come up with different challenges for the little guys and they love it! Thanks for your sweet comments ?
What a nice experience for your grandchildren to be able to cook with you and create something yummy! These cookies look delicious and I really am intrigued by the coconut butter. I use it often but never in baked cookies! Sounds like I need to try these 🙂
Thanks so much, Lizzy! I think they you will trying the coconut butter in your sweet lizzy treats. I am now quite familiar with using it because of my granddaughters sensitivity to dairy products. You can always contact me if you have any questions – I am happy to answer them! Thanks so much for your comments! ❤️?
I think everyone should adopt the rule about eating something a farmer grew. Growing up my mom was the ‘farmer’ with her huge garden and we never realized how lucky we were! Thanks for sharing Denise. Sweet post and not just the cookies. 😉
Isn’t it true, Sharon? I also realize how lucky I was to eat fruit and vegetables within minutes of picking them from my parents large garden. It is a good rule in any household to eat something the farmer grows first. Thank you for your kind comments, Sharon. I appreciate it very much! ?❤️
It’s so fun baking with kids! We made these cookies last night and filled them full of your suggested add-ins–pecans, cranberries and chocolate chips! So good! Thanks for a great gluten-free recipe, Denise!
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Elaine! I am thrilled that you made these Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies (named by my grandson) with your little ones. We love this recipe! After we saw that you had made them, we went and snatched a few cookies each from our freezer stash (they freeze beautifully!). Kind regards,
Denise