Gluten-free Baking with Oat Flour
by Theresa Rempel

So, when I stopped being able to eat gluten, I began researching everything about it—something you should do about a subject that affects your life. And one thing I discovered is that just because a particular food is free of gluten does not mean it is tolerable or good for everyone who can’t eat gluten. You still have to figure out what is good for you. And it turns out that I am someone who can’t eat rice, or products made with rice, or rice flour either. That left most of the gluten-free recipes, mixes, and other products right off my food list because rice flour is the go-to flour for most gluten-free and celiac foods.

Fortunately for me, I can have gluten-free oats, and gluten-free oat flour. Not to be confused with regular oats, or oat flour, which can be contaminated by other grains during growing and processing. My favourite brand is One Degree Organics Sprouted Oats and Oat Flour. If you don’t have access to gluten-free oat flour, you can also grind gluten-free quick oats, or gluten-free old-fashioned oats, in your blender until fine. I use a Nutribullet blender with a milling blade.

I am fortunate to have had a mom who never used mixes, which means I am used to making things from scratch, and tweaking recipes.  So experimenting was not something totally new to me. 

Oat flour has its own little quirks—it requires less butter, or oils, than wheat flour. I was thinking of buying a flour mill and was told that oats are considered an oil grain, so using a flour mill to grind it would gum up the grinding stone. Another quirk I discovered, quite by accident, is that oat flour absorbs liquid differently depending on its temperature—the temperature of the oat flour, that is. If oat flour is stored, or used, at room temperature, or even from the fridge, you can keep adding more of it to the recipe, and it never seems like enough. But if you store and use it straight from the freezer, it acts perfectly. So that is why I always specify that the flour be cold from the freezer. One other thing is that cookies, etc., made with oat flour generally do not get as brown as with wheat flour, even when they are baked properly.

One of the things I like best about oats is that it is already a familiar flavour in baking, so it is more likely that other people will also like it. I think it is so important that you can bake things you feel confident serving to someone else. And I have done a lot of taste testing with people who can’t eat gluten, and with those who can. A niece agreed to take several of my cookie batches along to a family gathering, and didn’t tell anyone they were gluten-free. None of the cookies came back, and one of her nieces said that the ginger cookies were better than her mom’s! What a compliment!

I have kept records of the recipes that worked, and have accumulated enough that I am writing a recipe book, which I plan on publishing this year. It contains a selection of cookies, desserts, pastry, some breads, and also a few main dishes. 

I am including a recipe for you to try, and I would love your feedback. And if you are interested in being a recipe tester, please contact me.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

From the kitchen of Theresa Rempel
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dehydrated cane sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla 
3 cups gluten-free oat flour (cold from the freezer)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/3 cup gluten-free chocolate chips

Method

• Spoon, or pour, the flour into a measuring cup.
  
• Preheat oven to 325° F.  Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  
• Cream the butter and sugars.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
  
• Add the egg and vanilla, and beat on high for 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
  
• Mix the oat flour, baking soda, and cornstarch together. Add to the mixer, and mix on low speed until well blended. 
  
• Stir in the chocolate chips.   
  
• Place heaping tablespoons of dough on the prepared cookie sheets a couple of inches apart.
  
• Bake 12–13 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.  Oat flour doesn’t brown as much as wheat flour.
  
• Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Variations

• Substitute 1/4 cup peanut butter for 1/4 cup of the butter.
• Substitute chopped nuts of your choice for half of the chocolate chips (2/3 cup).

Theresa Rempel became aware a number of years ago that bread was bothering her digestive system. She tried eating bread that she made with a sourdough starter. When that didn’t clear the problem up, she stopped eating gluten altogether. Since she loved baking, this was difficult, but so many other issues also went away that she came to the conclusion that eating gluten-free was worth it for her. Theresa is an Usui/Holy Fire III Reiki Master and Practitioner, registered with the International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP). She does Virtual Reiki treatments—face to face in the comfort of your home. To first time clients, she offers an introductory free 15-minute session. For more information and to contact her, see the Directory of Services ad on page 18 of the 32.2 Summer 2026 issue of the WHOLifE Journal.