I love Karlie Kloss and everything she promotes: education and girls in STEM, the close bond of family and friends, and most importantly, cookies. Between walking the runways at Fashion Week around the world and apple-picking with her family in Missouri, Karlie bakes vegan and gluten-free treats and prides herself in her adventurous baking endeavors.  

In true Karlie fashion, I decided to make vegan, gluten-free cookies. I tried the lemon blackberry "Kookies" to see if these healthy desserts would live up to the hype, or leave me wanting more.

Lemon Blackberry Cookies

  • Prep Time:30 mins
  • Cook Time:10 mins
  • Total Time:40 mins
  • Servings:15
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 3 3/4 cups gluten-free old fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup ground or milled flaxseed
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium banana mashed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3/8 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 1 pound blackberries
berry, blueberry, sweet
Hareena Kaur
  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°.

  • Step 2

    Put 1 3/4 cups of your oats in a food processor and grind to make fine oat flour (I used a Nutribullet, which took about 15 seconds, but in a regular blender it will take about a minute or longer).

    yogurt, coffee, dairy product, sweet, cream, milk
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 3

    Combine oat flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and flaxeed in a large bowl.

    sweet, wheat, cereal
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 4

    Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.

    porridge, oatmeal cereal, flour, sweet, wheat, cereal
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 5

    Add in applesauce, honey, coconut oil, banana, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix thoroughly.

    oatmeal cereal, oat, milk, rice, porridge, sweet, corn, oatmeal, wheat, cereal
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 6

    Mix in the blackberries into the batter (be careful not to break them apart), and let the batter sit for at least 10 minutes.

    muesli, blueberry, granola, cereal, oatmeal, sweet
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 7

    On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop out batter with an ice cream scooper. Press each cookie down to flatten in the center.

    candy, pastry, goody, cake, sweet, cookie, chocolate
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 8

    Bake for 10 minutes. If your cookies are bigger, bake for a few more minutes, until golden brown on the edges and around the top.

    cookie, pastry, chocolate, sweet, cake
    Hareena Kaur
  • Step 9

    Let cool for at least 10 minutes, and then enjoy!

    granola, cranberry, oat, sweet, cookie, oatmeal, chocolate
    Hareena Kaur

The Verdict

These cookies are healthy for sure, but they're also full of natural goodness. The berry flavor pairs well with the powerful and aromatic lemon to make this cookie a really delectable one. If you like lemons, you'll love the effects of the lemon juice and zest. If you don't like lemons, you might want to add a bit less zest, but the lemon is a balanced flavor and not overpowering.

Possible Changes

The blackberries are a bit big, so your cookie will need to be on the bigger side in order to hold them together. If you want a smaller cookie or a different berry, blueberries work really well. You can also swap in raspberries or other similar berries.

If you don't have honey or prefer not to use it, you can use agave instead.  It is a low glycemic ingredient that will provide the necessary sweetness and stickiness.

If you don't want to make oat flour, you can purchase it pre-made. However, it takes about a minute or less (depending on what kind of food processor you use), and it's kind of fun, so I'd recommend making it yourself.