This blog/vlog is all about sugar! We’re coming up close to Valentine’s and as far as I’m concerned why not have a treat or two that actually makes you feel good instead of awful. My daughter has a little friend who goes nuts when she comes over for a play date because her mom forbids her to eat sugar at home. I find them standing on the counter rummaging through the cupboards for anything that could be construed as a naughty treat.
So yesterday when I knew she was coming over, I decided to make a batch of these incredibly delicious cookies. I didn’t feel too guilty either because her mom just couldn’t have disagreed with the “healthy” sugars that I was making them with. I don’t agree with denial of certain foods, especially in kids because somewhere down the line they rebel or eat secretly and that sets up a lifelong issue. Lola has what she feels like – within reason!
Watch my vlog to see my take on the healthiest sugars you can bake with, and have a go at these cookies, which use 3 out of my favorite four sugar alternatives.
Top 4 Sweeteners
Stevia
Date Puree
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
These are my favorite cookies ever. They are rich, yet not too heavy and each ingredient I have used is beneficial to your health. Have your cookie and eat it too!
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour
- 1 1/3 cups oat flour
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup Agave nectar
- 1/3 cup canola oil 0r coconut oil (coconut oil must be heated until liquid)
- 1/2 cup date puree*
- 3tbsp brown rice syrup
- 2tbp almond milk
- 1 1/2tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnut pieces
* To make date puree: Place 5 pitted dates in a small saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes or until dates are tender. Place them in a food processor/blender (I use my magic bullet) with a little of the water you simmered them in. Blend to a puree – if the puree is too thick to easily blend, add a little more of the water.
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flours, salt & baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk the agave, oil, date puree, brown rice syrup, almond milk and vanilla together in a smaller bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and blend really well. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Using an ice cream scoop, which you need to dip in bowl of just-boiled water, scoop out smooth ball of the dough (about half the size of a scoop), and arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking tray. Bake for 18 minutes or until the tops have cracked and are golden brown.
- Cool on a wire tray. They will keep for 2 days stored in an airtight container.
- Enjoy this delicious omg guilt free treat!
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Still avoiding agave due to it’s processing…too many articles out there saying it’s as bad as high fructose corn syrup. My sweetener of choice is coconut nectar or coconut sugar.
I have loved all your recipes; both on your newsletter and in your books!
On your video,you mention using one of your preferred sweteners in your toothpaste recipe. I cannot find a recipe for that on your site or in your books. Would you share?
Thanks!
Barb
This recipe sounds amazing, and I really want to try it. I noticed though that the recipe calls for oat flour, and the email says this is a gluten free recipe. Most American grown oats are contaminated with wheat gluten. Is there a substitute flour I could use that will still taste as good in the final product. Or do you know of a brand of gluten free oat flour sold in most Henry’s, Sprouts, or Whole Foods?
Thank you!
Michelle, you can use barley flour instead – it works really well.
Also, take a look at a recent blog post on Agave ( a bit more detail)
http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/blog/whats-the-real-deal-with-agave/
Barbara
In Do It Gorgeously, I have a toothpaste recipe. I use stevia as the sweetener in it. It’s so amazing that when a friend took her little boy to the dentist for a cleaning (he’d been using my toothpaste for 6 months), she dentist commented on his amazing oral health and shiny teeth!
I am soooo excited to try this recipe. Thank for this wonderful alternative!
Barley flour isn’t gluten free, is it? I suppose we could use millet flour to substitute for us gluten-free gals?
Recipe sounds delicious!
Actually, amaranth flour would probably work better for baking. Millet is better for bread-y things. Barley flour is wheat-free, but not gluten-free. (looked it up!)
Cheers! 🙂
At what temperature do we cook these please?
Carol – that would help!!!!
350 degrees F.
I made these cookies and they don’t look anything like the picture. They taste good; but, they don’t taste like a chocolate chip cookie. They did not spread out on the pan at all, just stayed in a mound and the dough was moist but, not sticky at all. I did not need to put my scoop in hot water in between scoops. Did I do something wrong?
On the issue of oats/gluten,
Bobs Red Mill does sell gluten free oats (at my Whole Foods) – you can grind them in a coffee grinder to make your own oat flour. Works great. Just look for the bag that has their Gluten Free logo on it b/c they do sell both regular oats and the gluten free.