According to my five year old, Santa’s favorite cookie is a sugar cookie. Hmmm, that’s funny…from what I recall it’s pecan chocolate chip, but she insist Santa told her it was sugar cookies. I’ll be sure to have a chat with him about that next year. ;) Santa got his sugar cookies, but I thought we should also make some for Mrs. Claus. Maybe she would enjoy some chocolate chip cookies….after all, chocolate is a girl’s best friend. My girls agreed. **phew** So, I decided to try making a healthy version of chocolate chip cookies. This one is grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, and very low in sugar and high in protein.
I’m not a huge cookie fan….I wish I could say the same for doughnuts and ice cream. I had yet to attempt a gluten-free and vegan cookie, but I wanted to give it a try. After mixing the ingredients together I took a little taste of the batter…and another bite…and another bite…goodness, this is tasty! For a few moments I debated whether or not I even wanted to bother baking them, and then my thoughts shifted to, do I have to share these? Into the oven the cookies went, and when they came out they were perfect!! Even the most particular eater in my family, my dad, enjoyed the cookies!
The recipe is so easy to make, I ended up making it four more times. I did find the best way to shape the cookies, is to use a tbsp to measure out the dough, roll it into a ball, and place on a cookie sheet. Then, lightly press it down until it’s slightly flattened but still a bit rounded. They will take about 12 minutes to bake, but will be very soft when they come out of the oven. You’ll know they are done by the golden color. As they cool, they will harden, it will take just a couple minutes. Good thing, because I couldn’t wait anymore.
I might just become more of a cookie fan. Warm, melted chocolate, slight crunch, nutty flavor, a little sweetness without all the guilt (less than 3 grams of sugar per cookie!) and lots of protein…what’s not to be a fan of here?
Better get them while they’re warm…these will disappear fast. Enjoy!!
| Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {gluten-free} |
|
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour / meal
- 3 tbsp xylitol (or organic cane sugar)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Foods mini chips)
- Preheat the oven to 350
- In a medium bowl, add the first four ingredients.
- Add peanut butter, vanilla extract, and milk to a small bowl.
- Bring the coconut oil to liquid form on the stovetop over low heat, measure 1/3 cup after it is in liquid form, then pour over the peanut butter. Mix until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop out a tablespoon at a time and roll into a ball. Place on a cookie sheet and press down slightly.
- Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. They will be soft when you take them out, but will harden after a few minutes. Once they have hardened, remove from the cookie sheet.
