Have a little sweet tooth, or need an easy recipe for a party or event, but you don’t want to ruin your healthy eating habits this summer? Well, I do. I love chocolate chip cookies. They remind me of childhood and are my favorite splurge. These cookies are a great occasional solution – they are gluten free, low in sugar and really surprisingly, amazingly good. If there ever was a “healthy” cookie, this is it!
Here’s the original recipe from a great blog called “Musings of a Housewife“. I added and subtracted a couple of ingredients to make them a little more healthful, without taking away from the taste. They are little sweet protein balls – yum! After baking them, pop most of them in the freezer so they won’t tempt you too much on your kitchen counter.
Why gluten free?
Gluten free is a hot topic right now. Many people are sensitive, if not allergic to gluten. Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include eczema, asthma, weight gain, digestive problems, immune disease, IBS, and others. Dr. Mark Hyman, a leading pioneer in gluten research wrote: “A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, (migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). It has also been linked to autism.” Read here for more information.
Even if you don’t go completely gluten free (it’s a big decision and one that can really be helpful if you have the support of a health coach or nutritionist), cutting back on it can be very beneficial for your health. If you do decide to go gluten free, like several of my clients, the results can be life changing.
Ok, back to the cookies…
Ingredients:
1 cup almond butter
1/2 c. organic sugar (use less if you’d like) (can also sub date or coconut sugar)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. (or more!) Chia seeds
4 oz. dark chocolate chips (again, check your labels to avoid GMO sugar and soy additives)
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the first 5 ingredients together. (I used my KitchenAid Mixer – if you have a mixer, I’d recommend using it because the dough is pretty sticky and hard to mix by hand. If you don’t – work those mixing muscles!)
3. Fold in the chocolate chips
4. Spoon cookies onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes.
If you try them, let me know how you like them, please! The Chia seeds add a little crunch and of course, added nutrition.
For more information about health & nutrition coaching, or to find out more about becoming a health coach, email me at meghan@mergeintohealth.com
Happy health! ~ Meghan