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Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

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A few months back, some of you may know that I started something called Bake it Forward Friday where I give away baked goods to people who are awesome.  Last month, the package went to a friend who is currently having a few health issues so I wanted to steer clear of my normal “of course it has butter and chocolate and sugar, but it’s dessert so it’s fine” goodies.  I had recently made these beautiful, healthy, vegan and gluten free cookies and I thought they would be a perfect “thank you” to someone who is trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

When I realized how yummy they were, I was on a hunt to learn more about this book and it’s author.

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When I was at Costco, I saw it on the shelf in all it’s colourful glory.  I picked up this book because:

1.  It is beautiful (admit it, we all buy the cookbook for the pictures!)

2.  I had read a few articles about Angela and she, I can say wholeheartedly, is a specialist when it comes to gluten free and vegan cooking…all while using natural ingredients.

3. She’s Canadian!!!

Below is the link to this recipe and her website (which you should all visit if you have dietary restrictions…it is fantastic!).  Plus, her pictures are way nicer than mine:)

To ensure full disclosure, I will reprint the recipe and instructions below as it is listed on her website (www.ohsheglows.com):

Ingredients:

1 flax egg: (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water) 
1/4 cup non-dairy buttery spread (I used soy-free Earth Balance in the red tub) (45g) 
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (70g) 
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (80g) 
1/4 cup organic cane sugar (55g) 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt 
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, blended into a flour (105g or 1 cup oat flour) 
1 cup almonds, blended into a flour (145g or 1 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour) 
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

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1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the flax egg and set aside for 5 minutes so it can thicken up. 

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2. With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the buttery spread and peanut butter until combined. Add both sugars and beat for 1 minute more. Beat in the flax egg and vanilla extract until combined. 

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3. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, salt, oat flour, and almond flour) one by one. If your dough is dry (this could be the case if too much flour is used), you can add a touch of almond milk to thin it out. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Shape 1-inch balls of dough (smaller than golf balls) and place on the baking sheet. If chocolate chips aren’t sticking to the dough, just press them in with your fingers. There is no need to flatten the balls as the cookies spread out a lot. Place balls 2-3 inches apart. 

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5. Bake for about 11-13 minutes (I baked for 12 mins) until lightly golden. The underside will also be a rich golden brown shade. The cookies will be very soft coming out of the oven, but they will harden as they cool. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle cookies with flaked sea salt to bring out the peanut butter flavour even more.

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So, in all their glory, they sat on my counter (minus a few that landed in my belly) ready to be packaged and sent off to a very happy recipient.  They were very well received (I think I made an unhealthy carnivore a believer in this new way of eating!).