This recipe is for no-guilt Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, nourishing, and oh so delicious! Sound familiar? My Maple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies recipe also ticks off all of those boxes.
These chocolate chip cookies are made with bittersweet chocolate chips which contain less sugar than semi-sweet chocolate chips. They also boast more health benefits (see below). I buy Equal Exchange’s brand which contains 70% cacao. The almond flour and raw walnuts in the recipe provide protein, essential fatty acids, magnesium, and vitamin E. Flax seeds provide omega-3s and antioxidants. Most cookie recipes contain sugar (cane, beet, or coconut). This one contains maple syrup instead. Maple syrup should also be eaten in moderation because of the inherent sugar. But at least it contains a hefty amount of manganese, as well as zinc and other minerals.
Note that the gluten-free flour blend included in this recipe can be replaced with cassava flour or oat flour.
Benefits of Cacao
The darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of cacao, and the more bitter the flavor. Dark chocolate is rich in iron, magnesium, and zinc. The cocoa in dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants, which provide several health benefits including:
- promotes cardiovascular health
- raises HDL (good) cholesterol
- reduces blood pressure
- increases visual acuity
Cacao Percentages from Lowest to Highest (Lightest to Darkest)
- milk chocolate
- semi-sweet
- bittersweet
- unsweetened baking chocolate
Method Overview
- Stir dry ingredients together
- Mash vegan butter with rest of wet ingredients; stir in chocolate chips and walnuts
- Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients
- Spoon batter by rounded Tablespoon onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
Miyoko’s Vegan Butter mashed with a flax egg, maple syrup, and vanilla Chocolate chips and walnuts mixed into wet ingredients Finished cookie batter (and fragrant Rose of Sharon blossoms from our garden) Spooning batter onto cookie sheet
Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- large-sized bowl and medium-sized bowl
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (not melted) such as Miyoko's Cultured Vegan Butter
- 5 Tablespoons maple syrup (1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla, such as Frontier Co-op Brand (or alcohol-free almond)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 heaping cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Dry Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend, such as Namaste Foods brand
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, aluminum-free
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º
- Put the ground flaxseed and water into a large-sized bowl; this will create a "flax egg." Set it aside while you prepare the dry ingredients
- Put all of the dry ingredients into a separate medium-sized bowl and stir well.
- Add the vegan butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the large bowl with the flax egg. Using the back of a fork, mash the butter into the wet ingredients. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips; stir together.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Cover a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Measure a heaping Tablespoon of the batter and spoon it onto the cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the batter is used up. Space the cookies on the baking sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, slide the parchment/cookies from the baking sheet onto the counter and let them cool before serving.
Notes
- The gluten-free flour blend can be substituted with cassava flour (such as Otto’s Naturals) or oat flour.
- I always mix walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins, and the like with wet ingredients first. If directly added to the dry ingredients, flour can become stuck in the groves.
Nutrition
If you enjoy these cookies you should also try my Maple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.
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