The more passionate about health & wellness you are, the more familiar you might be with the delicate balancing act of chasing self-improvement and finding pure self-acceptance. I love eating in a way that makes me feel good from a holistic perspective and I know that minimizing grains, dairy and processed sugar helps with that. I also love chocolate. I love these cookies. They’re as “indulgent” and delicious as any. But don’t panic if you have to use brown rice flour or — God forbid — all-purpose instead of the paleo blend I use. “Healthy” looks different for everyone. Sometimes gluten, dairy, sugar and fat are far healthier than the stress of chasing an idea of perfection that someone else determined for you. Wherever you’re coming from, consider my recipe with a grain — or pinch — of salt.
Chocolate Chip Cookies [Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free]
Makes 6 medium cookies
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo flour [or ¾ cup almond flour + ¼ cup coconut flour]
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt (plus more to top)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut sugar [or ½ cup powdered monk fruit or stevia for a sugar-free/keto option]
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg [or flax egg for vegan]
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks [Enjoy Life for GF/DF, Lily’s for sugar-free/keto]
For a real boost of trendy wellness: Substitute ⅛ cup of flour for adaptogenic mushroom powder or ¼ cup for collagen peptides. Or add CBD oil because, duh.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir the paleo flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat together the fat (coconut oil or butter), sugar, almond butter and vanilla extract at medium speed for about one minute or until well combined. Alternatively, mix well in a regular bowl in this same order until well combined, in which case melt coconut oil in microwave for 30 seconds or on the stove until just melted
- Beat in the egg on low and mix until well incorporated.
- Stir in the flour slowly until well combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough into 6 balls and press to flatten them. Place 4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet
- Sprinkle pinch of sea salt on top of each cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the surface of the center of the cookies appears dry.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nicole Rovine is a senior in the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. She can be reached at [email protected].