Change doesn’t happen overnight, especially when it comes to healthy eating. You can take small steps or a huge leap. I have done both, but small steps work best with my family and the recipe this week is the evolution of a healthy cookie. It has taken me 27 years to perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is healthy and that my adult kids and Grandkids will eat and say ‘yummy.’
1988
In my quest to make sure the family eats healthy and on a budget I will not bring home store-bought cookies for my kids (the ingredient list is scary and cost prohibitive). I will make homemade cookies with enriched white flour, brown and white sugar and butter.
2006
Over a phone conversation with a friend she talks about the engineering of wheat. I listen and then do some more research. I switch from white flour to spelt flour—low in gluten, rich in protein, fibre, iron and other minerals. Spelt becomes my go to flour and it works in a 1:1 ratio all the time.
2007
I read numerous articles listing about 150 ways sugar destroys our health. I switch to unrefined turbinado sugar. The articles are still out there and as my father used to say to me all the time sugar is “white death” and so is “white flour!” My Dad was ahead of his time.
2011
I buy a book about the miracles of coconut oil and start swapping out butter with coconut oil and find out it can be done!! Around the same time I see coconut sugar and date sugar in a store and realize it’s even healthier than the turbinado sugar.
2015
Knee deep in “the maple syrup season” I asked myself ‘why am I buying sugars when I can use the best that nature can gives us?’ I switched my baking methods and replace sugar with our maple syrup and local honey only. It’s still sugar but much more easily digested by our bodies.
2017
The buzz words were vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. I try flax gel eggs and realize that you can bake by not using eggs. I go back and forth between flax gel eggs, no eggs and then eggs. I still think eggs are important in our diet so I use eggs! I start experimenting with gluten free flours because of family allergies (oat and almond flour).
2019
I discover chocolate chips made with only 3 ingredients: cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cane sugar. No emulsifiers!
2023
Now even better, you can buy chocolate chips with only two ingredients: cocoa mass and cocoa butter and also chocolate chips sweetened with Stevia extract. They are more expensive but my philosophy is you don’t need to eat cookies ever day but when you bake use only the best and healthiest of ingredients.
A Better Chocolate Chip Cookie
This is my go to, quick, cookie recipe that I bake. You can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats either in a food processor or blender. If the recipe needs to be gluten free make sure it says on the package “gluten free.” I switched the tahini with sunflower seed butter. USE ONLY the natural nut or seed butter that you like. Remember, health.
1 1/4 cups oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda and salt.
In a small whisk together the tahini or your choice, maple syrup and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Don’t worry about overworking the dough; it doesn’t contain gluten and so can’t become tough.
Scoop heaping tablespoons or a cookie scoop of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, and flatten into disks by using a fork, spoon or clean hand dipped in water.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottoms have browned. Use a spatula to take a quick peek. Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. DO NOT transfer the cookies straight out of the oven. They will fall apart!!!
If you don’t eat them within three days you can store them in your freezer for three months. Ha, I have never been able to store cookies in my freezer for 3 months.
*Try this recipe and if you like it triple the batter the next time. My thought always is once you are in the mess might as well make it worthwhile.
