Friday, February 26, 2010

Clean Eating's Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies--A Healthier, Tasty Treat

Once again I am making good use of my newest issue of Clean Eating magazine, with tons of recipes tagged to make. These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies stood out because I love almond butter and because they are gluten-free, low-sugar, and dairy-free (that last one is really dependent on the chocolate you use). For the sweetener these cookies use Sucanat, which is a minimally processed derivative from sugar cane. Sucanat is somewhat grainier than sugar and has a slightly molasses sort of taste--so it works well in cookies and muffins. Because it is minimally processed, it retains its natural iron, calcium and other nutrients that help balance rather than spike blood sugar. (I have used it before--like in these Fudgy Chocolate Cookies here). You can find it at natural foods stores or I have even seen it in grocery stores with a well-stocked natural foods section. If you can't find Sucanat you could use a raw sugar or brown sugar instead. After a long day of work and studying, some quick, fairly healthy cookies seemed like the perfect little snack to try.


Clean Eating says, "Six ingredients, two steps and 20 minutes is all you'll need to whip together two dozen of our no-flour, dairy-free, low-sugar cookies."

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010
(Makes 24 Cookies)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl. stir together the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 2g, Sodium: 55mg, Cholesterol: 10mg

Cleaning Eating Nutritional Bonus: "While dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants, think twice before enjoying it with milk. Researchers have found that the bittersweet treat's free-radical fighters may bind with the protein in milk, interfering with antioxidant absorption and possibly negating any associated health benefits."


Notes/Results: Pretty good little cookies. They go together quickly and bake up well--although you do need to watch them. I pulled mine out at 10 minutes and felt like they were just a little brown for me. The cookies do stay really soft and are a little fragile. I cut the Sucanat down to 1/2 cup and they were plenty sweet, so I might reduce it even more next time. I used a combination of the last bit of a bag of vegan chocolate chips and a bit of a dairy-free dark chocolate bar to make up the 3-ounces the recipe called for. I thought it might be fun to try some oats in part of them so I added about 1/3 cup of rolled oats to the last 1/2 of the recipe. (See the lower right-hand corner shot above). I liked the texture of the oat cookies--didn't necessarily like them better than the plain, but they were good. I think if I added oats again I would put some dried cranberries in too. My only complaint--I am not sure how they got 24 cookies out of "rounded tablespoons" of the dough. I used my tablespoon to measure, my scoops were not very rounded at all and I got 21 cookies--but only after I added the oats. Not the best, most decadent chocolate chip cookie in the world, but for a healthier, gluten-free, dairy-free treat, I would make these again.

Happy Aloha Friday!

23 comments:

  1. thanks for that tidbit, I didn't know that about dark chocolate!

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  2. I definitely like the idea of adding AB to cookies! A nice variation from PB.

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  3. A healthy cookie - means I can have twice as much. ;-)
    I love how easy these come together, and adding the oats is always good by me.
    Yum!

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  4. It just goes to show that you can have a healthy treat. I like the use of almond butter and the dark chocolate.

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  5. Deb, I love this cookie! As a cookie addict, these are the kind I need to be making. Great "heads-up" on your note about dark chocolate & milk. Many thanks...

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  6. I love the use of almond butter in these cookies, Deb. They really look delicious.

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  7. I think it's really cool how you are making cookies with nut butters as a base. That is a great alternative for those who are gluten free. I like that you added the oats. Oats always improve chocolate chip cookies.

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  8. These sound terrific with almond butter, must try them!

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  9. I love Clean Eating magazine - I don't think any recipe I've tried from there hasn't been wonderful!

    These sound excellent :)

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  10. p.s. does that mean I shouldn't make hot chocolate with dark chocolate?

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  11. Kat--well that's according to Clean Eating! ;-) I would say if you want the nutritional punch use soy, rice or almond milk. Otherwise just enjoy it and don't worry about it! lol

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  12. I'm going to have to look for that sugar you mentioned - I just bought agave syrup for the first time and am looking for ways to use it.

    I love almonds, so I'll bet those cookies were really great!

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  13. Thanks for following "my fabulous recipes"! I am so excited to get to know your blog. I love these cookies. They look so delicious. Mmmm!

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  14. I've never seen flourless cookies and I like the idea of using almonds.
    They look quite good, though I'm not sure how my daughter would react to a flour-free cookie. :)

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  15. Something you may want to try with this recipe is putting it through a mixer. I find that while the oil separates out a bit, the cookies do spread better and the sugar and almond butter blend together better providing a chewier cookie.

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  16. I have made these over and over and then lost the magazine with the recipe--while I was sure I could probably remember most of the measurements, I was so glad you posted it!

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  17. What a yummy cookie! First recipe for cookies I've tried without flour! Thank you! Jayne in Calgary

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  18. I made those cookies this weekend. The recipe was in Oxygen's November issue. They were so good !!

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  19. Terry--they really are yummy aren't they?! ;-)

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  20. These are always a favorite in my household now! Thank you!

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  21. I make these cookies for my husband who is lactose intolerant using dairy free dark chocolate chips - he loves them and it's a great alternative to the high sugar store bought cookies for me.

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