The search for a delicious and nutritious cookie wages on…

Just another pretty chocolate cookie?

I could call these cookies “Double Chocolate Cookies” or something equally unoriginal… but the truth is, these babies are Chocolate-Chocolate chip-almond butter- chickpea flour- quinoa cookies. Vegan and gluten free. When put like that, they sound terrible don’t they? I promise they are not. They are soft and fudgey, definitely not a “crisp” cookie. They are sweet enough for dessert, but nutritious enough to be a stand alone snack or even part of a breakfast. I may have eaten 6 total today.

The fact is, I am a shameless chocolate addict and compulsive baker. This can be problematic… and by problematic I mean it can cause my pants to get too tight. My mother’s words of wisdom on staying thin : “Never buy bigger pants.”  Since walking around in public with your pants unbuttoned is seen as uncouth, I guess it’s time to explore other options. ..

Deprivation is for suckers. I want to have my cake and eat it… well 6 times. So I head to the kitchen to work some magic…

I adapted this recipe from Marla‘s Almond Chickpea Cookies but changed several things. I was really pleased with these but I think next time I will tweak them again in my quest for perfection. If it turns out better, I will post the new recipe, but these were great, too!

Chocolate-Chick(pea) Almond Cookies

1 cup chickpea flour

3/4 cup quinoa or other gluten free flour (or regular flour if you are not avoiding gluten)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

stevia to taste if desired

1/2 cup almond butter

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup agave (or more to taste)

1/2 cup vanilla soymilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/2- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

ground almonds, shredded coconut, or coarse sugar for rolling

Method: Preheat over to 350F. Combine almond butter, banana, agave, and extracts and beat with electric mixer. Slowly beat in the soymilk. Combine dry ingredients separately and slowly beat in. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll in balls (about 1.5- 2 Tablespoons worth of dough) and dust with almonds, coconut, or sugar if using. Place on a baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes.

I haven’t run the nutritional info, but these are clearly loaded with protein and fiber and low in sugar. More importantly, they’re chocolate.

Enjoy!

Nikita

The Daily Grind

Both my food processor and coffee grinder have had their workout today. I, on the other hand, seem to have injured a muscle in my leg which has postponed my plans for a run. Frustrating because I have a 10 k to run in less than 2 weeks and want to be training.

Yesterday, we had sunshine and I was able to glimpse Mt. Hood! So majestic, so lovely. Today, rain is back on the menu. Instead I’m staring at Mt. Laundry.

What is a girl to do? Make Chickpea flour, Quinoa flour, Almond butter, and hummus of course…

A day in the life of my kitchen appliances:

Dried garbanzos, ready to be roasted and ground.

My jar runneth over...

I tried to do the flour in the food processor, but it turned out better in the coffee grinder. While I had the processor out, I decided to make almond butter…

Stage 1

…

Stage 2: Things are getting sticky

…

Stage 3: Smooth as buttah

… I used 2 cups almonds (raw), 1/4 cup canola oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, and a little honey (~ 1 Tablespoon). The whole process took about 10 minutes.

But wait! I’m not done with that processor yet!

Hummus!

I made hummus with garlic, green, onion and parsley. It needed more tahini but I was almost out! Tahini is the secret to the best hummus ever. Roasted garlic helps also. This hummus was good, but not great, so I wont post the recipe.

The quinoa flour went unpictured but I have plans for it involving some of the other ingredients.

Enjoy your day, especially if you are lucky enough to see the sun!

Nikita