Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in The New York Times a few years ago, and posted it here. It calls for a full cup of sugar, which I’m sure is what makes these chocolate chip cookies taste so good.  But as I’m avoiding sugar, I re-made them with monkfruit/xylitol, plus a bit of stevia, and I used unsweetened chocolate chips.

We’ve long since stopped using real butter because of my son’s dairy allergy, so these cookies are also dairy-free. But if you use real butter, they will probably taste better. I use the soy-free butter substitute I buy at a local organic market or at Trader Joe’s.

I add a teaspoon of date syrup for a little extra flavor. I allow myself to use date syrup, maple syrup and honey in moderation. They are natural products that increase inflammation almost as much as does refined sugar. But, I’m willing to allow natural sugars in my diet. I eat lots of fruit, and that’s full of fruit sugar.

By the way, I’ll never claim that any of my recipes is or will be “sugar-free.” It’s almost impossible to completely remove naturally occurring sugar from foods. I’m not aiming to be 100% sugar-less. I’m kicking refined sugar out of my diet.

These dietarily restricted cookies, I’m pleased to report, are pretty good. Not as good as the sugar-filled variety, but still a satisfying chocolate chip cookie.

You’ll need to use almond flour to make these cookies properly. I no longer buy  almonds because the almond crop is destroying bees and slurps up an outrageous amount of water, which is needed to nurture other crops in California.  But I have a few bags of almond flour lurking in my freezer, so I used that.  When it’s gone, I’ll substitute hazelnut flour. To be continued….

Springhouse Turtle Eats

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

These not-too-sweet chocolate chip cookies are made with almond flour and unsweetened chocolate chips and are sweetened with low-glycemic, sugar substitutes.

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups almond flour
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 10 tablespoons non-dairy butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup monkfruit/erythritol or xylitol
• ½ teaspoon liquid stevia
• 1 teaspoon date syrup (or maple syrup or honey)
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces chocolate chips (unsweetened or low-sugar) or shaved unsweetened chocolate
• salt flakes (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper

3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda

4

Place the softened butter and liquid sweeteners in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix on low speed to combine

5

Add the dry sweetener, and beat on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes

6

Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well on medium speed

7

Add the flour mixture and stir on low speed until combined

8

Add the chocolate, and mix until combined

9

Using a cookie scoop to make golf-ball sized balls, and flatten each with your fingers or a small spatula

10

Sprinkle with a small amount of salt flakes

11

Bake for 12-20 minutes depending on the size of your cookies

12

Cookies are done when they are slightly brown around the edges and soft in the center

13

Remove from oven, and allow to cool

Springhouse Turtle Eats