Our favourite cookie

When I started cooking and baking healthier, I discovered that cookies just don't have the same texture unless it's got a large amount of fat in them.  Reduce the fat, and you end up with a more doughy cookie.  It really didn't take me long to get used to it, and neither did my kids.  As long as the cookie is packed with flavour (and mama knows that it's also packed with nutrients), it's all good in our books.

I've been transforming recipes for years now, to accommodate our dietary needs.  Replace processed sugar with natural sweeteners, remove the egg, change the milk, add fibre, make it more nutrient dense instead of calorie dense, etc. 

But transforming a baking recipe into a gluten-free one?  It's just not something I've attempted.  Until yesterday.  Enter our favourite chocolate chip cookie:

Looks good, doesn't it?  It's because it really is!  The kids gave this gluten-free version even more thumbs up than the whole wheat version :)

I posted the picture on Instagram yesterday and had a few people request the recipe, so I thought I'd share it with you today :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

(Vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free)

• 1 1/4 cups Bobs Red Mill gluten-free flour mix
• 1 cup quinoa flour
• 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup agave
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or vegan and GF margarine
• 2 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 4 Tbsp warm water and set aside
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine agave, coconut sugar, vanilla and melted coconut oil (or margarine) and mix well.

Pour liquid mixture into dry flour mix, and also add the flax/water mixture (it will have gelled up).  Start mixing and add chocolate chips.  Mix until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon dough on baking sheet to make 12 cookies per sheet (this recipe will make 24 cookies), making sure there's enough space in between the cookies.  Do not flatten them.  

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges become golden brown.  

That's it!  It's that simple.

The quinoa flour really makes these cookies filling, as quinoa is a great source of protein.  My kids literally cannot eat more than 2 of these cookies in one sitting, even though they would want to.  It fills up their little tummies, which makes it a great snack with a piece of fruit ;)

Well, that's all for now.  I'm heading back to my kitchen, as I have a pot of lentil coconut curry soup simmering, and some kale waiting to be turned into chips.

Happy Friday!

Edit:  
I made those cookies again with my daughter, but half a batch.  We accidentally put the whole amount of baking soda (which was 1 tsp) in the half batch and the cookies turned out even better!  So I adjusted the recipe to 2 tsp of baking soda.