Showing posts with label chocolate chip cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate chip cookies. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2019
BACK ON THE BLOG (FINALLY), WITH YUMMY LOW-GLYCEMIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
It's been about 2 1/2 months since I last blogged. There are various reasons for this-- some "blogger burn-out", I suppose you could call it, after 12 years, first of all (13 years, actually). And then, there's been a fairly big change in my diet and how I cook now, since I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic last year and now eat a low-glycemic diet. (See blog posts from March 2018 and on, particularly this one.) I'm not on a low-carb, or no-sugar, or vegan keto diet. I've just been learning to cook with low-glycemic and high-fiber grains and flours, and fewer sweets, and also learned about "resistant starch"-- see this post.
Just as I was feeling like blogging again, I developed a case of shingles! This has laid me low for over a month now. It is improving, but my energy has been pretty low. I'm hoping that I'll be back to normal in a couple of weeks, but it's hard to predict.
But, at least I've had a little more interest in cooking again. Lately, I've been working on developing some truly good low-glycemic rolled biscuits, but I haven't got there yet! (Stay tuned.) I've also been working on a good high-fiber, low-glycemic, not too fatty or sweet chocolate chip cookie recipe. My goal was also to make it easy to make, using readily-available, inexpensive ingredients, and of course, to make cookies that still tasted like a treat!
So, I'd like to offer you my latest version, which I'm quite happy with (but, you never know-- I might refine them further). I hope that you will enjoy them, too!
BRYANNA'S LOW-GLYCEMIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
©
2019 Bryanna Clark Grogan. All Rights Reserved.
Servings: 12 cookies
These also happen to be GF and soy-free, too, though I do not purposely avoid either of those things.
DRY MIX INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup COLD chickpea flour (besan/gram flour) (Keep some in a jar in your fridge or freezer.)
1 T. oat flour (You can grind oat flakes or quick oats to a powder in a DRY blender.)
1 T. coconut flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
WET MIX INGREDIENTS:
1 Psyllium "Egg":
Mix and let stand 5 minutes
2 tsp. psyllium husk (not powder)
3 T. water and
1/2 tsp. oil
(NOTE: If you have no psyllium husk, use 1 T. ground flax seed whisked with 3 T. hot water and then chilled in the fridge for about 5 minutes. Both psyllium husk and flax seed are inexpensive, high in fiber and easily available in large supermarkets, bulk food stores, or natural food stores.)
*********
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 T. smooth UN-sweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
ADDITIONS:
1/2 cup dark vegan chocolate chips
Optional: 1/4 cup walnut pieces, chopped (Use pecans or other nuts, if you wish, or you can omit the nuts.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with baking parchment.
In a medium bowl, mix together the Dry Mix ingredients with a whisk.
Mix together the Wet Mix ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup-- this works best with an immersion/stick blender.
Add the Wet Mix to the dry mix and stir with a spoon. Then add the chocolate chips and nuts (if using).
Scoop the batter out with a 4 tsp. measuring spoon, slightly rounded, and drop a the dough "blobs" a couple of inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet, using a small silicone spatula to scoop the dough out of the spoon.
Bake for 6 minutes,
then gently flatten each cookie a bit with a flexible stainless-steel slotted spatula (see below).
Continue to bake for another 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheet to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies from the baking sheet to the rack and cool for at least another 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts (using the walnuts) per cookie:
Calories: 134 ; Total Fat 8g; Saturated Fat 2.3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 28mg; Total Carbohydrate 15.4g; Dietary Fiber 1.4g; Total Sugars 10.1g; Protein 2.1g; Calcium 9mg; Iron 1mg; Potassium 58mg
Enjoy!
Monday, September 30, 2013
UPDATED FLOUR-LESS VEGAN NUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, WITH CHOCOLATE/NUT VARIATION
NOTE: The recipe has been updated to add the option of using agave nectar or maple syrup, or date puree instead of brown sugar.
I love using beans-- not only is savory dishes, but in desserts and salad dressings, and anywhere else that they add texture, flavor, protein, fiber, creaminess, etc.. If the beans can stand in for eggs or fat or flour, that's even better.
So, the other day I finally got around to trying the basic flour-less chickpea chocolate chip cookies that are all over the internet. There are small variations in the recipe, but, basically, the mix is 1 1/4 cups drained cooked or canned chickpeas in a food processor with 1/2 cup + 2 T. natural peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter), 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup packed soft brown sugar (some people use 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup), 1 tsp. baking powder (some use less), and a pinch salt, processed until smooth and mixed with 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
We were impressed by the cookies, but thought the flavor was a little flat and they didn't spread out enough for my liking. So, today I started playing around with the recipe (can't help myself!) and here's what I came up with. It's still a simple recipe, but we like the flavor and texture better in this version.
 |
| Homemade soy milk with both cookie versions. |
Use natural peanut butter, not the sweetened, hydrogenated kind.
Make small cookies.
Let the cookies cool for several hours before serving (unless you like them a bit gooey!).
Printable Copy RECIPE UPDATED SEPT. 30, 2018
BRYANNA’S FLOUR-LESS VEGAN
NUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes about 22
cookies (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, no extracted oil)
NOTE: you can make bars or squares instead of cookies with this batter, by spreading the batter out on ONE parchment-lined 13 x 10-inch baking pan (with rim, like a jelly-roll pan). Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool thoroughly on a rack before cutting into bars or squares.
NOTE: you can make bars or squares instead of cookies with this batter, by spreading the batter out on ONE parchment-lined 13 x 10-inch baking pan (with rim, like a jelly-roll pan). Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool thoroughly on a rack before cutting into bars or squares.
1 cup rinsed and drained cooked or canned chickpeas (drain well and pat dry)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter or other nut
butter
3/4 cup soft, packed brown sugar OR date puree (see NOTE below)
OR use 1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 “flax egg” (see below)
1 “flax egg” (see below)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
grated zest from 1 organic orange
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dairy-free organic/fair trade chocolate chips (if you want to use less chocolate, use a dairy-free organic/fair trade chocolate bar, chopped small)
VARIATION: FLOUR-LESS
VEGAN CHOCOLATE NUT COOKIES
Add: 3 Tbs. organic/fair trade unsweetened cocoa powder to the processed batter AND add 1/2 cup chopped,
lightly-toasted nuts of choice (roasted peanuts are good, but you can use
walnuts, pecans almonds, etc.) by hand to the batter after scooping it into a
bowl.
The orange zest and chocolate
chips are optional in this version.
**You could also add homemade vegan Peanut Butter Baking Chunks, recipe at this post, instead of chocolate chips and/or nuts.**
**You could also add homemade vegan Peanut Butter Baking Chunks, recipe at this post, instead of chocolate chips and/or nuts.**
“FLAX EGGS”: In a
blender mix 1 cup water and 1/4 cup golden flax seeds at high speed until white
and fluffy and “gloppy”. This makes 5 “flax
eggs”. 1 “flax egg” = 1/4 cup of this
mixture. The remaining mixture can be poured into a covered jar and
refrigerated for about a week, or frozen in 1/4 cup portions for future use.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
In a food processor, mix the chickpeas, nut butter, sugar (or one of the syrups, or Date Puree), “flax
egg”, vanilla, orange zest, baking powder and salt (and cocoa powder if you are
making the chocolate/nut variation) until a smooth batter results. (If, for some reason, your batter does not look as thick as the picture, you can add about 1/2 cup of oatmeal and process again.)
With a spatula, scoop the batter into a mixing bowl. Mix in the chocolate chips (and/or the nuts,
if you are making the chocolate/nut variation) with a spoon, distributing them
as evenly as possible through the batter.
 |
| PEANUT BUTTER/CHOCOLATE CHIP BATTER |
 |
| CHOCOLATE/NUT BATTER |
Spoon small scoops of batter onto the parchment-lined baking
sheets, about 2 inches apart. (I used heaping 1/2 tablespoon measure.) I made about 22
cookies. You can leave them the way they
are, or flatten them down a little, depending on how thick you like them.
Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until they are
golden brown on the bottom. Carefully lift them onto cooling racks and let them
cool thoroughly before serving. ~~~~
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 86 calories, 37 calories from fat, 4.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 23.7mg sodium, 115.3mg potassium, 10.5g carbohydrates, 1.8g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 2.6g protein, 2.6 points.
NOTE: About using Date Puree instead of sugar (this is much cheaper than using date sugar)--
The Date Puree can replace sugar using a 1:1 ratio, or it can be used in combination with a reduced amount of sugar in a recipe.
To make date puree, see this easy recipe:http://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/sauce/two-minute-date-puree/
Are dates really better than sugar for diabetics or those with blood sugar issues?
"Dates – are actually on the lower end of the GI. There are a variety of dates available and most of them have a GI of less than 55 (some with a significantly lower GI)." From: https://diabetickitchen.com/the-best-sugar-substitutes-for-people-with-diabetes/
(GI stands for Glycemic Index)
See this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112406/
Another Note: Just because dates have a lower glycemic load doesn't mean that you should eat them or use them in baking and cooking with abandon!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 86 calories, 37 calories from fat, 4.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 23.7mg sodium, 115.3mg potassium, 10.5g carbohydrates, 1.8g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 2.6g protein, 2.6 points.
The Date Puree can replace sugar using a 1:1 ratio, or it can be used in combination with a reduced amount of sugar in a recipe.
To make date puree, see this easy recipe:http://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/sauce/two-minute-date-puree/
Are dates really better than sugar for diabetics or those with blood sugar issues?
"Dates – are actually on the lower end of the GI. There are a variety of dates available and most of them have a GI of less than 55 (some with a significantly lower GI)." From: https://diabetickitchen.com/the-best-sugar-substitutes-for-people-with-diabetes/
(GI stands for Glycemic Index)
See this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112406/
Another Note: Just because dates have a lower glycemic load doesn't mean that you should eat them or use them in baking and cooking with abandon!
Enjoy!
Monday, December 31, 2012
QUICK VEGAN MICROWAVED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN A CUP (OR DISH)-- REDUCED-SUGAR-AND-FAT, WHOLE GRAIN, SF & CAN BE GF
A little New Year's present to my readers: In the interests of (kitchen) science, I spent my afternoon today experimenting with a lower-fat, sugar-reduced, whole grain, vegan version of the latest microwave mug dessert craze-- chocolate chip cookie in a cup. This sounded like a wonderful idea to me (if I could pare down the calories and still have it taste wonderful) because I rarely make cookies anymore. There's only the two of us and neither of us can just eat one! With this recipe, we can have the satisfaction of a sweet, gooey treat in a matter of minutes, with no danger of sneaking another one, and it can fit into just about anyone's dietary peculiarities.
Can't say this often enough: This cookie must be eaten fresh and slightly warm-- after they cool off they get kind of stiff and cakey.
Printable Recipe (both 1 serving and 2 servings)
BRYANNA'S VEGAN
MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN A CUP (OR DISH) (Whole Grain, and Fat-and-Sugar-Reduced;
SF and can be GF)
1 serving
I like making this treat in a shallow dessert dish rather
than a cup, but it’s up to you. So nice
to indulge in this treat and know that there are no more cookies sitting there to
tempt weaklings like me! I cut down the
butter in this recipe by using a little syrup rather than applesauce. Applesauce
works well in cakes, but syrup works better in cookies.
NOTE: If you want this a
little sweeter and gooey-er, add 1/2 tablespoon granulated unbleached organic
sugar and another 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips.
1/2 tablespoon vegan butter (I use my homemade vegan palm oil-free “Buttah”)
1/2 tablespoon brown rice syrup, or organic corn syrup, or
golden syrup
(I prefer the brown rice syrup because of its rich butterscotch-y flavor.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed firmly)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed firmly)
1/16 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt
2 Tablespoons water mixed until frothy with:
2 Tablespoons water mixed until frothy with:
1/2 tablespoon Ener-G or Orgran egg replacer powder
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (OR all-purpose GF flour mix)
1 tablespoon organic fair trade chocolate chips (dairy-free)
Directions:
Melt the vegan butter in a wide mouth cup or small dessert dish (the dish about
5 inches in diameter across the top and about 3 inches wide in the bottom). Do
this in the microwave-- I use 20% power for 20 seconds. Stir in the syrup,
brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the frothy mixture of water and egg replacer powder and stir
again. Add the flour; stir again. Add the chocolate chips and stir briefly just
to distribute them. Flatten the mixture out a bit. Microwave the cup or dish for 40-60 seconds. Start checking
for doneness at 40 seconds. How long you cook depends both on the strength of
your microwave and how you like the consistency (it will firm up when it cools a bit).
Serve warm. I let the cup/dish cool on a rack for 10 minutes
before serving. NOTE: This cookie must be eaten fresh and slightly warm—after they cool off
they get kind of stiff and cakey.
NOTE: I didn't like the results with this recipe using "flaxseed glop" as the egg replacer.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per
serving):
324.5 calories; 24% calories from fat; 9.2g total fat; 0.0mg
cholesterol; 365.3mg sodium; 169.4mg potassium; 61.3g carbohydrates; 4.3g
fiber; 25.9g sugar; 57.1g net carbs; 5.1g protein; 6.5 points
Nutrition facts with an
extra 1/2 tablespoon EACH chocolate chips and organic unbleached granulated sugar added: 374.1 calories;
24% calories from fat; 10.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 365.9mg sodium;
169.6mg potassium; 71.0g carbohydrates; 4.6g fiber; 32.2g sugar; 66.4g net
carbs; 5.3g protein; 7.6 points.
Comparison—the
Nutrition facts for one serving of the recipe that I used as a guide to develop
my vegan, whole grain, and lower-fat-and-sugar version are as follows:
729.1 calories; 47% calories from fat; 40.5g total fat;
270.8mg cholesterol; 1188.0mg sodium; 156.1mg potassium; 90.7g carbohydrates;
3.3g fiber; 39.5g sugar; 87.4g net carbs; 7.9g protein; 17.3 points
The Ingredients
BRYANNA'S 2 SERVING VEGAN
MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN A CUP (OR DISH) (Whole Grain, and Fat-and-Sugar-Reduced; SF and can be GF)
2 servings
I like making this treat in shallow dessert dishes rather
than cups, but it’s up to you. So nice
to indulge in this treat and know that there are no more cookies sitting there to
tempt weaklings like DH and me! I cut down
the butter in this recipe by using a little syrup rather than applesauce. Applesauce
works well in cakes, but syrup works better in cookies.
NOTE: If you want this a
little sweeter and gooey-er, add 1 tablespoon granulated unbleached organic
sugar and another 1 tablespoon chocolate chips.
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I use my homemade vegan palm oil-free “Buttah”)
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup, or organic corn syrup, or
golden syrup
(I prefer the brown rice syrup because of its rich butterscotch-y flavor.)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed firmly)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed firmly)
1/8 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
2 pinches fine sea salt
1/4 cup water mixed until frothy with:
1 tablespoon Ener-G or Orgran egg replacer powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (OR all-purpose GF flour mix)
2 tablespoons organic fair trade chocolate chips
(dairy-free)
Directions:
Spray the 2 cups or small dessert you are going to “bake”
the cookies in with oil from a pump sprayer, or grease with a little vegan
butter. Use wide cups or small dessert dishes (each about 5 inches in diameter
across the top and about 3 inches wide in the bottom).
Melt the vegan butter in a small mixing bowl. Do this in the
microwave-- I use 20% power for 25 seconds. Stir in the syrup, brown sugar,
vanilla and salt. Add the frothy mixture of water and egg replacer powder and stir again. Add
the flour; stir again. Add the chocolate chips and stir briefly just to
distribute them. Divide the mixture evenly between your two prepared cups or
dishes. Flatten the mixture out a bit. Microwave the two cups or dishes for 60-80 seconds; start checking for
doneness at 60 seconds. How long you cook depends both on the strength of your
microwave and how you like the consistency (it will firm up when it cools a bit).
Serve warm. I let the cups or dishes cool on a rack for 10
minutes before serving.
NOTE: I didn't like the results with this recipe using "flaxseed glop" as the egg replacer.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per
serving):
324.5 calories; 24% calories from fat; 9.2g total fat; 0.0mg
cholesterol; 365.3mg sodium; 169.4mg potassium; 61.3g carbohydrates; 4.3g
fiber; 25.9g sugar; 57.1g net carbs; 5.1g protein; 6.5 points
Nutrition facts with an
extra 1 tablespoon EACH chocolate chips and organic unbleached granulated sugar added to the 2-serving recipe:
374.1 calories; 24% calories from fat; 10.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol;
365.9mg sodium; 169.6mg potassium; 71.0g carbohydrates; 4.6g fiber; 32.2g
sugar; 66.4g net carbs; 5.3g protein; 7.6 points.
Comparison—the
Nutrition facts for one serving of the recipe that I used as a guide to develop
my vegan, whole grain, and lower-fat-and-sugar version are as follows:
729.1 calories; 47%
calories from fat; 40.5g total fat; 270.8mg cholesterol; 1188.0mg sodium;
156.1mg potassium; 90.7g carbohydrates; 3.3g fiber; 39.5g sugar; 87.4g net
carbs; 7.9g protein; 17.3 points Happy New Year!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
BIG CHEWY, WHOLE GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP & PECAN COOKIES
As you might have noticed, I haven't done many desserts lately. I'm trying not to eat them very often! However, last night, despite the heat, I had a craving for a big, chewy cookie with chocolate chips and whole pecans in it. So I made my recipe for chocolate chip cookies from my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook
" (it contains less fat than most recipes and is made with wholegrain flours), but I made fewer, larger, thicker cookies (these cookies are NOT low-calorie, so one is plenty!). I used Camino organic, fair trade chocolate chips and whole pecan halves. You could use chunks of your favorite vegan, organic, fair trade chocolate bar or baking squares instead, if you wish.I baked a small batch of them in my little countertop Cuisinart Brick Oven
and it was just what I was craving! I baked the rest of the cookies early this morning, while it was cool in the house.Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S BIG CHEWY, WHOLE GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP & PECAN COOKIES
Yield: 16 large cookies (Updated Aug 17, 2019)
6 tablespoons vegan butter-y spread (not whipped)-- try my palm oil-free vegan "Buttah"
3/4 cup light organic granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water blended for several minutes with
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
(this makes a "gloppy" mixture like eggs-- use a blender)
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
DRY MIX:
3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
ADDITIONS:
1 cups semisweet (or bittersweet) dark organic chocolate chips
1 cup pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment. Beat the vegan butter, sugars, flaxseed egg replacer mixture, non-dairy milk, and vanilla in a food processor
or with an electric mixer until smooth. In a medium bowl, mix the Dry Mix ingredients, whisking thoroughly. Add the processed mixture and and the chocolate and pecans, and mix well to make a firm dough. Chill the dough (covered) until firm enough to handle.
Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces, and roll them roughly into balls with damp hands. Place 8 on each cookie sheet, leaving space between. Press them down to about 3/8" or 1/2" thick. Bake 10 minutes, then turn the pans around from front to back (and, if necessary, shift the ones on the lower shelf to the top and vice versa) and bake 10 more minutes.
Remove from pans and cool on racks. Store airtight after cooling thoroughly, and freeze if you aren't using them up within a day or two. Low-fat cookies don't keep as well as the high-fat variety.
Enjoy!
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