Jul 12, 2016 in dairy-free, dessert, epicurious, recipes, taste, vegan, baking with quinoa, cashew butter, chocolate chips, coconut sugar. Read the original on: Simply Quinoa
When Iâm craving something sweet I almost always reach for cookies. Theyâre a satisfying, simple treat that come in tons of different flavors and are fairly easy to find (or make). But most cookies, gluten-free or not, really arenât that healthy.
Today Iâm mashing up two of my favorite cookies and giving you a recipe that is not only nutritious, but itâs also sweet, decadent and makes the perfect little sweet treat.
Those two cookies? Peanut butter and chocolate chip.
Now if youâve ever made standard peanut butter cookies before, then you probably know the proportions: 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg. Chocolate chip cookies on the other hand? You could go pretty much any which way you want. Tack on that you want to make them gluten-free and healthy? It gets trickier.
So rather than reformulating a classic chocolate chip cookie, I took similar proportions to the peanut butter cookies, using healthier alternatives, to create these epic cashew quinoa cookies.
The base of these cookies is creamy cashew butter. What I love about using cashew butter here is that it isnât as strong as peanut butter, so it really ends up just taking on the flavor of the sugar, chocolate chips and vanilla.
By now you probably know that I avoid refined cane sugar, so I swapped in my go-to granulated sugar: coconut palm sugar. Since itâs lower on the glycemic index, the cookies arenât quite as sweet, but they also wonât spike your blood sugar and send you on that crazy sugar high.
I chose to make these cookies vegan to make them accessible for all types of diets, and swapped the standard egg for a flaxseed egg. But if you arenât vegan, you could totally use a real egg for this recipe.
One thing I do like about using the flaxseed meal is that youâre getting the added benefits of the flax. Even if itâs just a tablespoon, the cookies get a boost of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein.
Of course, I also stirred some quinoa into the batter, which I find gives the cookies a nice texture, a little crunch and even more protein.
And for the add-ins? Just simple dairy-free chocolate chips.
The final step to these cashew quinoa cookies is to top them with flaked sea salt. I find the sea salt really enhances the flavor of the cookies, but if youâre not a fan of the salty-sweet combo, feel free to leave it off (or top them with a few extra chocolate chips!).
What I think youâll love about these cookies is that theyâreâ¦
naturally gluten-free
low on the glycemic index
packed with protein
made in just one-bowl
less than 10 ingredients
â¦.and they taste like REAL chocolate chip cookies!
What is your favorite way to satisfy your sweet tooth? For me itâs either cookies or dark chocolate, but I know tons of others who love their ice creams, cakes, cupcakes, you name it. Let me know yours in the comments below and perhaps Iâll try to recreate it with a healthy twist!
And if you end up trying this recipe, Iâd love for you to share a picture with me. You can tag @simplyquinoa or use #simplyquinoa, and that way I can find your post and give it some love
xo Alyssa
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The post Cashew Quinoa Cookies appeared first on Simply Quinoa.
Read the original on: Simply Quinoa
I'm Alyssa, the writer and photographer behind the gluten-free website Simply Quinoa. My passion is creating wholesome, nutrient-rich recipes all with a little quinoa twist.