With the inevitable health kick each New Year brings as well as us realizing we’re getting married in 8 months (!!!), we’ve really been focusing on eating better, eating less, and exercising more consistently. But every once in awhile you’ve got to allow your body to rest and enjoy the sweeter things in life…that’s right, I’m talking about cookies!
I’ve always had a sweet tooth. Nothing major, but I do feel the need to enjoy something sweet everyday whether it be a cookie or even a couple chocolate chips.
When we finally booked our wedding venue we had the realization that bathing suits exist and we might have to wear one. In public!! Oh the horror!
Unfortunately I don't have magic metabolism that allows me to eat and drink whatever I want like LeBraun does. Grrr! So we decided to experiment with a healthier cookie alternative.
You heard me right, healthy-ish cookies that will hopefully satisfy your sweet tooth without derailing your health conscious eating and fitness efforts.
And since we’ve been keeping vegan this past month for #Veganuary, we made sure to utilize one of the many egg replacement options.
I’ve tried substituting bananas, apple sauce and aquafaba (Chickpea liquid—which by the way works great for things like whipped cream!), among others.
However with healthy eating in mind, I thought flaxseeds would be perfect for these cookies. 1) Flaxseeds aren’t great substitutes for eggs in lighter baking like cakes, though they are really nice for chewy cookies! 2) These cookies don’t have the structure that say sugar biscuits need so if they collapse, no biggie! 3) I usually have some in my freezer because I use them in smoothies often.
Plus it gives each cookie added nutritional benefits as flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 essentially fat acids (“good” fats) and fiber.
GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP PB COOKIES
Ingredients
For Flaxseed Egg Substitute (equivalent of 2 eggs)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 6 tbsp of water
Wet Mix Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Prepared flaxseed egg substitute
Dry Mix Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
Additional Ingredients
- 1 cup semi sweet mini vegan chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life!)
Directions
- For Flaxseed Egg Substitute—Whisk the flaxseed and water together to make a thick gel. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes before using.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat wet mix ingredients together.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry mix ingredients.
- Add dry mix ingredients to wet mix ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet by the spoonful with roughly 2-inch spacing between. Try to make each spoonful approximately the same size for even cooking times.
- Bake until centers are cooked, roughly 7-10 minutes.*
*NOTES: My oven cooked them perfectly at 8 1/2 minutes so just keep an eye on the first batch to determine your baking time. However if you prefer doughy-er cookies, bake them less time and if you prefer dryer cookies, leave them in longer.
