By Yale Hertzman (3L)
Do you like chocolate? Do you like cookies? If so, then these chocolate chip cookies are for you. They aren’t your average chocolate chip cookies though. While they are as easy as making Pillsbury’s, they won’t leave you feeling bloated like the Pillsbury Doughboy. That’s because they are made without flour, sugar, butter or eggs. Instead, they come together through a combination of walnuts, dates, seeds, and dark chocolate. The dates are a natural sweetener, and the nuts and seeds are a good source of protein that will keep you full throughout the day. After baking for about 12 minutes, the result is a soft, chewy cookie that you won’t believe is actually good for you. Don’t believe me? Try them for yourself.
Recipe (makes approximately 14 cookies)
Supplies:
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Food processor
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups raw walnut halves
- 1 cup dates, pitted (about 12)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water)
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or a chunk of chocolate roughly chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, process the dates and walnuts together until a crumbly texture is formed. Add in the salt, baking soda, vanilla and flax egg and process again until the batter is relatively smooth.
- Add in the chocolate chips/chunks and briefly pulse, just to combine.
- Spoon the batter onto a lined baking sheet, and use your hands to gently flatten the cookie dough.
- Bake at 350F for 12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve immediately, and store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for best shelf life. These cookies should last a week in the fridge, and a month or more in the freezer.
