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Healthy Chicago Cooking Classes

cookie

orange & fig thumbprint shortbread cooking {v, gf}

Making Christmas cookies was quite a holiday tradition at my house, as it was with many of you. We didn’t just make a couple of cookies, we made about 20-something different kinds and many, many, many batches of each. The last time I was home to the cookie making process, we lost count at over 1 million cookies. Serious.

My palette has changed since those days, but I still want to partake in the tradition. So I created these delightful orange and fig thumbprint cookies that taste indulgent but still keep me feeling good.

I also have series of easy cookies that I’ve dubbed ‘freezer cookies‘ and these fall right into that category. I hesitate to tell you they are all gluten free and vegan- because there’s such a stigma that comes with using those descriptors. I guess you’ll just have to trust me and try them out yourself 🙂

Happy eating,
~Monique

1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup fine chopped pecans
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp pink salt
2.5 tbls coconut oil
2 tbls maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
orange zest from 1 small orange
1/4 cup fig jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the almond flour, pecans, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Warm the oil, maple syrup and vanilla together then stir into the dry ingredients.

Scoop small rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make an indent in the middle of the cookie using your thumb.

Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Cool completely before moving. Spoon a little jam into the middle dent of each cookie before serving.

Note:

  • These are part of my ‘freezer cookies’ – they store well in the freezer and even taste great frozen.
  • I use my smallest cookie scoop. Each cookie is about 1/2 tablespoon.

tahini chocolate chip cookie (v, gf)

I’m always tinkering with ways to make both a vegan and gluten free cookie- it ain’t so easy …. or is it??

Looking back, I’ve made this GF, V cookie, this almond flour gluten free and vegan cookie and these gooey chocolate gf, v cookie. Plus there are about dozen more sitting in my drafts!

Today’s vegan, gluten free chocolate chip cookies are from Sophia Roe. These are delightful; next time I might add a pinch of cardamom or Chinese 5-spice for fun. I tested these out at a recent Yoga, Meditation and Kitchari event on my roof deck- they were devoured. None left to snack on after the event… maybe a good thing?
Happy eating,
~Monique

Vegan & Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 tbls tahini
~2 tbls plant-based milk
handful of vegan dark chocolate chips (my favorite is Hu Gems)
½ tsp. Maldon sea salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients (gf flour, baking powder & soda, sugar and salt). Melt the coconut oil, stir in the tahini and milk, pour this into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate.

If the mixture is too crumbly, add a spoon of additional milk to bring it together. Set the batter in the fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees at this time.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, about a tbls or two) onto the paper leaving a bit of room for spreading. Sprinkle each cookie with a flake or two of salt.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY.

Almond Flour Cookie – v,gf

I call these little vegan Almond Flour Cookies one of my ‘Freezer Cookies’. They’re good right off the pan, but I actually prefer them straight out of the freezer. Make them small, just a tablespoon per for the best results.
Happy Eating,
~Monique

Vegan Almond Flour Cookie

1 cup almond flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbls maple syrup
1.5 tbls melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Add the almond flour and mix to combine- it will feel stiff, but using a wooden spoon helps. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop small spoon-sizes on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool before removing.

little vegan cookie

a little bowl of raw cookie dough

Sometimes you just want a spoonful of cookie dough. And sometimes you need a cookie dough that doesn’t have egg in it because you are going to eat it raw, like putting it ice cream or eating it by the spoonful.

So this little ditty is just that. It’s not ‘exactly’ cookie dough, but it’s fun and stirs together in a minute. So there’s that.
Enjoy!
~Monique

A Spoonful of Raw Cookie Dough
2 tbls peanut butter powder + 1 tbls water (or 2 tbls creamy peanut butter)
2 tbls maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
2 tbls coconut flour
spoonful of chocolate chips