Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free)

These cookies contain no refined sugar, animal products or gluten, but that doesn't mean they aren't filled with lots of flavour. Not to mention, this cookie recipe is so much simpler than traditional types and takes mere minutes to prepare. You will one this recipe and I promise you will be making these cookies all the time, and everyone will thank you for it!


Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of almond meal
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Method:

1. Mix together the almond meal and baking powder, then add the rest of the ingredients. 
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a baking tray with greased proofed paper. 
3. Shape tablespoons of mixture into balls and place onto the tray, slightly flattening each down.
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden.
5. Take out the cookies and leave them to cool on the tray, then store in an airtight container. 

Banana and Chia Seed Protein Cookies (gluten and sugar free)

This recipe makes delicious sweet and moist cookies that are filled with healthy goodies like omega fats, protein and important vitamins and minerals. Not only are these cookies packed with protein, they are bursting with potassium, which reduces lactic acid, improving your strength endurance and recovery time. You only need a few ingredients and the biscuits are very easy to make. If you don't have a cookie cutter, just roll portions of the dough into a ball and flatten before baking.

Banana and Chia Seed Protein Cookies (gluten and sugar free)

Ingredients:

• 1 mashed banana
• 3 tablespoons of macadamia oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of Natvia sweetener (made from stevia)
• 200 grams of almond meal
• 4 tablespoons of chia seeds (I used chia seeds in half of the dough)*
• 1 1/2 scoops of plain vegan pea protein powder (or your preferred protein powder - preferably in vanilla or banana)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana, vanilla, oil, egg and sweetener together; mix to combine.
2. Line two large baking trays with greased-proof paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
3. Add the almond meal, protein powder and chia seeds into the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Once the mixture starts to come together, you can use your hands to mould the dough. *I didn't add any chia seeds until I made the dough, which I seperated and added chia seeds to one half. Either option creates a lovely cookie.
4. Once the dough is formed, divide into two pieces. Line your bench top with cling film and sprinkle with a little protein powder (to stop the dough from sticking). Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to approximately 1.5cm thick - I found the thinner cookies were more caramelized and chewy, the thicker cookies were more 'cakey' in texture. Note: The dough will be easier to work with when cool, it will get sticky if it starts to warm. 
5.  Cut out desired shapes and place on baking trays. 
6. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 
8. Leave to cool for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Here are a few reasons why chia seeds are so fantastic for you:

• Chia is gluten free
• It is super high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues.
• It contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon.
• It boasts 20% protein
• The protein is a complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids
• It is high in antioxidants (It has a four times higher ORAC value than blueberries)
• Chia contains five times more calcium than milk
• Chia contains seven times more vitamin C than oranges
• It contains three times more iron than spinach
• It contains twice the potassium content of banana
• It is food for healthy skin, hair and nails
• It has a positive impact balancing blood glucose levels

Sugar-free Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

These cookies are the perfect sweet treat this Christmas, especially if you want to stick to a sugar and gluten free diet over the holiday season. I made mine gingerbread men shaped and you can choose any cut-out you desire, or roll into balls to make traditional cookies. I also like to make these biscuits as a Christmas gift for friends and family; just secure in an airtight container and wrap with ribbon.

Sugar-free Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond meal
• 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free pastry mix (find this in your gluten-free baking section)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of stevia sweetener crystals
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of all spice
• 2 tablespoons of melted low-fat margarine
• 3 tablespoons of almond milk (you may need to add more if your mixture is too dry)

Method:

1. Sift the baking powder and pastry mix, then add in the almond meal, sweetener and spices.
2. Add the margarine and almond milk, and slowly mix together until the ingredients form a soft dough. 
3. Knead this mixture together to make a ball; if the mixture is not holding together add a small dash of almond milk until you get the desired results.
4. When you have kneaded the dough into a ball, place on a flat counter, covered in a sheet of baking paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into flat piece about 2 cm thick. You may need to sprinkle some almond meal on the dough before rolling if it seems a little sticky.
5. Cut out your desired shapes and place on a large baking tray, covered with baking paper.
6. Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees fan forced) for 15 minutes, or until golden.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Chocolate-covered Gluten-free Peanut Oat Cookies

When I was younger, I loved those crunchy biscuits with a thick chocolate bottom that was both a cookie and a chocolate treat in one. Craving the sweet, I decided to make up my own healthy version of the old-fashioned chocolate biscuit.


Chocolate-covered Gluten-free Peanut Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of organic peanut butter (no sugar added)
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of stevia sweetener crystals
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 cup of quick oats
• 1/2 a small packet of chocolate melts or chips (you may need a little more depending how thick you like the chocolate on the cookies) * you can also crumble a few bits of chocolate into the cookie mixture at step 3 if you like a little extra chocolate taste. 

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to a hot 200 degrees and line a large baking tray with oven paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla, stevia and egg.
3. Add in the coconut and oats and mix together until combined.
4. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a spoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball before flattening out on the oven tray. Flattening the cookies will help them to bake golden and crunchy.
5. Repeat this rolling and flattening until all the mixture is used up. You can put the cookies quite close together on the tray because unlike traditional biscuits, they won't spread when baking.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until very golden and toasty; or cooked to your liking.
7. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. When cooled, microwave the chocolate on medium heat for about 2 minutes but check regularly as to not let it burn. Mix the chocolate together until smooth.
9. Cover the bottom of each cookie with the melted chocolate using a spoon.
10. Let set before transferring to a container and keeping in the fridge. 

Sugar-free Flourless Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

These cookies are high in protein and sugar-free, which means you can indulge in a little treat and still keep on track with your fitness and weight loss goals. Peanut butter is a great snack for dieters because it is filling and high in protein to feed your muscles and help with recovery after gym sessions. The high fat content also helps your body to burn more calories and keep your metabolism firing. You only need a few ingredients to make these cookies and once baked, they will keep in an airtight container for a week.

Sugar-free Flourless Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

(makes 14 cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic peanut butter (smooth or crunchy depending on your favourite)
• 1/4 cup of Natvia stevia sweetener
• 2 tablespoons of oat flour (to make pulverise oats in a food processor)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like to use the paste)
• 3 1/2 teaspoons of weight-watchers forest fruits jam (or another sugar-free berry jam)

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, Natvia, egg, and vanilla extract. I like to use an electric mixer to whip the ingredients into a creamy consistency. Add the flour and briefly mix to combine.
2. Line a baking sheet with greased-proof paper and preheat the oven to 180 degree (moderately hot). Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop cookie dough balls onto the parchment paper. If you don't have a scoop, use a tablespoon and roll the cookies into a ball. 
3. Press your finger into each cookie dough ball to make a crevice for the jam (yes, they are meant to be 'thumbprint cookies' but a using your finger just works better!). Put 1/4 teaspoon of jam into the centre of each cookie.
4. Bake in the oven for 11 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy!

Giant Chocolate Button Cookies

These cookies will win the hearts of many and they are so satisfying, I think you can stop at one and feel you have adequately treated yourself; although I can't promise that theory will stick! The key to these rich biscuits is using Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons, making every bite filled with the perfect ratio of chocolate and cookie. You only need a few ingredients to make these stunners; they are the perfect present for young and old alike and never disappoint.

Giant Chocolate Button Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 180 grams of organic butter, very soft
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
• 1 packet of Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons
• 1 egg at room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees and line a large baking tin with grease-proof paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
4. Sift in the flour and pour in the chocolate buttons, mixing with a wooden spoon to gradually combine.
5. Once the ingredients are combined, take a large tablespoon of the mixture and roughly shape into a ball.
6. Place the ball on the tray and slightly flatten.
7. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, leaving a couple of centimeters between each biscuit and they will spread when cooking.
8. Bake for 18 minutes, until golden but still soft. If you prefer your cookies more crisp, leave in for a few minutes longer.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Store in an airtight container for a few days.

Happy Mother's Day - gf rose shortbread cookies

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mothers today. To celebrate the occasion, I have posted a recipe for gorgeous rose-scented shortbread cookies, inspired by a gift I bought my mum (you can see the pink tin in the background). This recipe makes gluten-free cookies that are healthier than the traditional shortbread recipes.


Vegan and Gluten-Free Rose Shortbread Cookies

This is a healthier version of the traditional shortbread, accented with romantic tones of rose made from real rose petals. Beautiful!


Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp crushed rose petals – make sure to use edible petals to avoid pesticides. You can find them at specialised delis or health-food stores. 
• 1/4 cup of organic butter
• 1 organic egg
• 4 tbsps of Natvia sweetener 
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Place slivered almonds on a parchment paper or silicon mat lined cookie sheet.
3. Place on middle rack of oven for 9 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Once golden, remove from oven and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, combine almond flour, baking soda and crushed rose petals. Once almond slivers have cooled, add those, and set these ingredients aside. 
5. Combine butter, sweetener, egg and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.
6. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cover with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
8. Use cookie cutters to create cookies (heart shapes work well!), placing them 1/2 inch away from each other.
9. Bake for 7-10 minutes, checking after the 7 mark. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
   
   Makes 20 cookies
   
   
   
   
   

Healthy coconut and apricot oat cookies

I've made these cookies with spelt flour and very little sugar, just a little Natvia sweetener and a drizzle of golden syrup. The cookie flavour is inspired by the Anzac cookie, which smells of toasted butter and coconut. These are a healthier version of the traditional biscuit but very easy to bake, making the perfect treat for afternoon tea.

Healthy coconut and apricot oat cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white spelt flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
• 1 cup of unprocessed oats
• 70 grams of organic butter
• 2 tablespoons of macadamia butter
• 4 tablespoons of Natvia
• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup (and extra for drizzling)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon of boiling water
• 8 dried apricots, chopped into small pieces

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and cover a large oven tray with baking paper. 
2. In a large bowl, mix with flour, coconut, oats and apricot pieces together.
3. In a microwave proof jug, microwave the butter, Natvia, 1 tablespoon of golden syrup and macadamia butter together until melted (I used 60 seconds of medium wattage).
4. Dissolve the baking soda in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and pour straight into butter mixture; this should start fizzing.
5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the melted ingredients. Stir to combine.
6. Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball and flatten on the oven tray, leaving a little space between each cookie.
7. Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Take out of the oven and drizzle with a little golden syrup. Let rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Making your cookies look professional with cookie moulds

Taken from Bakerella

Using a cookie mould produces biscuits that look straight from a decadent European biscuit tin but are made with your own efforts. In the picture above, taken from Bakerella, these cookies are made with plain heart-shaped biscuits topped with moulded pink fondant icing. The fondant is secured with some frosting.

Cookie moulds can also be used to produce biscuits with decorative imprints, like the picture below (this is what they were originally designed for.) These can be a little trickier to make because when the cookie dough rises, it can skew the imprint and distort the desired image.

Taken from House on the Hill

Some tips to baking cookies with moulded shapes is to:

• let the cookies set adequately after removing them from the oven - leave them to cool completely.
• roll the dough to the correct width; if it is too thick, it will rise too much and distort the image and if you roll the dough too thinly, the cookie can become too crisp and the image can also be affected.

You can buy cookie moulds at House on the Hill and there are some gorgeous prints just in time for Easter.

Pink Valentine's Day Heart Cookies

The perfect sweet gift for Valentines Day, these heart cookies are covered in decadent Lindt white chocolate and hundreds and thousands. Read this article for the quick and easy, delicious recipe.



Valentine's Heart Cookies

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of plain flour
* 2 tablespoons of rice flour
* 2 tablespoons of corn flour
* 80 grams of butter
* 1 sachet of sugar-free strawberry jelly
* 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
* 3 tablespoons of water (or how ever much you need)
* 1 packet of Lindt white chocolate
* hundreds and thousands

Method:

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together.
2. Rub in the butter and add the jelly crystals.
3. Add the water until all the ingredients cling together and form a dough.
4. Refridgerate for 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough and cut out heart shapes.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven until the cookies hold their shape but aren't browned.
7. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
8. Melt white chocolate on low heat in the microwave and cover biscuits with chocolate, either half or fully coated.
9. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands to finish and let set for 1 hour.

Under 100 calories per cookie.

Low GI sugar-free skinny oatmeal raisin cookies

These delicious cookies are gluten-free and have no butter or sugar. Despite missing the usual ingredients of a cookie recipe, these are still moist and crunchy on the outside. Whip up a batch of these and you won't feel as though you are missing out on anything. I like to prepare a batch for my late-night cookie cravings to accompany a nice hot mug of chamomile tea.

Skinny Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of macadamia butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons of raisins
1 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup of quick oats
splash of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of natural sweetener (natvia is the one I use)

Directions:
Beat together macadamia butter, olive oil, egg, sweetener and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, raisins and oats. You may want to add a little splash of water if the mixture seems a little dry and is not quite sticking together. Once the dough is starting to take shape, knead very lightly into a ball. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a spoonful of the mixture and roll into balls. Flatten a little on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven, until they are golden browned.

Take out a let cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 10 cookies.

Tia maria spiked ginger cookies

These drunken gingerbreads are crisp on the edges and soft in the middle with a luxurious hint of coffee liqueur. I made them for my mother who was feeling down after a rocky Christmas and they seemed to cheer everyone up. The combination of coffee and ginger was a sure mood booster and I chose cookie cutters in butterflies and flowers.


Tia Maria Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of ginger ground
2 tablespoons of tia maria
2 tablespoons of organic drinking chocolate
1/2 cup of brown sugar
80 g of organic butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons of mollasses

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the egg, tia maria and mollasses and beat until mixed. Sift in the flour, ginger and drinking chocolate and gradually mix together until a dough forms. Add more flour if the dough seems too sticky.

Once the dough has formed into a ball, break into two pieces to roll. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into 2cm thickness and cut out desired shapes. Repeat with second piece of dough. Arrange on baking trays lined with baking paper and cook for 12 - 15 minutes until browned on the edges.

Cool on a wire rack. Can dust with icing sugar to serve.

cheat's cheesecake bites

When I was younger, I never understood the fuss about cheesecake. My partner, however, adores the dessert and as they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I endevoured to make one. What I did realise about cheesecake was its potential to be high in protein and relatively low in fat. As most cheesecake recipes use ricotta or cream cheese, it is fairly easy to replace these with skim versions.



Since I made my first cheesecake a few years ago, I have created many different flavours and enjoyed eating them all. It is always popular at dinner parties and family members always rave about the creamy texture. Here is my delicious blueberry cheesecake, served with a side of French champagne of course!



The only downside to a cheesecake is the time required to make one. While not a difficult cake to make (gelatin and those complicated ingridients are not needed, despite what recipes say), you will need time to bake the cake and allow it to adequately set to make sure your finished masterpiece doesn't ooze out onto the bench during its final reveal.



When I am craving my new favourite dessert and time is not of the essence, I whip up a batch of cheesecake cookies. Sweet and tart, these cookies always satisfy those cravings and take mere minutes to make.



CHEESECAKE COOKIES



6 shredded wheat biscuits

Low-fat cream cheese spread (I don't use the fat-free version as I find the flavour quite comprimised in this instance)

Manuka honey

Toasted flaked almonds



Assemble the biscuits and drizzle with honey, allowing the topping to soak into the biscuits for a few minutes. Dollop with cream cheese and drizzle with more honey. Sprinkle with flaked almonds for the finishing touch.



Variation:

- Replace honey with creamed manuka honey.

- Replace honey with rasberry jam, topping the biscuits with fresh rasberries.

- Replace cream cheese with low-fat ricotta and mix in some cinnamon.

low-fat low-cal gingerbread men

These cute and kitch biscuits taste spicy and sweet; without any of the fat. I am planning to make these little babies for my girlfriends for Christmas... and some for myself too!

Sift the following ingredients:
3 cups of wholemeal self-raising flour
1 ½ tsps of baking powder
¾ tsp of baking soda
1 tbsp of ground ginger
2 tbsps of cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves

Beat the following ingredients using an electric mixer:
1 tbsp of reduced-fat margarine (room temperature)
1 large egg (room temperature)
¾ cup of brown sugar
5 tbsps of apple puree
½ cup of golden syrup
2 tsp of vanilla essence
The zest of half a lemon

Beat the wet mixture until creamy. Gradually add the dry sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture until both mixtures come together to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into two pieces*, lightly dust with flour and wrap with clingfilm. Leave at room temperature for two hours. If it is a hot day, pop the dough in the fridge.

Line two trays with baking paper. After the dough has been left to rest, combine the two pieces and knead for about one minute to combine. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out quite thinly, depending on how thick you like your gingerbread, and cut into desired shapes. I like to use my collection of cut outs in shapes of lips, butterflies, shoes and the traditional gingerbread man. Place these straight onto the oven trays.

Bake in a moderate oven at 180 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. When baked, leave to set on the tray for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Decorate how you please. I like to use royal icing and mini chocolate chips.

These biscuits will keep for one week in a sealed container. For gifts, place in a sellophane bag tied with ribbon or in a recycled biscuit tin.

*You can freeze half the dough for up to 3 months and defrost before making biscuits. Left-over dough also makes the perfect ingredient to make cookie dough ice cream.