A Gluten-Free Cookie is Still A Cookie

The holidays are in full swing, no question about it.

And with that comes temptations galore, as you fend off one sweet, gluten-filled treat after another.

But do the holidays – or any special occasion for that matter – really mean you have to forego everything that’s sweet and tasty?

Of course not!

There are hundreds of blogs and cookbooks available to you, filled with mouth-watering, delicious recipes that cater to your special diet – be it gluten-free, vegan, or something in between.

So perhaps the bigger question is this:

Can a cookie – or any sweet treat – still be part of a ‘healthy- aging’ lifestyle?

And my answer is “Yes, absolutely!”

However, there is a caveat.

No matter whether it’s a Paleo-style cookie, a sugar-free or raw cookie, or any kind of cookie for that matter – it’s still a cookie.

Yup, even the “healthier” ones!

All the same, having a sweet treat now and then could easily be the highlight of your day. 

After all, who wants to feel deprived?

(Deprivation doesn’t really get you anywhere. If anything, you’ll be even less likely to stick with your special diet long-term.)

With this in mind, it came to pass one afternoon, that I found myself poised between two different cookies – trying to decide, “Which one do I want?”

The cookies were basically both the same, created from similar recipes and ingredients, and both were considered “raw”.

(Not that I’m saying raw foods are the way to go. I’m not. I just happen to like these kinds of treats, the more wholesome the better!)

While one of the cookies had a more pronounced chocolate flavor, the biggest difference was this:

When I was mixing up the second batch of dough, I completely forgot to add sweetener (in the form of stevia). (Which made this particular cookie decidedly not sweet).

The raw chocolate cookie, on the other hand – was way too sweet for my taste buds.

And there they lay side by side in their glass storage container – (reminds me of my favorite poem by Robert Frost “…and both that morning equally lay”) – with me trying to decide which one I wanted most.

Well, you know those little voices in your head?

The ones that say, “Why don’t you have one of each?”

I was listening to those voices. And I suddenly had an idea.

Why not simply combine these two recipes the next time around?

Here’s the result of my experiment.

 

BLACK & WHITE TRUFFLES

½ cup Sunflower butter (almond, or any kind of nut butter works just as well)

½ cup shredded Coconut

¼ cup Hemp Powder (or your favorite Protein Powder)

2 Tbsp. Chia seeds

1 Tbsp. Hemp seeds

2 Tbsp. melted Coconut Oil

1 heaping Tbsp Cacao Powder

A few drops Stevia OR

A Dribble of Chocolate Syrup (entirely optional)

1 Tbsp Cacao Nibs

 

Mix together the Sunflower Butter & Coconut flakes in a bowl (or the bowl of a food processor) and stir till combined.

Add the remaining ingredients – except for the cacao nibs – and stir together. Add the nibs, and stir or pulse till combined.

Scoop the dough, roughly a tablespoon at a time, and roll into a ball. (If you like, you could roll each ball in some additional coconut flakes to coat them).

Store in a (preferably) glass container in the fridge.

 

NOTE:  If you decide to use the Chocolate Syrup, keep in mind that it is potent! Also, it is not the tasty sort of syrup, where you’d want to lick the spoon – or down the entire jar.

My advice is to go really slow, adding just a little bit at a time. Taste as you go. (You really do want to start with a dribble).

Ditto the Stevia. The one thing to always remember about Stevia, is that a little can go a really long way!

Start with 1 or 2 drops and go from there.