These are the cookies that I baked for my cousins BBQ last Saturday. And I need to confess straight up that – despite last Thursdays post – there was nothing sprouted or soaked about them.
They were the ones that I had intended to make out of sprouted flour BUT after co-ercing my husband into driving to the health food store (always his favourite destination) in the neighbouring town (I rationalised that sprouted flour was likely to be cheaper in Oakland?! ), realising the neighbouring health food store doesn’t even CARRY sprouted flour, announcing my current health requirements meant we should probably drive back to the health food store a good 45 minutes away, being rather uncompromisingly told ‘NO!’, charmingly asking for this arbitary decision to be reconsidered, and being forcefully reminded that I happily guzzled a double bacon sandwich and iced coffee with maple syrup for breakfast, and could therefore darn well make some cookies with one of the 72 ‘health food’ flours stocked at the health food store we were already parked at … I decided cookies made with oat flour wouldn’t be the worst thing on earth.
I chose oat flour for a number of reasons including
a) oats are gluten free, and would therefore qualify as a healthful adaptation by Bauman College
b) I adore oats, and they are pretty much the only grain I like as much as wheat (I also think they are one of the healthiest grains)
c) I used to be seriously OBSESSED with Nana’s cookies, and they are made from oat flour
I also love this recipe because it uses more whole oats than oat flour (the less refined the grain the better in my mind), and – moreover – because it uses ground nuts to such an extent. I thought the cookies sounded sustaining, and wholesome … a bit like glorified oatmeal, but totally more delicious (because, really, what is heaven if not chocolate chips and cashew nuts?). Oh and also -despite the evidently misleading name of my blog – I hate baking cookies with too much butter because they always spread so much. I was right on ALL counts!
For my cousins, I served these cookies hot from the oven and with vanilla ice cream. Twas delicious! Now you aren’t going to fool anyone that they’re Tollhouse cookies, but that’s no bad thing. They actually reminded of a homemade chocolate chip nutrigrain bar and they’d be the perfect dessert to take on a hike, or re-fuel with after sports. If you need something more indulgent you should add vanilla ice cream (or possibly chose a richer recipe full stop), but they’re perfect for a non sugar crash afternoon treat. Oh, and I’m definitely certain they would be kid approved.
Confession: Healthwise, I can’t really go promoting cookies for breakfast – but on a personal level I used to LOVE having cookies for breakfast (how do you think I know the taste of Nana’s cookies so well?) – and I definitely enjoyed the leftovers as a Sunday treat the next morning. Paried with an iced latte made with whole raw milk… worse things totally could have happened.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – adapted from this recipe!
Makes 12
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips (I LOVE the Sunspire brand.. seriously the most delicious in my book!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
Blend cashews in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add butter, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.
Whisk together coconut sugar and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour coconut mixture over ground cashew butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain (should you happen to taste this batter, it is rather delicious!)
Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.
Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with the back of a spoon dipped in water. The cookies don’t really spread (yay!) so flatten to however flat you want the cookies.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Nutritional Information: 250 Calories, 13g Fat, 5g Protein, 31g Carbohydrates (of which 17g sugars)
Nutritional Highlights: Good source of Manganese, Magnesium and Iron.
Hiya! My name is Emilia. I'm a certified Nutrition Educator and Natural Chef. On Wine and Butter I post recipes, nutrition tips.. and sometimes just my food related ramblings.
My aim is to combine a fun and foodie lifestyle with healthy ways and traditional nourishing food.
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Cookies for breakfast. YES!
My mom used to let me have cookies for breakfast as long as I had a big glass of milk with them. She refused to buy sugary cereal, so I guess that was her compromise…at least she knew what was in the cookie.
Deanna – yay youre back. Is this because I am now off my health blog kick or purely co-incidence..?
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Anyways – I LIKE your mums logic! Cookies can totally be healthier than those breakfast cereals (although Im assuming she didn’t make this wise exception for Oreos..?)
Hehe, you+ Louis sound so much like me + Viper… I make him take me on crazy adventures to find new health food stores, bless. These sound great, Em, and I love the photos – what’s your stance on coconut sugar? I’ve never tried it. I could try these with coconut oil in place of the butter…. mmmm oatie nutty chocolate joy
Lou – you know the recipe I adapted this from actually used oil in place of the butter, so Im sure it would work great. And as for the coconut sugar – I couldn’t tell any difference in taste and they definitely baked well. I’m a fan! I didn’t really have that many of the cookie – or eat them without protein etc – so it’s hard to tell if it was easier on my blood sugar. I felt good after eating the cookies, which is way more than be said for the my beloved white chocolate and lemon cookie baking experiment (although those were SO good…)
Em, these cookies look fabulous. I love the opening shot. BEAUTIFUL! I love oaty (is that a word?) and chewy cookies. I also love a healthier cookie for those afternoon cravings. You know we all have them!
I am so going to make these and test them out on the kids! I’m also going to put in dark, dark chocolate chips! Yum!
I haven’t tried baking with oat flour before but it sounds like it would work really will in these cookies. I could definitely justify eating several of these for breakfast
Kathryn! Oat flour is good.. It does make everything pretty flapjack like.. but thats no bad thing really. Nor is the ‘occasional’ breakfast cookie of course. (Ps – please have a hot dog with saurkraut from Borough Market for me soon. I miss them).
I am so guilty of driving all over town looking for that ONE ingredient, using it once, and throwing the rest away a year or so later. Sigh.
Anyways, you are reminding me how much I love oatmeal cookies and how long it’s been since I made any!
Jennie – sounds like something you need to recify! ANd Ive been thinking lots about your wise words regarding grains and how you know you feel better when you don’t eat them.. but then you feel deprived unless you do. Im so the same. So I’m currently experimenting with eating some more and just always making sure I have them with a good amount of protein and/ or properly prepared ones. So far I think I am a LITTLE more tired.. but Im also more excited about meals. Seems a good trade off to me!
Em, these cookies look fantastic. What would you say the texture of these cookies is like–crispy or chewy? I can’t really tell from looking at the ingredients.
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