homebaked healthy almond butter cookies with dark chocolate chips

Homebaked Healthy Almond Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips

Well as you may have realised, my quest for healthy goodness had led me to approach food a little differently.  It has not, however, cured my very sweet tooth.  I know there are a hundred things you are advised to do which will curb your cravings (brush your teeth, eat an apple, distract yourself with a different activity etc etc) BUT sometimes; a girl just.  needs.  chocolate.  And cookies.  And these really hit the spot! These are my second foray into cookies healthy-style and you know what? I much prefer them to the chocolate chip ones I posted a week ago.  Yum 🙂  I found the original recipe on Facebook but there was no source given (apologies if it’s yours – let me know and I’ll give you the credit you deserve!) however as usual I gave it a few tweaks!  Below is my version…

Ingredients

Makes 8 cookies or 16 bitesize cookies

• 1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas (I just used the whole 400g tin, which is 260g when drained)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbspns (165g) natural almond butter
• 1/4 cup (80g) agave nectar or honey
• 1 tspn baking powder (I use gluten free)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa solids)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4
2. Line your baking trays with greaseproof paper
3. Drain the chickpeas, rinse them well then make sure there is as little excess water as possible one them.  (It is suggested you pat them dry with a piece of kitchen paper but to be honest I didn’t bother).
4. Put the chickpeas in a food processor and process until smooth (looking kind of a little bit like moist ground almonds)
5. Mix all of the ingredients together except the chocolate chips
6. Add the chocolate chips
7. The mixture should be pretty sticky.  Using wet hands, form the cookies or cookie bites and place onto the lined baking trays.
8. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes.
9. Let the cookies cool on the baking trays for a few minutes before cooling on a wire rack.  When they first come out of the oven they are very soft but firm up as they cool.

Enjoy!

big love

gollygoshgirl

xx

homebaked afternoon tea

 

On my best friend’s birthday we usually go out for afternoon tea but this year I wanted to switch it up a little bit and decided to attempt to bake it instead. 

Above is the result;

• Sandwiches (egg and cress, cheese, cucumber, ham)
• Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam
• Macaroons with summer fruits filling (recipe here)
• Chocolate brownie bites (recipe here)
• Banana loaves with toffee topping and white chocolate curls (recipe here)
• White chocolate and raspberry cheesecakes (recipe here)
• Classic Victoria sponge cake with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries (recipe here)
• Fresh fruit (blueberries, blackberries and grapes)
• Pink champagne
• Earl grey tea

Enjoy!

big love

gollygoshgirl xx

 

healthy homebaked chocolate chip cookies (yep; you heard right!)

Healthy Homebaked Chocolate Chip Cookies

To cut a long story short; I’ve been throwing myself a pity party for the past week.  I was told I can’t eat gluten, dairy, eggs or yeast for the foreseeable future – possibly forever.  My favourite foods flashed around a conveyor belt in my mind (desserts featuring pretty highly), quickly followed by the realisation that I needed to find some good substitutions as speedily as possible!  All recipes I could find for cookies and cakes seemed to want me to grind nuts (not gunna happen considering that my trusty £5 electric whisk from Argos is my only real equipment) or require a massive amount of substitute ingredients which aren’t readily available or affordable.  I stumbled across the original recipe on pinterest and emailed it to myself but  I cannot for the life of me find the source (if anyone knows it please get at me!).  As usual, I have  made a few little changes – my version is below!  These come out pretty rich but you know what? They also taste surprisingly good!

Ingredients

Makes 16 cookies

• 1 small Avocado
• 3/4 cup Honey (for vegans substitute honey for 1/2 cup agave nectar, 2 tbsps soya milk and 1 mashed banana)
• 1/2 cup Soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 cups Rice flour
• 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp Cornflour (UK) or cornstarch (US)
• 2 tbsps Soya milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa solids)

Method

1. Slice, pit and mash the avocado.
2. Place the avocado into a mixing bowl and combine it with the honey.
3. Add the sugar, soya milk and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
4. In a separate bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cornflour.
5. Slowly mix in the wet ingredients a little at a time.
6. Chill in the fridge for 2-36 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4
8. Line your baking trays with greaseproof paper
9. Roll the mixture into mounds the size of a heaped tablespoon and place onto the baking trays lined with greaseproof paper.
10. Flatten the mounds of mixture slightly, creating discs.
11. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

big love

gollygoshgirl

xx

homebaked chocolate brownies

Homebaked Chocolate Brownies

Whenever I introduce the kids I work with to baking these are always the first thing we make; a simple recipe that produces moist, yummy and great looking results every time!  Another Jamie Oliver recipe with a few little adjustments (my version below) – I’m a big fan of his!  You can also add in different little extras to suit your taste – mine always involve extra chocolate chips but chopped nuts, marshmallows, orange zest and dates have also featured in various attempts along the way and the end results were always eaten up pretty swiftly! The brownie in the photo is served with crème fraîche  and orange zest but raspberry coulis or ice cream and fresh raspberries/strawberries are also a firm favourite!

Ingredients

• 300g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) – as good a quality as you can afford
• milk and dark chocolate chips
• 250g unsalted butter
• 80g cocoa powder
• 65g plain flour
•  1 tsp baking powder
• 350g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4
2. Line a 20 x 30cm rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper
3. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a large bowl over some simmering water
4. Add the butter, melting it with the chocolate and mix until smooth
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar
6. Add the butter and chocolate mixture and stir well
7. Beat the eggs and then mix them in until you have a silky consistency
8. Add the chocolate chips
9. Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes.  The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle.  Yum!  You don’t want to overcook them so – unlike cakes – you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean.
10.  Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares

Enjoy!

big love

gollygoshgirl

xx

To see more of my homebaking posts click here to check out my instagram here.