Christmas is less than a week away, and the year is done-zo in less than two! How are you feeling? Are you getting holiday stress? I had myself a panic moment a few days ago when Aubrie asked me why there are still no presents under our tree. I mumbled something about not wanting them to poke around the presents and wreck the wrapping like last year, instead of the truth, which is I was procrastinating the mundane task of wrapping them up. On the actual gift-buying side, I had 90% of gifts purchased by early December but the last 10% is by no coincidence, the most difficult. People like my dad, dad-in-law, etc are impossible to buy for. So I'm still working on that last 10% ... kiiiinda cutting it close I reckon. Socks?
Oh but nevermind the presents. How are you feeling about the year gone by? Do you get reflective this time of year too? I do a little. Looking back on mine, it was undoubtedly centered around the challenges of Aubrie's food restrictions. What started out as a bleak prescription (I wrote about it in this post last December when we were advised by our naturopath to put our daughter on a Paleo diet) led me down a critical path of discovery. To my surprise, this journey ended up opening my eyes WIDE to a whole new world of food, ingredients and ways of preparation I was unfamiliar with, but which has now become second nature and really the only acceptable way forward.
What began as a Paleo diet flexed and adapted over the last 12 months, with no question it will continue to do so, since I am still on that path of discovery. Who knows what else I will learn but I am excited about the prospects.
The best way to explain our current way of eating is probably this: a plant-forward diet with limited gluten, limited certain other grains (like corn) and limited dairy. In other words, we eat meals that emphasize veggies, nuts, legumes and which may or may not contain meat. But when it does, meat will typically play a supporting role in small quantities (think thin sliced meat in a stir-fry) rather than as the main event such as a roast. Roasts will be saved for special occasions - like our upcoming family Christmas dinner! Also, as a general rule, I avoid the use of wheat and dairy in our day-to-day. But I make exceptions on occasion when a full-on indulgence is deemed necessary and the responsible thing to do! No shame.
I learned a lot about finding tasty substitutes for dairy (all hail nut milks and cashew bechemel!!), baking without wheat (i.e. grain-free cake) and even great replacements for breadcrumbs and waffles. Though at first it felt like a huge burden to learn an entirely new repertoire of meals and recipes (there were many flops), I am pleased about where we are now. And I promise to continue sharing my successes here on the blog.
Suffice it to say it has been a transformative year, food-wise. So I thought it apropos to leave you with this DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIE recipe as my final post of the year. Yes it is grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free. And it is hella good!
My inspiration for this recipe came from a cookie we had from a local establishment called Kumfert & Kim. Lucky for me, they always clearly list their ingredients (majorly appreciated for those of us dealing with food tolerances or allergies) so it came down to a reverse-engineering exercise. I also wanted this recipe to be quick and easy. Hence it is made in ONE mixing bowl and mixed with a simple wooden spoon. No appliances required. Because nobody got time for that during the hectic holiday season, amiright?
I've said it before, if there's one lesson I've learned over the year, it is that baking without the reliable trifecta of gluten, dairy and refined sugars can yield results that are decidedly inferior. But occasionally, I am rewarded with an outcome that does not taste like a compromise. It tastes something like this:
CHOCOLATE-Y
FUDGE-Y
PERFECTLY SWEET
And it's only one dirty bowl and spoon away. ;)
May you have a joyful holiday season and the very best of health, happiness and food (aka all the important things) in the new year! xx
MAKE IN ADVANCE:
After forming the cookie dough into balls, they can be frozen in an airtight container to be baked them off whenever you want. Simply allow the dough balls to defrost slightly on the parchment-lined baking sheet for about 15 minutes or when you can easily press them down with your fingers to 1/2" thick circles. Use fingers to smooth edges. Bake at 350f for 10 minutes.
You may prefer to enjoy the cookies freshly baked. I froze some of the baked cookies in an airtight container and discovered that I enjoyed them straight from the freezer as well (they will be firmer and colder, obviously)! Otherwise rest to room temperature to eat. Your choice :)
NOTE:
As with other Paleo cookies I've made in the past, the absence of gluten in the recipe means these cookies will be a touch more fragile than cookies with the wheat flour that provides form and structure. As long as you let them cool as directed, they will have no problem holding together. However, if they will be travelling somewhere (say for a holiday cookie exchange), I recommend allowing them to harden in the freezer before wrapping them up, if you can. It worked well for me when I gifted these! Or take extra care to package them :)
Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies
{ gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, Paleo }
Recipe makes a dozen 3.5" cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 C (250g) almond butter
3/4 C + 2 tbsp (125g) coconut palm sugar
3/4 C (33g) cacao powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 C (120g) dairy-free dark chocolate chips, plus additional chips to dot the tops of the formed cookies, if you like. (I used Enjoy Life brand Dark Chocolate Morsels. Make sure you use a refined sugar free version for a fully Paleo cookie)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350f. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place almond butter and coconut sugar into a large mixing bowl and mix them well together using a wooden spoon (along with a fair amount of aggression).
Using a sift held over the mixing bowl, sift in the cacao powder, baking soda and sea salt. Use the back of a spoon to push any lumps through the sieve. Mix well. Add vanilla extract and egg. Again mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Form the dough into 12 equal-sized balls (each ~46g if you are a freak like me and use a scale for this).
{ See "Make In Advance" note for freezing the dough balls to bake later }
Space dough balls 2.5" apart on the lined baking sheets. Firmly press down with your fingers to flatten into cookies ~1/2" thick. Use your fingers to shape the scraggly edges smooth. Dot a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie as you deem necessary. Now you may opt to sprinkle a few bits of flakey sea salt, purely optional. I like a few flakes but don't go overboard - this cookie is not overly sweet (the way I like it) so you don't want to knock that ideal sweet-salty balance off.
Bake 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool 15 minutes on the tray. Resist the temptation to move them prematurely as they are quite fragile at this stage before fully cooling. After 15 minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Enjoy them fresh or store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container for a few days (but they will soften). You can also store them in the freezer for much longer and take them out to enjoy whenever the craving hits! Since I always freeze my cookies, I made the happy discovery that these are quite enjoyable straight from the freezer :)
If you like this recipe, pin it to Pinterest! You can also leave me a comment below to let me know what you think of this post - I would love that. :)
