Recipe:
Tahini acts as a healthy butter replacement, and flax serves as an egg replacement in these gooey chocolate chip cookies. They have the same texture as regular chocolate chip cookies – crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Tahini is high in calcium, iron, and magnesium, and provides the cookies with a slight nutty flavor. Ground flaxseed provides omega-3 fatty acids and ground oats are a high-fiber flour alternative. The sea salt in these cookies pairs perfectly with the bitter dark chocolate and sweet brown sugar.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3⁄4 cup light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, gluten free if necessary, ground into flour (place oats into blender or food processor and blend until it forms a fine flour)
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling on top, if desired
1⁄2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 10 minutes. Once thickened, add this “flax egg” into a large bowl with the brown sugar, tahini, and vanilla and mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk oat flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add the flour mixture to the tahini mixture and mix well. Mix in chocolate chips and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough, roll into balls, and place spread apart onto baking sheet. Flatten each mound of dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Top with additional flaky sea salt, if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on if you prefer your cookies more soft or more crunchy. Note that the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
Yields: 12 servings
Per serving: 180 calories, 3.37 g protein, 24.28 g carbohydrates, 2.64 g fiber, 15.54 g sugars, 9.95 g fat, 3.16 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5.19 mg sodium, 43.59 mg calcium, 0.14 g omega-3 fats, 6.97 IU vitamin A, 0.42 mg vitamin C, 0 mg vitamin E, 2.53 mg iron, 0.46 mg zinc
Lisa Drayer, M.A., R.D.,
is the author of THE BEAUTY DIET and STRONG, SLIM, and 30! For more of Lisa’s Beauty Bites, visit www.lisadrayer.com.