Gluten Free Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing a guest post from Michelle who runs Green Earth Bazaar. I met Michelle via the SITS Girls forum. Michelle, who loves all things green and simple, has a wonderful motto for a healthy life: “If you can’t eat it, don’t use it!”

She’s a homeschooling mother of three and strives to make the world a better place. She believes all people deserve the right live in peace and harmony regardless of race, color, or creed.

This week she’s baked a special recipe for us – a gluten and sugar free chocolate chip cookie!

Baking is Beautiful

Baking has always been a passion of mine.  I love taking raw ingredients, mixing them together, and ending up with a delicious treat that was once just some contents in a bag, carton, or bottle. Maybe it’s the scientist in me, but I’m always in awe of the end result – it’s like taking part in a delectable science experiment.

Baking at home has a lot of upsides.  Not only do you get to create something wonderful and delicious, but you control the ingredients that go into your recipe – no worrying about potentially toxic, funky ingredients that aren’t fit for consumption, and it’s pretty cost effective too.  Plus it’s a great way to get the whole family involved in learning to eat healthfully, and make some priceless memories in the process.

Why Gluten Free?

As much as I love baking homemade sweets and treats for my family, those treats don’t always love me back.  I have a few serious health conditions which have made cutting out the gluten (and the sugar) a must.  So what’s a girl (or guy) to do when she (or he) loves to bake but can’t tolerate the gluten?  Learn to modify their favorite recipes!

Going gluten free has been quite an adventure.  I’ve learned a lot about what products contain gluten (more than you can imagine!), and which items are safe for consumption.  So if gluten free is on your menu, take heart, it’s not as difficult as it may seem.

Here’s my gluten free, sugar free take on my favorite chocolate cookie recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cup raw honey
2 organic eggs
1 1/2  teaspoon  organic vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (or more to taste)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or more to taste)

Directions:

Mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and sea salt.

In a large mixing bowl stir together butter and canola oil.

Add in honey and beat till fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla, and beat well.

Add dry ingredients to your beaten mixture, beating till well combined.

Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Since the dough is rather thin at this point, I put it into the freezer for approximately 45 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. (I lowered the temperature to 350 degrees, since the cookie dough is a bit different from it’s traditional counterpart.)

Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet; bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.  Make sure to keep an eye on them, as they can burn at the edges easily.  Be aware that they bake up differently than the usual cookie, and come out more like a cookie/bar.  The flavor is still there, however.

Remove from oven, and let cool for a few minutes before removing from sheet.