Saturday, September 11, 2010

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (No sugar added)

I had a gal named Jeanette contact me about a cookie recipe she was making. It was spreading too much and she wanted my opinion on what to do. I love emails like that. Especially ones that inspire me to do something a little different. Case in point, when was the last time anyone shredded chocolate to put in a cookie? Jeanette did and I loved the way it sounded.

Alas, I wanted to make these right according to her recipe, but I also have the "no sugar" clause going in my life. I'm trying really hard to be responsible with my intake and thoughtful of my diabetic mother in law. It really isn't fair to make gobs of cookies and cakes with a diabetic in the house, especially one who is controlling her blood sugar by eating right instead of shooting insulin. So, I made the cookies using a few tricks. The first change was using whole grain oats, which are a lot slower to digest and better for blood sugars than white flour. The other change was using agave nectar instead of sugar and unsweetened chocolate instead of sugar sweetened. Adding to this a lower fat version of a cookie and what we ended up with was still a very moist tasty snack. I don't even feel guilty eating one.
Tess No Sugar Added Chocolate Oat Cookies

1 cup Agave nectar
1/2 cup EV Coconut oil
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg white)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 cups rolled oats or rolled nine grain cereal
1/2 cup chia seeds (optional)
2 0z shredded unsweetened chocolate
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the agave nectar, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla very well in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Scoop by rounded Tablespoon onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, one inch apart. Bake 375 degrees 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and store in an air tight container. Not feeling guilty may be the best part of eating these. Maybe. Chia seed adds a good amount of fiber as well as the added ability curb my appetite. Not bad for one little cookie now and then. Sweet and satisfying.
There you go. Make some cookies.

7 comments:

Lynn said...

Love the recipe with the agave. I use that as about my only sweetener now. It is hard to find baking uses for it though. I made a big batch of strawberry jam with agave and it was great!
I will try these cookies today! Thanks Chef Tess

Karen Dyck said...

Tess, these cookies look great. What could you substitute for coconut oil. I don't think I've ever seen it for sale?


Karen

Chef Tess said...

Lynn, yes! A friend of mine gave me several large jars of Agave to try out and I'm very happy with the sweetening results. Amazing stuff. I will have to try the jam with it! What a great idea! Karen you have an excellent question. If you can't find the coconut oil, you most definitely can use melted butter or vegetable oil would work as well. I love the coconut oil for the flavor (think chocolate coconut candy bar) and health benefits. However, it is hard to find in some regions.

Jeanette said...

Thanks so much for your helpful advice and for being willing to assist me with the original recipe. I can't wait to try your version! I am really learning a lot by "studying" your blog and look forward to your upcoming recipes. Cheers, Jeanette

Mama Peck said...

Just came home with some coconut oil. I'm looking forward to trying these!

Amy said...

I'm definitely trying these! Trying to cut out sugar too...it's hard to find tasty treats.

Amy said...

And let me add...I have 3 pounds of unsweetened chocolate at home that I haven't known what to do with! So, thanks!