These cookies are gluten-free, refined cane sugar-free, dairy-free and most importantly delicious, with a soft brownie-like centre and a light, crisp outer. If you have a nut allergy, you can also swap out the cashew butter for tahini or coconut butter, although this will change the flavour. This is simple home baking that everyone can enjoy, containing good health-promoting ingredients such as maca (see note below recipe), so you know your family are indulging in a treat that's much better for them than the usual cookie fare.
Dry ingredients
| ⅓ cup | Buckwheat flour (Main) |
| ⅓ cup | Brown rice flour (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Tapioca flour |
| 2 Tbsp | Maca powder, see note below (Main) |
| 3 Tbsp | Cacao powder (Main) |
| ½ tsp | Baking powder |
| ½ tsp | Baking soda |
| 1 tsp | Cinnamon |
| 1/8 tsp | Salt |
| ¾ tsp | Ginger powder, optional |
Wet ingredients
| ¼ cup | Cashew butter, I make my own by blending raw cashews in my Vitamix until it forms a butter (Main) |
| ¼ cup | Brown rice syrup, or use coconut nectar (Main) |
| 3 Tbsp | Coconut sugar |
| 2 Tbsp | Coconut oil, melted (Main) |
| ½ tsp | Pure vanilla extract |
| ½ cup | Coconut milk (Main) |
Chocolate
| 40 g | Chocolate chunks, homemade or store bought; I cut up half a bar of Chai Guy chocolate (Main) |
Directions
- Heat the oven to 175C.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
- Place all the wet ingredients except for the coconut milk in another bowl and cream together by mixing vigorously with a fork until it becomes smooth. Add the coconut milk and gently mix together until fully incorporated.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together gently with the chocolate chunks. Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes, or freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Line an oven tray with baking paper. Roll the mixture into balls (around 2 Tbsp each) then place on the tray and flatten gently with your hand or a fork. You will get around 13 cookies.
- Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for around one week (they will soften after a few days but remain fudgy and delicious).
Maca
I have included maca, which is traditionally used in baking in Peru, for its many medicinal qualities — including the promotion of energy and vitality, as well as balancing mood and hormones. I have included enough so that each cookie has a medicinal quality, but you could use less if you're new to using maca, or leave it out altogether. Available from health food stores and some speciality food stores and supermarkets, it's important to choose a good quality one. We useSeleno Healthgelatinised maca, which comes straight from the farmer in Peru, so you are supporting organic farming and their community. This is a gelatinised maca, not raw — which is incredibly important, as some people can be very sensitive to raw maca.
