These delicious and chewy low sugar almond butter cookies are made with oat flour and only ONE tablespoon of added sweetener!
DETOX-MAS IS HERE!
Hello, hello, and welcome to the first day of my annual Detox-mas (and 2019)!
This has become a bit of a tradition, as I've done this every year since beginning the blog back in 2012.
When I initially began Detox-mas, I limited my recipes to only using fresh and dried fruit, which included dates, raisins, and the like.
Well, I have since found that eating higher sugar foods, like dates and raisins, make me feel pretty terrible afterwards. I can tolerate both in very small amounts, but above about a tablespoon, I start to feel various negative effects, including debilitating fatigue.
While dates are touted to be a 'low glycemic' food, I have to take into account the 'glycemic load'...the more I eat, the higher the 'load' and the greater the blood sugar impact. I still eat them, but in limited amounts.
Even though dates are a whole food source of sweetness, I find that I do better with sweeteners like coconut sugar and honey. My trick is to add a small amount of the aforementioned and combine it with stevia, thus modulating the sometimes bitter taste of using stevia alone.
That's exactly what this recipe does!
HOW I MAKE THESE COOKIES
I'll tell you, the similar recipes I've seen like this have about EIGHT times the amount of added sugar. I really feel like I can get away with just one added tablespoon and a bit of stevia.
There's some accounting for texture here, as the almond butter really amps up the 'chewy' factor. Texture is very important when baking low sugar, as it can 'trick' your taste buds a bit.
Flavorings like vanilla and cinnamon are important too, as both give the 'sweetness' illusion without actually adding carbs or sugar grams.
Chocolate chips, of course, also help! I've retrained my sweet tooth pretty well, so I use a combo of chopped unsweetened chocolate with a chopped 73% bar I buy from Trader Joe's. If you're still trying to 'get there', so to speak, use your favorite chocolate bar or chips...just try to keep the percentage at 65% or above!
Low Sugar Oat Flour Almond Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds see Notes
- 3 Tbsp water
- ½ cup almond butter (I use a raw, unsalted variety)
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup oat flour
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- good dash cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped unsweetened or dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- stevia to taste (I use about 10-15 drops)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the chia with the water and let sit for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined (reserve some chocolate for the tops). Batter will be fairly thick!
- Divide the batter into 10 equal-sized portions and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Flatten the cookies a bit with your fingers, as they don't spread much.
- Bake 8-9 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool 3-5 minutes (they firm up as they sit) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
If you don't like the texture of chia seeds, grind them up a bit in a coffee grinder before mixing with water. I actually enjoy the little 'pop' of texture they add!
In place of the chia/water combo, I tried an egg, but did not enjoy the flavor or texture as well.
These are delicious with a sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes, which really adds to the eating experience.
Some of the items I use to make this recipe include:
Recipe Steps:
Chia egg...
Mixing everything together...
Thick batter!
Cookies, pre-bake...
(I had previously used this parchment paper for sweet potato rounds, hence the olive oil; yes, I re-use parchment paper!)
If you can't have nuts, try my Low Sugar Nut-Free Chocolate Chippers from the other week!
Jennifer
Hi Lauren! These cookies are so good! Everyone in my family loved them. I made a couple of substitutions . Instead of oat flour, I used half teff flour and half buckwheat flour. I also left out the sugar and used stevia. I had to double the recipe because I have four kids and food goes fast in my house.
Lauren
Thanks, Jennifer! I'm so happy you liked them and that they worked with all stevia. 🙂