flourless chocolate cookies

these can be vegan and gluten-free, or not. it comes down to the chocolate chips. i discovered that most chocolate chips contain milk fat, and i made these with Ghiradelli 60% caco semi-sweet chips, which are not vegan/g-free. so the most i can say for my batch is that they’re egg-free. you could use eight 1-ounce squares of baking chocolate instead, if you have those on hand.

these are more like thin brownies than cookies. they definitely spread out, so make sure you allow space between them on baking sheets. you might have to slice them apart with a spatula if they run together. original recipe here, from Oh She Glows. i left out her coconut, but i would add it next time to give them some more thickness.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375 F. boil a cup of water. mix 4 tablespoons of this water with the flaxseed in a small bowl. set aside to gel.
2. in a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, sugar through salt.
3. in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: flax/water, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. add wet to dry. stir well and add the chocolate chips.
5. place spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets sprayed with canola cooking spray. i got 36 cookies out of this. bake 25 minutes. cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. be careful, as these are a little fragile before cooled.

flour-free peanut butter cupcakes

these are super easy, and when you taste these, i promise you’ll be amazed that they contain no flour. they taste as decadent as any cupcake you’ve ever had, but they’re not half as unhealthy. these get a great reception even from those who aren’t concerned about gluten!

i was searching for a simple, healthy-ish dessert recipe that would not require a grocery store trip so i could make something in advance for tomorrow night. how hard is it to find a gluten-free dessert that doesn’t call for sugar and a combination of flours; is that too much to ask? luckily, i came across this recipe at Ginger Lemon Girl. (she has a very extensive recipe archive to which i will be returning.)

and yes, i used agave, despite the controversy over it being well-marketed as a natural sweetener but supposedly high in fructose? i hate to waste.

p.s. you can omit the chocolate chips . if you need them to be gluten-free and/or vegan for sure, make sure to get the right chocolate chips.

1/3 cup agave
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/4 cups peanut butter
4 cage-free eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
mini chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 F. place 18 liners in 2 muffin pans. spray with nonstick baking spray.
2. mix sugar and baking powder. add peanut butter, and mix very well.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk eggs, water, and vanilla.
4. pour egg mixture into the p.b. mixture. stir with a fork until it resembles cake batter. this may take a while, but it’ll get there.  then stir in the pumpkin pie spice and cocoa.
5. spoon batter into the paper liners, 1/2 to a max of 3/4 full, because these rise in the oven. you might be wondering how this much batter will possibly make 18 cupcakes, but it does, trust me!
6. sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of each.
7. bake for 20-30 minutes. a toothpick inserted in the middle of one should come out clean. i know it’s a recipe standby phrase, but really do it this time.
8. cool on a wire rack.