Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free Chocolate Cookies

This recipe was born from an idea for my friend Helen. For years she has suffered from a severe dairy allergy that has left her unable to eat any desserts except for toffee apples. For me, this is unbelievable. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I have the biggest sweet tooth going. I crave sweet food all the time and the only thing that has stopped me before now from becoming a toothless, obese lard zipping around on an electric wheelchair is finding healthy alternatives to my favourite sweet treats. So when Helen told me how long it had been since she last ate dessert, I paused a minute to pick my jaw up off the floor, and headed straight to the kitchen.




Et voilá! Since making these tasty little morsels, she hasn't stopped asking for them. Good news for Helen, bad news for my poor little oven. For anyone who suffers from any dairy or gluten allergies, or like me, just wants a healthy alternative to traditional sugary snacks, then you might want to give these pieces of heaven a try.

Not that I'm bragging or anything......

You Will Need:

• 66 grams (1/2 cup) of coconut flour, sifted
• 105 grams (1/2 cup) of coconut oil
• 54 grams (2/3 cup) of cocoa powder
• 6 medium eggs
• 246 grams (2/3 cup) of maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon on vanilla essence
• baking paper

Just a quick note on maple syrup and cocoa powder. When picking out a maple syrup, make sure you read the ingredients list beforehand. I know, it sounds pedantic, but in the past I've bought maple syrup and upon inspecting it discover that it only contains 10% maple syrup, 90% sugar syrup. On another note, maple syrup will give the cookies a thicker, richer taste whilst honey will give it a lighter, more vanilla taste. 

As for cocoa powder, make sure you also read the ingredients list, as some will contain milk or whey powder. I prefer to use Green & Black's organic cocoa powder as it is gluten and dairy free, and provides a rich, dark flavour. 

Right, onto the instructions!

1. Turn the oven on for 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix the coconut oil and cocoa powder in a saucepan on low heat. Make sure you stir frequently or else it'll stick to the bottom of the pan if it sits in the heat for too long. 
3. Once it is all mixed in thoroughly together, take it off the heat and leave it to one side.
4. In a bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup/honey, salt, and vanilla and whisk until completely mixed.  
5. Slowly whisk the cocoa powder and coconut oil mixture into the bowl, and then add the coconut flour.
6. Whisk this batter really well, you don't want to bite into any lumps!
7. Put roughly a tablespoon of the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. 

Like This! :)

Stick these beauties in the oven for roughly ten minutes. When you take them off the paper they should be a little spongy in texture, but they will continue to cook a little bit after you take them out of the oven. Leave them to cool awhile, and then its time to dig in. Preferably with cups of tea or coffee.