Gluten-Free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies contain half the sugar of a traditional cookie and, in place of butter, have healthy Earth Balance butter substitute and creamy almond butter.

It’s made extra healthy with high-fiber, nutrient-dense oats and whole grain, gluten-free flour, and offers extra protein thanks to the almond butter and nutrient-dense egg. Almond butter—as well as the egg and butter substitute—also gives the recipe a dose of healthy fats.

Still, it’s a dessert and it does contain some sugar, which means it should be eaten in moderation. The cookie clocks in towards the upper limit of a prediabetic’s daily recommended sugar intake (2 1/2 teaspoons sugar a day). Be sure to eat just one cookie a day, says our nutrition team.

Makes 15 servings. Total preparation time: 15 minutes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Earth Balance, brown sugar, almond butter and vanilla extract in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring once. Stir until well combined. Add salt, baking powder, rolled oats, flour, chocolate chips, dried cherries and egg to bowl and combine.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough onto a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake cookies for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and, using the back of a spatula, press down on each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes before removing cookies from baking sheet.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter substitute
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 egg

Yours in Health & Bliss,