I did something I don’t normally do today. I told my girls they could eat as many chocolate chip cookies as they wanted to for a snack. π You should have seen the looks on their sweet faces! They were so happy!
I do not use store bought almond flour in this recipe (which is expensive!). I make my own. I simply grind whole raw almonds (skins on) in my food processor into a fine meal/flour.
Here’s a little health tid-bit on almond skins courtesy of Wikipedia:
In a study printed in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, experts discovered that almonds contain phenolics and flavonoids (a combination of flavonols, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic acids and flavanones) in their skins analogous [is comparable] to those of certain fruits and vegetables. For instance, a one-ounce helping of almonds holds a similar quantity of total polyphenol as ½ cup of cooked broccoli.
Which means if I’m going to bake with almond meal/flour, I would prefer the meal/flour to include the skin. π Wouldn’t you?
Those of you who have been keeping up with my blog know I’ve been trying to use stevia more in my baking. It’s been hard, but I’m managing! The first bottle of liquid stevia I purchased was Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme Stevia. It’s good, but after trying the NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia I can confidently say I will always buy the NuNaturals brand. It doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste the Sweet Leaf brand does.
Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe:
yeilds about 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Using an electric mixer, mix together:
1/2 cup Spectrum Shortening (or another non-dairy substitute, coconut oil, Earth Balance, etc…)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp ground chia seeds (I buy my chia seeds from Amazon)
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia
2 organic eggs
Then add:
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 1/4 cup finely ground almonds (I grind my own – see my note above!)
1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup of Enjoy Life minis, but you could also use cocoa nibs, carob chips, or your favorite brand of GF/DF chocolate chips)
Drop dough by heaping tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently pat down the tops of the cookies until they are about 1/2 an inch thick. Bake in a preheated 375 degree (F) oven for about 9 minutes.
Enjoy!
Megan
This recipe is linked to the Gluten-Free Homemaker.
Crystal A
I have 5 sweet kiddos and would love to win this Stevia for baking for them!
Joyce Nielsen
I plan to try the NuNaturals brand of stevia – I didn't care much for the aftertaste of other brands. Thanks for the cookie recipe. My 4-year old granddaughter and I both need to eat gluten-free and dairy-free.
Kristine Rausch
Thanks for the great recipe and giveaway! I'm actually headed out today to buy some liquid stevia. It's been a sheer struggle to steer my family (especially my teenager, who is GF and soy free, among other things…) away from white sugar. The stevia products we have used do have that "somethings not right" aftertaste, so it's exciting to hear this brand may be a better choice! Thanks.
[email protected]
Hi Megan! These look wonderful and I love how nutritious they are. I keep meaning to try Stevia and Chia seeds so I like that this recipe combines both.Something totally random and a bit unique: I used to work at a wildlife rehabilitation center and have hand-fed everything from baby river otters to an infant flying squirrel. π
Katie
Oh my goodness!! I was completely skeptical while making these. I thought they would be "edible" only…I never imagined they'd actually taste good! These taste like normal chocolate chip cookies! I will be making this recipe for my family from now on instead of the gfree recipe I have which calls for a TON of sugar. You made my day. π
Megan
Katie, YOU made my day! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and leaving a comment that you did!! π
Kristi Losby
I LOVE Vanilla Stevia!!!!!
crystal
I would love to try this recipe. It looks great! I would also love to win the giveaway!Something random about me…I get headaches right before and earthquake. The worse the headache, the worse the earthquake. Sure wish I could narrow it down to WHERE the quake is gonna hit though. LOL
Marcia Butler
I had a 16 year career @ a military test facility. When I had my son I qauit so I could be involved in all aspects of his life. The greatest decision I ever made. I love trying new recipes. I can wait to tell him he can eat all the cookies he wants!!
Terry
This recipe looks really good. My husband and I are Alaskan residents living in Edinburg, Texas this year homeschooling our two granddaughters while their parents attend Spanish language school preparing to be missionaries in Ecuador. My daughter-in-law uses Stevia a lot, so we have tried many new recipes while we've been here. I need to get some of my own to use while we are home in Alaska for summer break, so would love to win your giveaway!
Andrea
Hi, I live in Alaska too. π I've been using a lot of Stevia recently (my two year old LOVES to find it on the counter and help herself to it!). I agree that the NuNaturals brand is the best, but I wonder why. Is it in processing or is there something that they add. I've been curious, but I've never researched it! I have never tried the vanilla Stevia and that sounds lovely. I should be gluten free for my thyroid, but I've fallen off the wagon recently with all that is going on. So, I'm currently enjoying fresh ground whole wheat again, but I'm sure I'll be back!Hmm. Something random? I lived in Moscow, Russia for a while? Loved it!
Jennifer Gonzales
I LOVE to make unique things for my friends!!! And I Love to vacuum π
Jenny
Something unique about me, I'll try anything at least once. I've gone white water rafting in Colorado, Skydiving in California and did the Polar Bear Jump in Alaska for the American Cancer Society to name a few.
bookladyDavina
Hey, what's with all the Alaskans??I'm another one and my random thing is that I hate State Fair time because my house is near the fairgrounds and it is nearly impossible to get in or out during the Fair, so we try hard as we can to just camp out at home those weeks.I've been GF since Feb 1. Started out as a dietary cleansing challenge then I got so sick when it was allowed back in a few weeks later that I knew something was up. Have been GF ever since, though am being told I need to go back on and get tested for Celiacs now.. (I wanted to wait and get some weight off now that it's finally coming off!) I've recently switched to stevia usage as well, (though still have like 50 pounds of white sugar in food storage..) and am just starting the research on that. The after taste is a bit off putting, though so far I've stuck to the powdered "in the raw" formulas. would be nice to find other options
Michelle
Wow! I just saw your comment on Gluten Free's fb page! And I watched the video from the link and they mentioned to stay away from nightshade veggies if you have RA.. I have RA and was tested via all of the above and am intolerant to ALL nightshades (even black pepper!) and gluten and allergic to dairy, peanuts and corn! I'm sooo happy you have this website bc I was just thinking to myself today, how will I eliminate nightshade veggies as well!?!? I've been gluten and dairy free for a year and just started the NS elimination. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Megan
Hi Michelle! I'm glad you found me too. It's a rough journey to be on such a restricted diet, but it is possible. I occasionally will have potatoes, tomatoes, or corn – but I always pay the price for it. It's amazing the amount of swelling/aching/stiffness food can cause. Please let me know if I can ever help with anything – or if you need to just vent. Best of luck to you!
Rosemary
Something unique about me……..when I was a little girl, my sister and I loved to make "Pour and Perfects" on days when our family would take a day trip to Indiana. We would put a couple of uncooked macaroni noodles into an old Bandaid tin, fill it with hot tap water, and then sit it on the back of the sink so the the noodles could "cook" while we were gone. Later in the evening when we returned, we'd race upstairs to the bathroom, take out our one noodle apiece, and eat them!!! Gross, eh??? :-0 On a much yummier note, I would love to try the liquid stevia–I thoroughly enjoy cooking, and have come a long way since my days of making "Pour and Perfects." Your chocolate chip cookie recipe sounds fabulous, and it is the first thing I would make using the stevia, for sure!!! π
Dragonmamma/Naomi
Found my way here from the NuNaturals Facebook page. I'm trying, really,really hard to stay away from sugar. Haven't tried the NuNatural brand yet; I'm not thrilled with the stevia brands I have tried.Random fact: I LOVE coconut oil, and order it 5-gallons at a time from Tropical Traditions.
Morgan
Just found your site by doing a google search for seaweed smoothie π RSS'ed it for its amazingness!My name is Morgan, but still sometimes get called Megan by accident! Im a Canadian mom of 3 Lively boys (7yo, 5yo, and 2yo)Really I just wanted to tell you that Im loving your blog! Oh, and I tried to grow my own stevia last summer with all the intetions of harvesting it and grinding it up into a powder to use for teas, but the spot I planted it in was too shady.
Lisa Rogers
I am new to your blog and FB page. I am celiac and other food intolerances and always look for new sources of inspiration in cooking. I am what you might call a creative cook or baker! LOL I have yet to try vanilla Stevia as all I've used to date is the packeted stevia powder.
Theresa
I am GF/DF/SF and grain/starch free so your cookies look amazing. been doing the stevia for about 5 months still learning so love how you get to experiment a little more than me. Nothing beats the nunatual vanilla stevia for flavoring my latte's made with oh so delicious coconut milk or almond milk. π
AkMom
Randomness……….I am learning to cook gluten free and dairy free for my 2 year old grandson. New recipes rock!Oh, and I would love to try liquid stevia!
Leslie
Here's another Alaskan! I'm just starting my quest to eat a little more on the healthy side. I have never tried Stevia and I have been curious about it. This may be the 'push' I need to try it!Random fact: I can wiggle my left ear. Not both ears. Not the right ear. Just the left. :o)
Jessica Morphis
My sister would love it if I started using stevia in my GF baking…random: my thumbs are double jointed…
Sarah
I'd love to try this! I tried stevia once before and didn't like it, but that was years ago and my tastes have definitely changed. I didn't try it for baking, either and I'm very intrigued. My random thing is…hm…well, I'm a hula hooper and I just started learning to stilt walk. So fun!
Serena
Hmm something unique about me… well, I dream things and I remember vividly the dreams and then a couple weeks later those dreams actually happen… not saying that I'm psychic or anything π
Linda Stoddard
Am little by little catching up on your older posts. Grateful for the info on almonds–I prefer to grind my own too and have done so without knowing the nutritional value of the skin–I just like the little flecks π We agree on the bitter aftertaste of the Stevia Green Leaf–I’ll look for the Nunatural–am wondering if it’s the vanilla that helps cut back the bitterness..hmmm…Thanks!
MAID in Alaska
Hi Linda,
I’s not sure it’s the vanilla… I have the vanilla and plain NuNatural’s liquid stevia and they are both good.
π Megan
Sherri
Yummy! The kids love them! Taste kind of like an oatmeal cookie.
I used Crisco because that is all I could find at the store so next time I would use a healthier alternative.
MAID in Alaska
YAY! Thanks for letting me know you tried them, Sherri!
Hugs,
Megan
Gina
I am going to make these for me and my brother. We both have a bad candida problem (have our entire lives) and can only eat stevia sweetened products. You said that the NuNaturals liquid stevia is good. Do you also recommend the NuNaturals powder stevia? I have been using the Whole Food brand powder.
Also, any other stevia recipes would be appreciated. Someone should make them and sell them. If they shipped them over night, I would buy them often.
Megan
Hi Gina,
I have never used the NuNatural’s powdered stevia (only the liquid), but I have heard it is good. I do have a few stevia recipes on my website, they are all listed in the Recipe Index! I do use stevia from time to time, but I am not 100% sugar free. I didn’t have any stevia sweetened chocolate chips at the time, so I used what I had on hand.
π Megan
Gina
PS ~
Why didn’t you use Stevia sweetened chocolate chips?
Gina
Yep ~ It’s me again. I am making these cookies this Saturday because I am having company and some of us can only eat stevia sweetened desserts. I don’t have a food processor (hard to believe, I know) so I will be using store bought almond flour that does not have the skins. (That’s the way they sell it). I hope this works okay. Also, did you use alcohol-free vanilla ? Thanks!
By the way, I will let you know how these turn out.
Izabel
Thanks for the recipes/blog and I am eager to try some. Was just curious how this could be a sugar free recipe when the Enjoy Life minis contain a refined sugar? Have been on a massive search to fine chocolate chips without any refined sugar to no avail. Have you found any yet?
Thanks!
Megan
Hi Izabel,
Thank you! You can make these cookies completely sugar free by using cacao nibs. There are no refined sugar free chocolate chips that I know of, unfortunately.
π Megan