Guilt-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes I am a control freak, I like to have everything be a certain way, or life to proceed in the way I want it to. Since getting married I knew I needed to let go of the reins, otherwise I may have sent my husband a little crazy. Now I'm a mother I knew life would throw me curve balls, eating Dairy-free is one of those balls I never expected. My poor little man has a Cows Milk Protein allergy which has meant this breastfeeding Mama cannot eat an ounce of dairy and neither can my son. I've never before had to look at labels and be strict about what I eat that others have prepared. Sometimes I feel like I'm being a little pedantic but when my son gets sick I know it's worth the effort and strict attitude.

My lovely sister introduced me to these delicious peanut butter cookies, so of course I had to give them the dairy-free treatment. Fortunately it was only a matter of purchasing dairy free choc-chips which were easily found in the health food section of my local grocery store. These cookies are suited for a range of label lookers: vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar free (or easily adapted). I love how they taste oh-so naughty, melt in the mouth, gooey ooey goodness especially since they are based on healthy chickpeas. Yes you read that right, the humble chickpea! I can see you now, sighing and saying "please woman, not this rubbish that healthy food can pass as something you might actually WANT to eat". I kid you not ladies and gentlemen, even your children will eat these heartily without a complaint. They passed the man, teenager and toddler test in my house, the first batch I made didn't last long, so I know this will be a regular recipe I will turn to. Give them a whirl - you might be surprised!

Tell me dear readers, what food intolerances/allergies were you not expecting to deal with and do you have a recipe that people won't believe is good for you?

Recipe

1 tin chickpeas (400g)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp maple syrup*

3 tbsp peanut butter^ (or other nut paste)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used dairy free)

Method

Drain the chickpeas and place in a food processor. Process till the chickpeas resemble crumbs.

Place remaining ingredients (EXCEPT chocolate chips) into the food processor.

Blend till well mixed and looks like cookie dough. Mix in chocolate chips with a spoon (do not blend).

Scoop out a spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball. Wet hands while rolling will result in a smooth ball. Place on a baking tray and with a wet fork gently press the cookie down. At this point you could add a sprinkle of nuts or as my sister does, a marshmallow on top.

Place into a 200 degree Celsius oven for 10 mins (or less for a gooier consistency). Once cooked rest on a wire rack. These are best eaten warm with a nice glass of milk, or Oat milk in my case!

* Alternatively you could use agave syrup or more honey. Extra honey will make the mixture really sweet.

^ You can add more than 3 tbsp of peanut butter for a stronger taste

Inspiration taken from The Lucky Penny Blog

Tell me dear readers, what food intolerances/allergies were you not expecting to deal with and do you have a recipe that people won't believe is good for you?