Healthy homemade cookies with a chocolatey twist
When I started experimenting with chocolate chip healthy cookies, I wanted to create something a little lighter than the usual homemade biscuits and cookies I make. As I eat gluten-free and dairy-free, I often bake with a combination of gluten-free flour, almond flour or oats, but I fancied experimenting with something different.
Quinoa flakes turned out to be a brilliant base. They create a lighter, crispier cookie while still working really well with almond flour, ground flaxseed and tahini or almond butter.
I’ve played around with the recipe over time, adding cacao powder for a richer chocolate flavour and, more recently, swapping the vanilla for almond extract. That little hint of almond works so well with the dark chocolate and has become one of my favourite parts of the recipe.
Best of all, these have been a hit with the whole family. They’re crisp, chocolatey and feel like a proper cookie – just made with a slightly different combination of ingredients.
Why use quinoa flakes in cookies?
Quinoa flakes are a really handy alternative to oats when you fancy changing up your usual baking. They have a fine, light texture and work particularly well in these cookies because they absorb some of the moisture from the wet ingredients while still allowing the finished cookies to become crisp.
Combined with almond flour, they give the cookies enough structure without needing traditional wheat flour. I also like that they’re an easy way to add a little more variety to the grains and ingredients I use in my baking.
If you’ve bought quinoa flakes before and wondered what else to do with them beyond making porridge, these cookies are a really simple place to start
What makes these chocolate chip healthy cookies different?
These aren’t designed to be a sugar-free or low-calorie cookie – they’re still a sweet treat. What I like about making them at home is being able to choose exactly what goes into them.
Alongside the quinoa flakes and almond flour, I use ground flaxseed, tahini or almond butter, avocado oil and dark chocolate chips. A little coconut sugar and maple syrup provide the sweetness, while cacao powder and almond extract give them a lovely rich, chocolatey flavour.
The result is a crisp, satisfying cookie that feels a little different from my usual gluten-free baking, without trying to turn a cookie into something it isn’t.
Easy swaps and variations
One of the nice things about this recipe is that there’s still room to adapt it depending on what you have at home.
You can use either tahini or almond butter. When I use tahini, I prefer the really runny style that usually comes in larger tubs. This mixes easily into the other wet ingredients and helps keep the cookie mixture easy to work with. If your tahini is particularly thick, you may find you need an extra teaspoon or two of almond milk to get the same consistency.
Almond butter works well too and gives the cookies a slightly nuttier flavour. Pecans are completely optional – add them for a little extra crunch or simply leave them out.
For the chocolate, I like using very small dark chocolate chips because they distribute really nicely through these relatively delicate cookies. Regular chocolate chips will still work, or you can finely chop a bar of dark chocolate instead. I usually choose dark chocolate around 70-85% cacao, but use whichever dairy-free chocolate you enjoy.
And if you prefer a slightly sweeter cookie, you can increase the maple syrup from three to four tablespoons.
How to get the best texture
These cookies are very simple to make, but a couple of small steps make a difference to the finished texture.
Once you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, leave the mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes. This gives the quinoa flakes and ground flaxseed time to absorb some of the liquid and makes the mixture easier to shape.
When you place the cookies on the baking tray, flatten them gently before baking as they don’t spread very much on their own. I like them crisp, so I bake them until they’re lightly golden around the edges.
They’ll still be quite delicate when they first come out of the oven, so leave them on the tray for around five minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They’ll firm up and become crispier as they cool.
How to store your quinoa cookies
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Keeping them well sealed will help maintain their crisp texture.
If they soften slightly after a couple of days, they’re still perfectly enjoyable – although in my house they don’t usually last very long!
You can also make the dough ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Because the quinoa flakes and flaxseed continue absorbing moisture as they sit, you may need to add a small splash of almond milk if the mixture feels too firm before shaping the cookies.
More gluten-free baking ideas
If you enjoy experimenting with naturally gluten-free ingredients, you might also like my Fluffy Gluten-Free Waffles with Buckwheat or my Easy Vanilla Sponge with Buckwheat. For another easy homemade snack, try my Wholesome Quinoa Bars – another recipe where I use quinoa in a completely different way.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten & Dairy Free
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- 7 tbsp almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1-1½ tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- ¼ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 tbsp runny tahini or almond butter
- ½ tsp almond extract or essence
- 3 tbsp almond milk
- ¼ cup small dark chocolate chips ideally 70-85% cacao
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (160°C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, almond flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder, ground flaxseed, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, avocado oil, tahini or almond butter, almond extract and almond milk until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well combined. Leave the mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes so the quinoa flakes and flaxseed can absorb some of the moisture.
- Fold through the dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans, if using.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions onto the lined baking tray and gently flatten each one. The cookies won’t spread very much during baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges.
- Leave them on the baking tray for around 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. They’ll firm up and become crispier as they cool.
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