I wonder if everyone thinks about food as often as I do… Many of my thoughts, maybe while driving to work or something else monotonous, are imagined browsing the produce aisles in my local supermarket… Visualizing which veggies might make the shelves this week, if they are in season, and how I can get them on the dinner table this week. Does everyone have a notebook dedicated to a weekly menu and shopping list? Certainly not every 28-year-old gal with no kids, just cooking for two, has this prepared attitude toward food. This is no silly obsession, I assure you. This is a grand appreciation. I truly love food. I truly love feeling nourished after a healthy meal, I love feeling indulged after a few slices of chocolate cake--Yes, I said a few slices. I love spending a few extra bucks on the humanely raised meats and knowing I can eat them with guiltless pleasure. I think we can view this as respect more than a silly obsession.

Many flavors and food ideas have made their way in and out of my life, and I was in fact, vegetarian for 11 years, up until 2009. That is the year my diet changed drastically, along with my health. After finding that I can’t eat gluten or anything associated with it, I had no choice but to turn my diet upside down. Lucky for me, I was able to source local meats and eggs, fine cheeses, and seasonal fruits and vegetables. These foods are the core of my diet that fill the starchy void once the bread and pasta left my plate forever. Some who avoid gluten may substitute that portion of their diet with rice, oats, or other grains. I chose to abstain from those grains. I feel so full on protein packed meats and nourishing seasonal vegetables that there is simply no room for that starch. Not only that, but most grains are refined and packaged in the same warehouses as wheat that they are likely contaminated with gluten anyway, making it unsafe for consumption. Thus, I get seconds of the meat rather than a fill up on the bread basket such as in my gluten-packed vegetarian days (it turns out that I really love bacon.--Like, I really, really love it).

This change in diet opens up a whole new world for me. I bake with almond flour and coconut flour, which are nutritious substitutions that are low carbohydrate and high protein. Not only that, but I find them superior in flavor. My family and friends are great critics of my baking and keep me on my toes with new ideas and flavors. Though my noodle-making, cookie-baking grandmother is really the reason I love being in the kitchen, the “special diets” end of my baking comes from trial and error, and some recipes I develop are inspired and modeled after fellow gluten-free bloggers, who may model their recipes after others’ and so on. We are a tight-knit, wheatless community, sourcing ideas and kind words regularly. I feel lucky to have such friendly resources, imagine what my grandparent’s generation mush have gone through with this conflict in diet and having no gluten-free community to count on. I find myself asking and answering fellow grain-free bloggers questions weekly, on recipe modification, ideas for substitutes, and which ingredients might have gluten as a secret ingredient. I get questions on my blog, and I ask questions on others’.

Anyone who is already following my blog knows that I do not feel deprived of any food. I do not get worked up about missing out on brownines. I don’t get sad about the pies or crumbles that everyone is enjoying during the summertime. Know why? -Because I figure out a way to do it without the wheat. I make the treats out of stuff I can have, and eat the heck out of it. I work through making a 3-layer chocolate and peanut butter cake with safe ingredients, then I work my way through eating it. -I develop, I bake, I eat! Oh, the pains of trial-and-error baking… So don’t feel sorry for me or my diet, I enjoy the foods I eat now more than I ever have in my life.

When I develop recipes, I try to keep in mind both the gluten-free reader and the other readers out there who don’t necessarily have all of the special ingredients that I stock my pantry with. While ingredients such as almond flour and coconut flour are becoming regular stock in many grocery stores, I realize that not everyone is able to locate it. My recipe for almond butter chocolate chip cookies is one of my favorite recipes, as the crumbly, moist cookie and dark sweet chocolate are heightened by a sweet and savory almond flavor.--And a bonus is its adaptability. If you can’t get your hands on a jar of delicious & nutritious almond butter, simply substitute a jar of peanut butter and a handful of peanuts. –Yup, it’s that easy!

 

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven to 350f. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Racks should be in center of oven.

 

In medium bowl (I like to use a mixer because I am lazy), stir together the first 6 ingredients until blended.

 

Stir in chocolate and almonds until just incorporated. There may be a bit of oil at the bottom of the bowl. No worries, this is just the almond oil seeping out. When they bake, most of it stays on the parchment.

 

Form dough into tablespoon sized balls (I like to roll them in my palms), and drop onto prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart. Squish down slightly, but do not flatten. They will spread.

 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.

 

Let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet to set up. They will be quite crumbly and delicate for 5 minutes or so after they come out, so it is important to be patient when letting them cool on the cookie sheets. Transfer to cooling racks.

 

You can store these in an airtight container in a cool place for a few days. they are best the same day or day after, while they are still crispy. I like to spread ice cream or whipped cream between them.